Don Antonio Francisco Coronel (October 21, 1817 – April 17, 1894) was a

Californio Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there sinc ...

politician and ranchero who was

Mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of the City of Los Angeles is the official head and chief executive officer of Los Angeles. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and is term limit, limited to serving no more than two terms. (Under the Constitution of Califo ...

and California State Treasurer. Coronel was considered one of the first

preservationist Preservationist is generally understood to mean ''historic preservationist'': one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects, or sites from demolition or degradation. Historic preservation us ...

s in Los Angeles, and his private collection formed the basis of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Career

Antonio Francisco Coronel was the son of Ygnacio Coronel, born in Mexico City in the last years of colonial

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

. Coronel was 17 years of age when he came to Alta California with his parents in 1834, as a part of the Híjar-Padrés Colony. In 1838, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Tribunals for the Pueblo de Los Ángeles. In 1843, he became

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

(''Juez de Paz'', the equivalent of Mayor at that time). During the Mexican–American War in 1846–47, Antonio was a captain and sergeant-at-arms in the Mexican artillery and took part in military operations against the United States. Once the war had ended, Antonio Coronel was the first

Los Angeles County Assessor The Los Angeles County Assessor is the assessor and officer of the government of Los Angeles County responsible for discovering all taxable property in Los Angeles County, except for state-assessed property, to inventory and list all the taxable ...

from 1850 to 1856. In 1853, Coronel became

. Coronel was a ward councilman on the Los Angeles Common Council (1854–1867) He was the California State Treasurer from 1867 to 1871. In 1873, Coronel married Mariana Williamson. His donated collection made the basis for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Antonio Coronel became the owner of

Rancho Los Feliz Rancho Los Feliz was a Spanish land concession in present-day Los Angeles County, California given in 1795 by Spanish Governor Pedro Fages to José Vicente Feliz. The land of the grant includes Los Feliz and Griffith Park, and was bounded on ...

Personal life

He was married to

Mariana W. de Coronel Mariana W. de Coronel (February 26, 1851 – 1925) was an American collector of Native Americans in the United States, Native American and Mexican curios and antiques. These were gathered during the course of many years, the largest and most valuab ...

. His brother,

Manuel F. Coronel Manuel F. Coronel was a Californio politician, who served in the California State Assembly and as the first official Zanjero of Los Angeles (water steward). served as a member of the 1869–1871 California State Assembly, representing the 2nd Dis ...

, was the first Zanjero of Los Angeles. He had a sister, Maria Antonio Coronel, who married

Alexis Godey Alexis Godey also called Alec Godey and Alejandro Godey, born Alexander Godey, was a trapper, scout, and mountain man. He was an associate of Jim Bridger and was lead scout for John C. Frémont. Biography Godey was born in 1818 in St. ...

in 1863.Alexis Godey, by Walt Wheelock, June 1965
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coronel, Antonio F. Californios California Democrats Mayors of Los Angeles 1817 births 1894 deaths American politicians of Mexican descent Los Angeles Common Council (1850–1889) members 19th-century American politicians Mexican military personnel of the Mexican–American War Politicians from Los Angeles State treasurers of California Hispanic and Latino American mayors in California California

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

Mexican-American culture in California

Career

Personal life

Further reading

References