José Figueroa
| José Figueroa | |
|---|---|
 19th Governor of Alta California
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|
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In office 1833–1835 |
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| Preceded by |
Agustín V. Zamorano (north) and José María de Echeandía (south) |
| Succeeded by | José Castro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1792 |
| Died | 29 September 1835 |
| Profession | Governor, politician, soldier |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |
 Mexican Army
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| Rank |
 General
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José Figueroa (1792 – 29 September 1835), was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.
Figueroa was a Mestizo of Spanish and Aztec ancestry, and was proud of his Indian background. He had served as a military officer on the Sonoran frontier. He achieved the rank of Brevet Brigadier general.
Figueroa was appointed governor of Alta California in 1832, and arrived for duty in January, 1833. Due to political turbulence, Alta California had two rival acting governors at that time. Agustín V. Zamorano held office in Monterey in the north, while José María de Echeandía ruled Southern California from Los Angeles and San Diego. Both men deferred to Figueroa, and the government of Alta California was united.
Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials. This also involved the issuing of many Mexican land grants for former mission lands, originally intended to be held in trust for Mission Indians. He also had to deal with the Híjar-Padrés colony, and a resulting rebellion.
Many historians consider Figueroa to be "the most competent governor of California during the Mexican era".
Many of the communities that had grown up around the twenty-one missions became secular pueblos (towns). Most of the towns kept their previous mission names. In the case of Mission Santa Cruz, Figueroa considered changing the town name to Villa Figueroa, but the change was never put into effect.
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