Ygnacio Martínez
Ygnacio Martínez | |
|---|---|
| 4th Alcalde of San Francisco | |
| In office 1837–1838 | |
| Preceded by | Francisco Guerrero y Palomares |
| Succeeded by | Francisco de Haro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1774 |
| Died | 1848 |
| Resting place | Mission San José |
| Spouse(s) | Martina Arellanes |
| Residence | Rancho El Pinole |
Ygnacio Nicanor Martínez (1774 – 1848) was a Californio politician, soldier, and ranchero, who served as the fourth Alcalde of San Francisco (then known as Yerba Buena). He was an important figure in the development of Contra Costa County and the county seat of Martinez, California is named after him.[1]
Life[]
Ygnacio Martínez was born in Mexico City, New Spain (now Mexico), and was a soldier in Alta California by 1822. In 1827, as a lieutenant stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco, Martínez met with the American explorer Jedediah Smith and helped to facilitate the continuation of Smith's northward travels toward the Columbia River.
Martínez was the fourth Alcalde of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) in 1837. In 1842, he was granted the Rancho El Pinole, which included the Alhambra Valley.[2] A part of the rancho later became the city of Martinez.
Family[]
Martínez married Martina Arellanes in 1807, and the couple had eleven children: nine daughters and two sons. One of the daughters, Maria Antonia Martinez (1803-1887), married William A. Richardson in 1825.
Ygnacio Martínez died in June, 1848, in the area that would become Contra Costa County, and is buried at Mission San Jose Cemetery in Fremont, California.[3]
Legacy[]
The city of Martinez, California, which serves as the county seat of Contra Costa County, was named after Ygnacio Martínez by his son-in-law, William M. Smith, founder of the city.
The actor Will Kuluva played Martinez in the 1966 episode "Water Bringer" of the syndicated western television series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Ronald W. Reagan, Rory Calhoun played William Richardson in his first experience of California, when the British whaling ship Orion docked near the San Francisco Presidio. Calhoun's real-life wife of almost 20 years at the time, Lita Baron, was cast as Martinez's daughter, Maria, who would become the future Mrs. Richardson.[4]
References[]
- ^ Burt, Harriett; Perry, Charlene (4 January 2012). "The Founder of the City of Martinez: Col. William Smith". Contra Costa County Historical Society. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Martinez Historical Society". Martinezhistory.org. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- ^ Pinole
- ^ "The Water Bringer on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. March 17, 1966. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
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- People from Contra Costa County, California
- Martinez, California
- Pinole, California
- 1774 births
- 1848 deaths
- People of Alta California
- People of Mexican California
- People from Mexico City
- American Old West stubs
- American people stubs