Juan Manuel de Salcedo

Juan Manuel de Salcedo was the 11th and final governor of Spanish Louisiana, from 1801–1803. He was governor at the time of the cession of the Louisiana territory to France in fulfillment of the terms of the Treaty of San Ildefonso.

Juan Manuel de Salcedo
11th Governor of Spanish Louisiana
In office 1801–1803
Monarch	Charles IV
Preceded by	Sebastián Calvo de la Puerta y O'Farrill
Succeeded by	Pierre Clément de Laussat as French Governor of Louisiana
Personal details
Born	1743 Bilbao, Spain
Spouse(s)	Francisca de Quiroga y Manso
Military service
Allegiance	Viceroyalty of New Spain  Kingdom of Spain
Branch/service	Spanish Army
Rank	Lieutenant
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War

Early career

A native of Bilbao, Salcedo pursued a military career and served as an officer in the defense of the Lordship of Biscay in the Seven Years' War.[1] By 1780, he was 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).[1]

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.[2] During the interim, Sebastián Calvo de la Puerta y O'Farrill served as governor in his stead.[2] His governorship was not well-regarded; he reportedly humiliated the members of the Cabildo and boycotted its meetings.[2] 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.[3]

Salcedo's tenure as governor ended with the return of Louisiana to France, 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, after which Salcedo returned to Cadiz, Spain.[1] Although Salcedo initial intended to retire to the Canary Islands,[2] 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.[1]

Family

Salcedo married Francisca de Quiroga y Manso in Málaga in 1775.[1] Their son, Manuel María de Salcedo, later served as governor of Spanish Texas. His brother, Nemesio de Salcedo, was the Commandant General of the Interior Provinces.[4]

References

1. Beerman, Eric (2000). "El tratado de San Ildefonso (1800) y el último gobernador español de La Luisiana, Manuel Juan Salcedo". XIV Coloquio de Historia Canario Americana (in Spanish): 1121–1128. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
2. Cowan, Walter Greaves; McGuire, Jack B. (2010). Louisiana Governors: Rulers, Rascals, and Reformers. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-60473-320-4. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
3. Martinez, Raymond J. Rousseau: The Last Days of Spanish New Orleans. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-1-4556-1151-5. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
4. Alliot, Paul (1911). James Alexander Robertson (ed.). Louisiana Under the Rule of Spain, France, and the United States, 1785-1807: Social, Economic, and Political Conditions of the Territory Represented in the Louisiana Purchase, Volume II. Cleveland, Ohio: The Arthur H. Clark Co. pp. 145–. Retrieved 17 October 2018.