Josiah Belden (May 4, 1815 – April 23, 1892), known in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

as Josías Belden, was a Californian politician and trader. He was born in Connecticut, eventually emigrating to

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

(then part of Mexico). In California, he became a Mexican citizen, a prominent trader, and a rancho grantee.

Life

Born in the Upper Houses in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, Belden was

orphan An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew language, Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages ...

ed by the time he was 14. He later moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

and became a successful businessman. In 1841 he joined the Bartleson-Bidwell Party, the first organized emigrant party to use the

California Trail The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...

to reach the Mexican province of

. The party was detained at Mission San Jose by General

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (July 4, 1807 – January 18, 1890) was a Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of Mexico, and shaped the tran ...

for illegally entering Mexico without valid

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

s; Vallejo violated his orders to force all American immigrants to leave California, allowing the group to remain after becoming Mexican citizens. He came in 1842 to

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

, where Thomas O. Larkin put him in a mercantile store at Santa Cruz and made him his agent. Belden was living in Branciforte (now Santa Cruz), when the USS ''United States'', under the command of Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones, captured the nearby Presidio of Monterey on October 20, 1842. Jones appointed Belden ''

alcalde ''Alcalde'' (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and Administration (government), administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor (position), corregidor, the presiding officer o ...

'', a political position that combines the functions of a mayor, a judge, and a

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

. On October 21, Jones discovered that the U.S. and Mexico were not at war, and returned the Presidio back to the Mexican forces; Belden's short term as alcalde also ended. Belden received the Rancho Barranca Colorado Mexican land grant near Red Bluff in current Tehama County in 1844. In 1846, Belden gave William B. Ide 50 percent ownership of the grant, in exchange for Ide operating the ranch. Belden sold the Ide family the entire rancho in 1849. In 1848, Belden opened a store in San Jose. After San Jose became the first incorporated city in California, Belden was elected its first mayor on April 8, 1850. He served a single one-year term and was elected to serve as a member of the city's Common Council for a one-year term in 1851. His 11-acre mansion later became the Vendome Hotel. Belden's letters and journal were published in 1962 as ''Josiah Belden, 1841 California Pioneer: His Memoir and Early Letters''. His grandson, Charles Josiah Belden, was a well-known western photographer. His daughter, Mary Elizabeth, married Capt. Luis F. Emilio, 54th Ma. Infantry.

Life

References

Further reading