Jonathan D. Stevenson

Jonathan Drake Stevenson
Born	January 1, 1800 Staten Island, New York
Died	February 14, 1894 San Francisco, California

Jonathan Drake Stevenson (1800–1894) was born in New York; won a seat in the New York State Assembly ; was the commanding officer of the First Regiment of New York Volunteers during the Mexican-American War in California; entered California mining and real estate businesses; and died in San Francisco on February 14, 1894.

Stevenson became the protégé of New York Governor Daniel D. Tompkins and served as his private secretary, and accompanied him to Washington in that capacity when Tompkins was elected Vice President in 1816. His friendship with prominent politicians and his helping to expose the Glentworth election frauds of 1839 gained him a certain stature in the Democratic Party. He supported James K. Polk for the Presidency in 1844, and was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co.) in 1846.

In 1846, President Polk offered Stevenson the command of a regiment of volunteers to be raised as part of the American occupation army during the Mexican-American War in California. Colonel Stevenson raised a volunteer regiment of ten companies of 77 men each or 770 men to go to California with the understanding that they would be muster out and stay in California. On 1 August 1846, the regiment was mustered into Federal service as the "Seventh" New York Volunteers. Stevenson with his Regiment of New York Volunteers sailed around Cape Horn for California on September 26, 1846, and arrived at San Francisco March 7, 1847. After his arrival in San Francisco, Stevenson joined General Stephen W. Kearny at Monterey and was made commander of the post. In May, 1847, he became the military commander of the southern district of California with headquarters in Los Angeles. In 1848, an order was received by Colonel R.B. Mason, directing that Colonel Stevenson's regiment should be designated thereafter the "1st Regiment of New York Volunteers" instead of the "Seventh".

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