Juan Bautista Alvarado
| Juan Bautista Alvarado | |
|---|---|
 |
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 24th Governor of Alta California
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In office 1836–1842 |
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| Preceded by | Nicolas Gutierrez |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Micheltorena |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 14, 1809 Monterey, California |
| Died | July 13, 1882 (aged 73) San Pablo, California |
| Spouse(s) | Dona Martina Castro |
| Profession | Rancher |
| Religion | Christian |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
Alta California
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| Service/branch |
.gif){kind=small} Cavalry
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| Rank |
 General
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| Battles/wars | Revolution of 1836 Battle of Providencia |
Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo (February 14, 1809 – July 13, 1882) was a Californio and Governor of Alta California from 1836 to 1842. He was governor during the Revolution of 1836, when the territorial Diputación (Legislature) declared "free and sovereign" independence from Mexico and forced the Mexican commander and entourage to flee. Alvarado also oversaw California's brief rejoining with Mexico as a state.
Alvarado was born in Monterey, Alta California, to Jose Francisco Alvarado and María Josefa Vallejo. His grandfather Juan Bautista Alvarado accompanied Gaspar de Portolà as an enlisted man in the Spanish Army in 1769. His father died a few months after his birth and his mother remarried three years later, leaving Juan Bautista in the care of his grandparents, the Vallejo family. He and Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo grew up together in the Vallejo household. They were both taught by William Edward Petty Hartnell, an English merchant living in Monterey.
In 1827 the eighteen-year-old Alvarado was hired as secretary to the territorial legislature. In 1829 he was briefly arrested along with Vallejo and another friend, José Castro, by soldiers involved in the military revolt led by Joaquín Solis. In 1831 he built a house in Monterey for his mistress, Juliana Francisca Ramona y Castillo, whom he called “Raymunda”, to live in (or, more likely, her sister, Maria Reymunda Castillo ). Over the years, the pair had a total of at least two illegitimate daughters whom he recognized (Estefana del Rosario, b 1834, and Maria Francisca de la Asencion born 1836 ) and perhaps several more he did not recognize, but he never married their mother. During this period Alvarado began drinking heavily. One of his daughters claimed that Raymunda had refused to marry Alvarado because of his excessive drinking.
Alvarado supported secularization of the Spanish missions in California. He was appointed by José María de Echeandía to oversee the turn over of Mission San Miguel, even though Echeandía was no longer governor. The new governor Manuel Victoria rescinded the order and sought to have Alvarado and Castro arrested. The pair fled and were hidden by their old friend Vallejo, who had become adjutant at the Presidio of San Francisco. However, Victoria was unpopular and Echeandía overthrew his rule and replaced him with Pío de Jesús Pico} near the end of 1831. Secularization of the missions resumed in 1833.
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