Juan Manuel de Salcedo was the 11th and final governor of

Spanish Louisiana Spanish Louisiana ( es, link=no, la Luisiana) was a governorate and administrative district of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1762 to 1801 that consisted of a vast territory in the center of North America encompassing the western basin of t ...

, from 1801–1803. He was governor at the time of the cession of the Louisiana territory to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in fulfillment of the terms of the Treaty of San Ildefonso.

Early career

A native of

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

, Salcedo pursued a military career and served as an officer in the defense of the

Lordship of Biscay The Lordship of Biscay ( es, Señorío de Vizcaya, Basque: ''Bizkaiko jaurerria'') was a region under feudal rule in the region of Biscay in the Iberian Peninsula between 1040 and 1876, ruled by a political figure known as the Lord of Biscay. On ...

in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

. By the late 1760s, he was serving in North Africa with postings in Spanish ports of

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

and Melilla, before being transferred to the Canary Islands. In 1776, the arrived in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where he was to remain for twenty years, rising to the position of ''teniente del rey'' (lieutenant to the king). In July 1797, Salcedo participated in the successful defense of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, capturing 29 British soldiers.

Governor of Spanish Louisiana

Salcedo was appointed governor of Louisiana on October 24, 1799 to replace Governor Gayoso, who had died in office, but due to ill health he did not actually assume the position until July 15, 1801. During the interim,

Sebastián Calvo de la Puerta y O'Farrill Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocl ...

served as governor in his stead. His governorship was not well-regarded; he reportedly humiliated the members of the Cabildo and boycotted its meetings. He was quite hostile to the United States; one of his first official acts was to dispatch arms to Natchitoches, along with instructions to keep Americans out of the district, and he forbade the granting of land to American citizens. Salcedo's tenure as governor ended with the return of Louisiana to

, shortly before the Sale of Louisiana. His predecessor, Casa Calvo, assisted him in the transfer of power to the new French governor,

Pierre Clément de Laussat Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

on November 30, 1803. Departing New Orleans in May 1804, Salcedo returned to Cadiz, Spain. Although Salcedo initial intended to retire to the Canary Islands, he sought and received permission to stay in Spain to be closer to his youngest son and his family and by early 1805 Salcedo was assigned to

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, settling in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Family

Salcedo married Francisca de Quiroga y Manso in Málaga in 1775. Their son,

Manuel María de Salcedo Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga, (1776 in Málaga, Spain – executed, April 3, 1813), was a governor of Spanish Texas from 1808 until his execution in 1813. Salcedo gained leadership experience helping his father Juan Manuel de Salcedo, ...

, later served as governor of

Spanish Texas Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. The term "interior provinces" first appeared in 1712, as an expression meaning "far away" provinces. It was only in 1776 that a lega ...

. His brother,

Nemesio de Salcedo Nemesio de Salcedo (fl. 1804 - 1813) was a Spanish colonial official who served as the Commandant-General of the Provincias Internas, which at the time included much of northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Early life and family ...

, was the Commandant General of the Interior Provinces.

References

Governors of Spanish Louisiana Spanish generals Colonial United States (Spanish) People of New Spain Pre-statehood history of Louisiana Spanish colonial governors and administrators People from Bilbao 1743 births Year of death missing {{NewSpain-stub