Estevan Ochoa
| Estevan Ochoa | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Tucson, Arizona | |
|
In office 1875–1876 |
|
| Preceded by | James H. Toole |
| Succeeded by | John Brackett "Pie" Allen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 17, 1831 Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Died | October 27, 1888 (aged 57) Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Resting place |
|
| Spouse(s) | Altagracia Salazar Ochoa |
Estevan Ochoa (March 17, 1831 – October 27, 1888) was a Mexican-born American businessman and politician who participated in the creation of the Arizona Territory.
Ochoa was born to Jesus Ochoa in Chihuahua, Mexico on March 17, 1831. His family had a variety of business interests and appear on the registry of navigation from when Cortés sailed from Spain. While he was growing up, his family operated a freight hauling business along the Santa Fe Trail. Ochoa accompanied his family's wagon trains from Chihuahua to points as distant as Independence, Missouri. His experiences on the trail taught him the skills of a merchant while time spent in Kansas provided him with fluency in the English language.
Following the Mexican-American war, Ochoa decided to settle in the United States. His first store was located in Mesilla, New Mexico Territory. From there he expanded to a second store in Las Cruces Shortly thereafter he partnered with Pinckney R. Tully, who had moved to Mesilla in 1854, to form the freighting and mercantile firm of Tully & Ochoa. In 1856, Ochoa was a delegate to a convention seeking creation of Arizona from a section of New Mexico Territory.
One of Tully & Ochoa's early business ventures sent a large supply train to Tucson, New Mexico Territory. After all the supply train's goods sold out in just a few hours the firm decided to open stores in both Tucson and Tubac. Ochoa soon followed, moving to Tucson in 1860. By the time the American Civil War broke out, Ochoa was loyal to both his adopted homeland and the Union cause. When a Confederate column reached Tucson, the commanding leader sent for Ochoa and demanded he swear a loyalty oath to the Confederacy. The merchant immediately refused, informing the officer that he "owed all he had in the world to the Government of the United States, and it would be impossible for him to take an oath of fidelity to any hostile power or party." He told the officer he was willing to leave town instead of signing the oath. The officer then allowed Ochoa to select a horse and quickly pack a pair of saddlebags before providing him a rifle with 20 rounds of ammunition and having him escorted out of town. The merchant then surprisingly survived a journey of 250 miles (400 km) through Apache territory to Union forces stationed on the Rio Grande.
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