Antonio de Ulloa
| Antonio de Ulloa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
12 January 1716 Seville, Spain |
| Died | 3 July 1795 (aged 79) Isla de León, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Known for | Platinum |
Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Giral (12 January 1716 – 3 July 1795) was a Spanish general of the navy, explorer, scientist, author, astronomer, colonial administrator and the first Spanish governor of Louisiana. He was appointed to that office after France ceded the territory to Spain in 1763, following its defeat by Great Britain in the Seven Years' War. Ulloa's rule was resisted by the French Creole colonists in New Orleans, who expelled him in 1768 from West Louisiana.
Ulloa had already established an international reputation in science, having been part of the French Geodesic Mission in present-day Ecuador. He and a fellow Spaniard discovered the element platinum and Ulloa wrote the first scientific description of it. He published an extensive record of his observations and findings on the South American trip, which was published in French in 1848 and in English as A Voyage to South America (1806). He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Ulloa was born in Seville, Spain. His father was an economist. Ulloa entered the navy in 1733. In 1735, he, along with fellow Spaniard Jorge Juan, was appointed to the French Geodesic Mission. The French Academy of Sciences was sending this scientific expedition to present-day Ecuador to measure a degree of meridian arc at the equator.
Ulloa worked in Ecuador from 1736 to 1744, during which time the two Spaniards discovered the element platinum in the area. Ulloa was the first person to write a scientific description of the metal. In 1745, having finished their scientific labours, Ulloa and Jorge Juan prepared to return to Spain, agreeing to travel on different ships in order to minimize the danger of losing their important samples and records.
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