Francisco Perea Chaves (1830–1913) was a prominent American businessman, politician, and military officer active in the New Mexico Territory during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born into an influential family, he was the grandson of Francisco Xavier Chávez, the first governor of the Departamento de Nuevo México under the independent First Mexican Empire. Perea established himself as a successful merchant, operating a trade network along the Santa Fe Trail that connected St. Louis and Mexico.\n\nFollowing the acquisition of the territory by the United States after the Mexican–American War, Perea entered public service, initially serving in the House of the New Mexico Territory. During the American Civil War, he was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the Union Army, contributing to the defense of the territory.\n\nPerea's political career extended to the national stage when he was elected as a delegate for the Territory of New Mexico to the 38th United States Congress, serving from 1863 to 1865. After his congressional term, he returned to local politics in the territorial legislature and later served as the United States postmaster of Jemez Springs from 1894 to 1905.
