José Bandini (1771–1841) was a Spanish and Mexican sea captain and early settler of San Diego, California.

Early life and marriage

José Bandini was born in Cádiz, Spain, and most likely had at least some (if not all) broadly Italian ancestors who had emigrated to Spain when most of the country was part of the empire. In 1793 he settled in Lima, Peru, where he married twice, first to Ysidora Blancas and, after her death in 1801, to Manuela Mazuelos. He had several children including Manuel Antonio Bandini Mazuelos who became Archbishop of Lima and

Juan Bandini Juan Bandini (1800 – November 4, 1859) was a Peruvian-born Californio public figure, politician, and ranchero. He is best known for his role in the development of San Diego in the mid-19th century. Early history Bandini was born in 1800 in Lima ...

, a well-known political figure in the Mexican and American eras of California.

Naval service

Bandini served as a lieutenant on the Spanish vessel, ''Nymphia'', at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

in 1805. He first visited California, then part of Spain, in December 1818 as captain of the ship ''Reina de los Ángeles'', bringing military supplies and troops from San Blas to Alta California's capital,

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

to defend against the

corsair A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially: * Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa * French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown Corsair may also refer to: Arts and ...

Hippolyte Bouchard Hippolyte or Hipólito Bouchard (15 January 1780 – 4 January 1837) was a French-born Argentine sailor and corsair who fought for Argentina, Chile, and Peru. During his first campaign as an Argentine corsair he attacked the Spanish colonies o ...

. Two years later he and his crew took an oath of allegiance to Mexican revolutionary leader

Agustín de Iturbide Agustín de Iturbide (; 27 September 178319 July 1824), full name Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu and also known as Agustín of Mexico, was a Mexican army general and politician. During the Mexican War of Independence, he built a ...

and took part in the Mexican War of Independence.

Settlement in California

In 1822 Bandini was granted military retirement with the rank, capitán de milicias, by the newly independent Mexican government. Soon afterward he settled in San Diego where, as Richard Henry Dana described in ''

Two Years Before the Mast ''Two Years Before the Mast'' is a memoir by the American author Richard Henry Dana Jr., published in 1840, having been written after a two-year sea voyage from Boston to California on a merchant ship starting in 1834. A film adaptation under the ...

'', "he built a large house with a court-yard in front, kept a great retinue of Indians, and set up for the grandee of that part of the country." In 1828 Bandini wrote ''Descrision de l'Alta California'' (translated to English by Doris Marion Wright as ''A Description of California in 1828''). In it he described the territory's people, its land and resources, and the state of its commerce. At the time the Mexican government had decided that foreign trade with California would only be allowed through the port of Monterey. Bandini believed this would stifle California's economic growth so he concluded the ''Descrision'' by proposing that imports also be allowed at the port of San Diego while California's exports (almost entirely hides, tallow, and wheat) be allowed anywhere along its coast. His son,

, used the Descrision as the basis of a report he wrote for the Comisaría Principal de la Alta California in 1830. José Bandini died in San Diego in 1841.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandini, Jose History of San Diego People from San Diego Sea captains 1771 births 1841 deaths