Juan Vicente Folch y Juan (1754–1829)National Archives. Founders Online: To James Madison from William C. C. Claiborne and James Wilkinson, 27 February 1804
National Archives. was a Spanish military officer who served as the governor of

West Florida West Florida () was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. Great Britain established West and East Florida in 1763 out of land acquired from France and S ...

from June 1796 to March 1811.

Early years and military career

Vicente Folch was born in

Reus Reus () is the capital of Baix Camp, in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The area has long been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental significance during the time of the Phylloxera plague. Currently it is known f ...

, near Barcelona in the Catalan province of

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

,Olesti Trilles, Josep. Diccionari biogràfic de reusencs. Reus: l'Ajuntament, 1991, p. 267. on March 8, 1754. He was a nephew of the governor of

Spanish Louisiana Louisiana (, ), was a province of New Spain from 1762 to 1801. It was primarily located in the center of North America encompassing the western basin of the Mississippi River plus New Orleans. The area had originally been claimed and controlle ...

Esteban Rodríguez Miró Esteban Rodríguez Miró y Sabater (1744 – June 4, 1795), also known as Esteban Miro and Estevan Miro, was a Spanish army officer and governor of the Spanish provinces of Louisiana and Florida. He was one of the most popular of the Spanish ...

. Folch studied mathematics and engineering at the Royal Military Academy of Barcelona and on April 23, 1771, he was commissioned a sublieutenant in the 2nd Regiment of Light Infantry of Catalonia in the

Spanish army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

. He rose through the ranks, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 5, 1802. After finishing his studies in 1774, Folch fought in military campaigns in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

for several years, including the Siege of Melilla (1774–75), the Invasion of Algiers, and the

siege of Gibraltar There have been fourteen recorded sieges of Gibraltar. Although the peninsula of Gibraltar is only long and wide, it occupies an extremely strategic location on the southern Iberian coast at the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Its ...

(1780). He was promoted to lieutenant in 1780 and in 1786 he attained the rank of captain. Folch arrived in America in 1780 with the field army (''Ejército de Operaciones'') commanded by Victoriano de Navia, and worked his way through the ranks until he was promoted to captain on November 22, 1786. Seven months later, on June 19, 1787, he was appointed

commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of the post at Mobile, where he organized discovery and punitive expeditions against the

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...

. In August 1793, Folch was assigned a naval expedition to map the central part of the west coast of the province of

East Florida East Florida () was a colony of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris (1763), Tre ...

, the area around Tampa Bay. After successfully completing this arduous task, the governor of Louisiana, Baron Carondelet, appointed him to command two small vessels that he had outfitted to patrol the coast near the mouth of the Mississippi River. Folch performed this service from July, 1794, to July, 1795. On July 28, 1795, Carondelet then appointed Folch the new commandant of the fort of San Fernando de las Barrancas. This was a hardship post at Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, the present-day site of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. Folch served there until September 1796. He was next assigned duty at

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

, where he served as commandant from September 30, 1795, through March 30, 1804. In June 1796 he was appointed governor of

Government of West Florida and final years

After visiting

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

several times, Governor Folch insisted on being received with the honors due his office when he went to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

on official business. He promoted road construction in Florida and the building of a road from Mobile to better protect Baton Rouge. He also reorganized and reinforced the troops stationed in the forts at

and Mobile. When he received notice of the Kemper brothers' rebellion in Baton Rouge and their incursion into West Florida on August 7, 1804, to incite a revolution, Folch was concerned that the insurrection was a serious threat to Spanish control of Florida. He sent a troop of 150 soldiers from Pensacola to suppress the revolt; they arrived in September,Cogliano, Francis D. (2013)
Failed Filibusters: The Kemper Rebellion, the Burr Conspiracy and Early American Expansion
and defeated the insurrectionists, who had failed to gain the support of local Anglo-American settlers, most of whom were satisfied with Spanish rule. In 1811, fearing the possibility that

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

would occupy Florida in its war against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, Folch decided to cede West Florida to the United States temporarily. Folch was promoted to

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in 1810, and replaced by his son-in-law

Francisco Maximiliano Saint Maxent La Roche Francisco Maximiliano de San Maxent La Roche (April 22, 1761 - November 25, 1825) was the Acting (law), interim governor of West Florida. He served four stints in the office of governor. He also commanded the Spanish forces in Mobile, Alabama, M ...

in March 1811 as governor of West Florida. He then went to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild The Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild () is both a general military honor and a legion created by Ferdinand VII, King Ferdinand VII of Spain on 28 November 1814. The Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild is a military award, ...

(''Real y Militar Orden de San Hermenegildo''). He died in 1829 in Havana.

References

External links

Correspondence with Vicente Folch, 1810
{{DEFAULTSORT:Folch, Vicente Royal governors of La Florida 1754 births 1829 deaths