Juan José de Estrada was a military leader who served as the Governor of

East Florida East Florida ( es, Florida Oriental) was a colony of Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of Spanish Florida from 1783 to 1821. Great Britain gained control of the long-established Spanish colony of ''La Florida'' in 1763 as part of ...

from 1811-1812 and again from 1815-1816. Both of his terms were overwhelmed with tension from the

Patriot War The Patriot War was a conflict along the Canada–United States border in which bands of raiders attacked the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British colony of Upper Canada more than a dozen times between December 1837 and Decembe ...

between the United States and Spain. In 1816 de Estrada was promoted and left Florida for

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Family background

Juan José de Estrada's father, Pedro de Estrada, was one of the senior military leaders defending Havana from British attack and occupation in 1762. Juan José and his brother Ignacio both joined the military like his father and grandfather before him.

Political career

Both of de Estrada's governmental terms were short-lived. His first term as governor was an interim term due to the illness of the former governor,

Enrique White Enrique White (1741 - April 13, 1811) was an Irish-born Spanish soldier who served as Governor of West Florida (May 1793 – May 1795) and of East Florida (June 1796 - March 1811). Biography Enrique (Henry) White was born in Dublin, Ireland. H ...

. Not all leading Spaniards in Florida welcomed de Estrada's governorship. Manuel López, chief treasury official, did not want a strictly military man in charge of the

royal treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in ...

, but he was outvoted. In June of 1811, Estrada received news that Governor White had died and his command was secured. De Estrada's first term started poorly, however, when a massive

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

hit Florida on October 5, 1811. In response to the hurricane, de Estrada called upon four pre-selected ''comisarios del barrio'', who implemented post-hurricane procedures, visited each house in their neighborhood, and evaluated losses. The four men, José Sánchez, Juan González Montes de Oca, Joaquín Sánchez, and Gaspar Papy, had been chosen for their standing in the community. In his first term, de Estrada also faced a lack of funds to support his troops, undermanned forces, and a threat from the Georgia border. General George Mathews of Georgia attempted to befriend

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...

s in the interior of East Florida, so de Estrada made the decision to spend what little money he had on gifts to Seminole chiefs. His second term was also an interim term. In June of 1815, outgoing governor Don Sebastian Kindelan y O'Regan, knight of the order of Santiago and brigadier of the royal armies, alongside Don Manuel de Castilla, captain of the third battalion of the

infantry regiment Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

which garrisoned

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

, swore Juan José de Estrada back into office. On June 28, 1815, de Estrada wrote to Spanish diplomat and Spanish envoy to the United States

Luis de Onís Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

that he had taken command of Florida and that Sebastian Kindelan had returned to Cuba. Throughout de Estrada's tenure, skirmishes across the Florida-Georgia border resulted in what became known as the

. De Estrada communicated with the Governor of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

regarding hostilities venturing south of the border. In 1812 he deployed an armed schooner to keep Americans from invading St. Augustine. In 1816 Juan José de Estrada was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and named

sergeant-major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

of the Plaza and Mayor of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. José Coppinger was placed in command of East Florida.

Legacy

Calle Estrada in

Fernandina, Florida Fernandina Beach is a city in northeastern Florida and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, United States. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is one of the principal municipalities comp ...

is possibly named for Governor Estrada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Estrada, Juan José Royal Governors of La Florida