Mostly true, Guest Jim.
Santa Anna, during one of his exiles, stayed with Thomas Adams at his Staten Island home. Adams had failed in several endeavors, and was a photographer at the time (1860's). Whether Adams was already experimenting with chicle, I don't know, but Santa Anna suggested some possible uses for the chicle (gum) from the sapodilla tree. Adams failed with bicycle tires, boots and toys. Santa Anna had provided quantities of the material.
In 1861, Adams opened a little factory to make chewing gum from the chicle, and (cliché) the rest is history.

Santa Anna was the son of a man who dealt in real estate and mortgages, and seemingly was hopeless as a prospect for business, so he was entered into military school. He was charismatic, and soon rose to command. Interspersed with spells in the military, he was successful in politics, being elected president six times. He was hopeless as an administrator (and a victim of poor judgement in war), and suffered periods of exile, which he endured in Cuba, Jamaica, and the United States.
During the French occupation, Santa Anna, fighting against them, lost a leg, but this didn't stop his adventures in politics, the Mexican War, etc. His last exile ended in 1874, and he returned to Mexico, dying in 1876 at the age of 82.

Most of the above is out of my head, but I think more accurate information is posted in other threads.