José María Coppinger
| José María Coppinger | |
|---|---|
| 8th Governor of Spanish East Florida | |
|
In office 6 January 1816 – 10 July 1821 |
|
| Preceded by | Juan José de Estrada |
| Succeeded by |
Andrew Jackson as Military Governor of American Florida |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 5, 1773 Havana, Cuba |
| Died | July 15, 1844 (aged 71) Cárdenas, Cuba |
| Spouse(s) |
Antonia Maria Josefa Crescencia De Saravia (m. 1797) Narcisa Armenteros Muñoz (m. 1803) |
| Profession | soldier and governor |
José Coppinger (April 5, 1773 – August 15, 1844) was a prominent Spanish soldier of Cuban origin who served in the infantry of the Royal Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) and governed East Florida (1816 - 1821) and several areas in Cuba including (Pinar Del Rio, Bayamo, the Cuatro Villas (the towns of Trinidad, Santo Espiritu, Villa Clara, San Juan de los Remedios) and Trinidad Province; at different times between 1801 and 1834). He was also a member of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand and San Hermenegildo.
José María Lopez de Gamarra y Coppinger was born in Havana, Cuba on April 5, 1773 and baptized on April 18 at the Cathedral of Havana. He was the son of Cornelius Coppinger y O'Brien and María de los Dolores López de Gamarra y Hernández Arturo. His father was of Irish origin and engaged in the slave trade, fleeing Ireland because he had hidden a priest in the family house, which was considered treasonous at the time. After emigrating to Spain, Cornelius Coppinger became a naturalized Spanish citizen in 1767. The Cornelius Coppinger family was of successful merchant, military officer, properly owner, and civil official origin.
His mother was Cuban but her family was originally from Seville, having emigrated to Cuba in the 17th century. She was the daughter of Francisco López Gamarra y Ayala, a magistrate of the Real Audiencia, Spain´s supreme Court in Havana, and accountant of the Royal Treasury.
Coppinger's family was Roman Catholic, the faith in which he was raised. He had three siblings.
Coppinger joined the Spanish army in his youth, obtaining the rank of captain. In 1797 he was made Captain of the Regiment of Hibernia and Ayudante Mayor (Adjutant Commander) of the Second Battalion. In 1801 he became the military governor of the third largest province in Cuba, Pinar Del Rio, previously known as Nueva Filipinas (New Philippines), and the town of Bayamo. Later, in 1814, he was appointed governor and Capitán a Guerra (a chief magistrate invested with military power) of the Cuatro Villas of Cuba (the towns of Trinidad, Santo Espiritu, Villa Clara, and San Juan de los Remedios).
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