After the death of Fernando VII in 1833 he was named prosecutor of the Audiencia Provincial of Cádiz, a position he held for two years before moving to Madrid, where he co-published a journal called Boletín de Jurisprudencia.

[3] However, his reactionary views kept him out of leadership during the decidedly liberal ascendancy of General Baldomero Espartero, regent during this portion of the minority of Isabella II.

[2][9] He lost his position as head of government 14 December 1852;[3] the onset of the bienio progresista some 18 months later led him to leave Spain, returning in 1856.

[10] He is responsible for founding Canal de Isabel II, the public company that still brings water to Madrid,[11] the establishment of civil service exams (oposiciones),[9][12] the introduction of the metric system into Spain in 1849,[13] the Concordat of 1851 that settled differences between the Spanish government and the Holy See,[2] and the 1852 Canaries Free Ports Act.

[14] He was also responsible for a variety of measures in his capacity as minister of finance, and founded what later became the Boletín Oficial del Estado, which remains the Spanish government's official gazette to this day.