José de Solano y Bote, 1st Marquess of Socorro (March 6, 1726 – March 24, 1806), was a Spanish naval officer.

Biography

He served an extensive career in the Spanish Navy starting at the age of 16 until his death in 1806. Shortly after joining the Spanish navy in 1742, he participated in the

Battle of Toulon (1744) The Battle of Toulon, also known as the Battle of Cape Sicié, took place between 21 to 22 February 1744 NS near the French Mediterranean port of Toulon. Although France was not yet at war with Great Britain, ships from their Levant Fleet sai ...

, where the Spanish fleet defeated the British fleet. As a result of his performance in that battle he was promoted to the rank of '' alférez de fragata''. In 1754 he was promoted to the rank of '' capitán de fragata'' and sent to the Americas as a

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

named by the King with the objective of helping with the demarcation of the limits between Spain and Portugal's holdings. During this charge Solano spent seven years traveling the

Orinoco river The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

and its tributaries as well as making several trips to Bogota in pursuit of additional funding from the Viceroy to support his efforts. When he concluded his assignment he was promoted to the rank of '' Capitán de Navío'' in 1761. In 1762 after war broke out with England he took command of the '' Rayo (80)'' a ship of the line built in La Havana. Solano was governor of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

from 1763 to 1770 and later

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Comma ...

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

(1771–79).

Anglo-Spanish War

He commanded a Spanish squadron during the Anglo-Spanish War. For his role in the

Siege of Pensacola The siege of Pensacola was a siege fought in 1781, the culmination of Spain's conquest of the British province of West Florida during the Gulf Coast campaign. Background When Spain entered the War in 1779, Bernardo de Gálvez, the energeti ...

where he came to the aid of Louisiana governor

Bernardo de Gálvez Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez y Madrid, 1st Count of Gálvez (23 July 1746 – 30 November 1786) was a Spanish military leader and government official who served as colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana and Cuba, and later as Viceroy of New Sp ...

in March 1781, Solano was promoted to lieutenant general in 1782. He became the General Captain of the Armada in 1804. Retrato moderno de José Solano y Bote

References

* Jose Luis Santalo Rodriguez de Viguri (1973). Don Jose Solano y Bote, Primer Marques del Socorro Capitan General de la Armada. Instituto Historico de Marina, Madrid. I.S.B.N. 84-00-03891-6 {{DEFAULTSORT:Solano Y Bote, Jose 1726 births 1806 deaths People from the Province of Cáceres Captain generals of the Navy Spanish admirals Spanish military personnel of the American Revolutionary War