Luis Antonio Argüello (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwis anˈtonjo aɾˈɣweʎo]; June 21, 1784 – March 27, 1830) was the first Californio (native-born) governor of Alta California, and the first to take office under Mexican rule. He was the only governor to serve under the First Mexican Empire (of 1821–1823) and also served as acting governor under the subsequent provisional government, which preceded the First Mexican Republic (of 1824–1835).
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Biography
Argüello was born at Presidio of San Francisco (in present-day San Francisco), Alta California, to José Darío Argüello and Maria Ygnacia Moraga, members of one of the most distinguished and influential families in early California history. His father founded the Pueblo de Los Angeles, and served as Governor of Alta California and later of Baja California.
In August, 1806, Argüello succeeded his father as Commandant of California with the rank of lieutenant. In 1821, he launched an exploration of Northern California to investigate the rumors of "Foreigners" setting up a base. Argüello published his expedition diary, titled The Diary of Captain Arguello: The Last Spanish Expedition in California, October 17 - November 17, 1821. He ordered retribution on hunters of the Russian-American Company who were catching sea otters in San Francisco Bay. There were numerous sea otter populations to hunt and a lack of Spanish military posts above San Francisco Bay made it hard for Argüello to stop this northern activity and the possibility of them trading with the Spanish Missions.
His brother was Santiago Argüello, who was commandant of the Presidio of San Diego and alcalde (mayor) of Pueblo de San Diego. His sister Concepción Argüello (1791–1857) was noted for her romance with Nikolai Rezanov (1764–1807), a Russian promoter of the colonization of Alaska and California.
Argüello and his second wife María Soledad Ortega de Argüello inherited his parents 35,240-acre (142.6 km2) Spanish Rancho land grant of 1795 named Rancho de las Pulgas, encompassing present day San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, Atherton, and Menlo Park. Though Luis never actually lived there, his widow and children settled there after his death.
Josefa Arguello was one of his daughters, she married Eulogio de Celis, their son Eulogio F. de Celis became a predominant landowner in the San Fernando Valley.
Luis Antonio Argüello died in Yerba Buena (San Francisco) in 1830, and is buried at the Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) cemetery.
Governor
In 1822, William Edward Petty Hartnell persuaded Argüello to grant him the right to do business in any port in Alta California, whereas other foreigners were restricted to Monterey and San Diego.
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was served as the personal secretary to the new Governor Luis Argüello, when news of Mexico's independence reached Monterey. Argüello enrolled Vallejo as a cadet in the Presidio company in 1824. After being promoted to corporal, Argüello appointed Vallejo to the diputación, the territorial legislature. He was promoted to alférez (equal to a modern army second lieutenant).
In 1823, he granted Rancho Los Corralitos 15,440-acre (62.5 km2) in present-day Santa Cruz County, California to José Amesti. "Los Corralitos" means "the little corrals" in Spanish. The grant extended along Corralitos Creek north of Watsonville, and encompassed present-day Corralitos and Amesti.
In 1823, Rancho Llano de Buena Vista, means "Good View Plain". 8,446-acre (34.18 km2) in the Salinas Valley was given by Argüello to José Mariano Estrada a lieutenant of the Mexican Artillery and in-law of Argüello.
In 1823, Argüello gave a land grant of Rancho San Pablo17,939-acre (72.60 km2), in present-day Contra Costa County, California to Francisco María Castro (1775–1831), a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San José. The San Pablo grant covered what is now Richmond, San Pablo, and Kensington in western Contra Costa County.
In 1823, Argüello gave a land grant of Rancho Las Cienegas, at a size of 4,439-acre (17.96 km2) in present-day Los Angeles County, California to Francisco Avila
Argüello was Governor at the time of the Chumash Revolt of 1824. Nearly a month after the initial revolt on February 21, 1824, a company of 100 Mexican soldiers, cavalrymen and priests, as well as a four-pound cannon, arrived at La Purisima Mission in the morning, intent on violently crushing the rebellion. Argüello, had had enough chaos in his country's new territory, and so had given the orders for the Chumash rebellion to be quelled with bloodshed, if necessary.
Legacy
In World War II, the United States liberty ship SS Luis Argüello was named in his honor.