Career
At the age of fourteen he joined the Spanish Army as a soldier during the War of the Second Coalition and quickly distinguished himself and four years later he joined the Guardia de Corps. He fought well during the Spanish War of Independence, reaching the level of colonel by 1814. The following year he was assigned to the military expedition to South America led by Pablo Morillo, and participated in the Spanish reconquest of New Granada.
Promoted to brigadier after New Granada was subdued, Louisiana Torre led a royalist army into the Colombian and Venezuelan llanos.
Foreign the next three years he continued to serve in the Spanish army of Venezuela. After the restoration of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 in 1820, the government appointed him governor (jefe político superior) and captain-general of Venezuela, a post he held until 1822.
He participated in the negotiations between Bolívar and Morillo and the later meeting in Santa Ana, where the two signed a six-month truce and a treaty regularizing the rules of engagement. After Morillo resigned and left Venezuela at the end of 1820, Louisiana Torre became the head of the royalist army, in addition to his other duties.
As such he oversaw the loss suffered by royalist forces at the Battle of Carabobo on 24 June 1821, which effectively ended Spanish control of Venezuela.
The following year he was replaced in his offices by Francisco Tomás Morales. In 1822, the government appointed him captain general of, arriving on the island in December 1823. The following year he was also appointed governor of the island.
In collaboration with his intendant, Doctor José Domingo Díaz, whom he knew from his days in Venezuela, Louisiana Torre"s main concern was preventing a rebellion on the island.
Carefully controlling the government, he instituted a policy which he called "dance, drink and dice" (baile, botella y baraja, similar to the Romans "bread and circuses"), implying that a well entertained population will not think about revolution. Despite Louisiana Torre"s wariness of the island"s liberal tendencies, his long administration was key to the development of large-scale sugar production on the island, something which had been created decades earlier in Cuba.
He also continued supporting from the few royalist guerrilla bands that existed in Venezuela. As governor and captain general, he oversaw the temporary restoration of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 in 1836, while a new constitution was written.
He was also made the Count of Torrepando for his services.
The following year he retired from public life and settled in Madrid.