Justo Boneo y Morales was a soldier and knight of the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgr ...

who served as governor of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

from 1743 to 1744.

Biography

Justo Boneo y Morales joined the Spanish army when he was young. So, he had an outstanding career in the army, becoming a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

,Cutter, Charles R. (1995)
The Legal Culture of Northern New Spain, 1700-1810
Page 72. University of New Mexico Press. as well as Captain of Grenadiers of the Regiment of the Infantry of

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

. He served the army for thirty-two years. On July 15, 1740, he was sent to

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, to a zone located near

Los Adaes Los Adaes was the capital of Tejas on the northeastern frontier of New Spain from 1729 to 1770. It included a mission, San Miguel de Cuellar de los Adaes, and a presidio, Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes (Our Lady of the Pillar of the Adae ...

, to carry out an inspection of the area and study certain points of the administration of former

Neomexicano The Hispanos of New Mexico, also known as Neomexicanos ( es, Neomexicano) or Nuevomexicanos, are Hispanic residents originating in the historical region of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, today the US state of New Mexico (''Nuevo México''), south ...

governor

Manuel de Sandoval Manuel de Sandoval was a prominent Neomexican soldier who served as governor of Coahuila (1729–1733 ) and Texas (1734–1736). During his administration in Texas, he lived in and worked on the problems of Bexar, but he neglected Los Adaes, wh ...

, as well as the allegedly questionable activities realized by the group of missionaries that worked in Texas. Both authorities (Sandoval and the missionaries) had been denounced by the governor Carlos Franquis de Lugo. After the investigation was realized, Boneo y Morales joined the military garrison of the

Presidio A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...

of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes, which defended the region. On the other hand, The defendant, Sandoval, had to pay a significant amount of

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...

(the equivalent to $500) and was imprisoned because he did not keep correct accounting practices of his administration and for living in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

when he was governor of the province, although all the governors of Texas had to live in Los Adaes, which was the capital of Texas. Later, on December 17, 1743, Boneo was appointed governor of Texas, but he served for less than a year, since he died in September 1744, leaving the position vacant.

Personal life

Boneo y Morales had several slaves, as were Luis (brought to Josepha Flores y Valdés) and Francisco Joseph (sold to the aforementioned Josepha Flores y Valdés).Stuntz, Jean A. (2005)
Hers, His, and Theirs: Community Property Law in Spain and Early Texas
Page 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boneo-y-Morales, Justo Governors of Spanish Texas Year of birth unknown 1744 deaths 1740s in Texas Tejano slave owners