This is a list of pre-statehood

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

s and mayors of

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, from 1770 to 1850, during the Spanish, Mexican, and early American periods, prior to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

's admission to statehood.

Commandants of the Presidio of San Diego

From 1770 San Diego was ruled by a

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

from the

Presidio of San Diego El Presidio Real de San Diego (Royal Presidio of San Diego) is a historic fort in San Diego, California. It was established on May 14, 1769, by Gaspar de Portolá, leader of the first European land exploration of Alta California—at that time an ...

under the Spanish and (from 1822) Mexican governments. When San Diego became a Pueblo in 1835, an

(mayor) of San Diego served under the Mexican and pre-statehood United States governments. José_María_Estudillo

Alcaldes of the Pueblo of San Diego

San Diego became a

pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

in 1834, after a petition to Governor

José Figueroa José Figueroa (1792 – 29 September 1835), was a General and the Mexican Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835. He wrote the first book to be published in California. Background and governorship Figueroa was a Mestizo of Spanish a ...

endorsed by Commandant

Santiago Arguello Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. The first Alcalde (mayor) Juan María Osuna was elected, defeating

Pío Pico Don Pío de Jesús Pico (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was a Californio politician, ranchero, and entrepreneur, famous for serving as the last governor of California (present-day U.S. state of California) under Mexican rule. A member of ...

by 13 votes. By 1838, the population shrank enough to lose its pueblo status and was ruled by a Juez de Paz as a partition of the Los Angeles District until San Diego was incorporated as a city under U.S. rule. The following are the Juez de Paz and Alcaldes (Justices of the Peace and Mayors) of San Diego. In this table "suplente" means substitute. {, class="wikitable" ! Alcalde !! Term !! Notes , - ,

Juan María Osuna Juan María Osuna (1785 – March 5, 1851) was an early settler of San Diego, California. Life Juan María Osuna was born 1785 in California to Juan Hismerio Osuna and Maria Alvarado. He was a soldier and corporal of the San Diego Company and ...

, , January 1, 1835 – 1836, , 1st time , - ,

Santiago Argüello Santiago Argüello (1791–1862) was a Californio, a soldier in the Spanish army of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in Las Californias, a major Mexican land grant ranchos owner, and part of an influential family in Mexican Alta California and post- ...

, , 1836–1837, , Also last full-time Commandant , - ,

José Antonio Estudillo José Antonio Estudillo (November 5, 1803 – July 20, 1852) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and soldier, who served as Alcalde of San Diego and as Government of San Diego County, San Diego County Assessor. He was a member of the Estudillo ...

, , 1837–1839, , 1st time , - , Juan María Marrón, , 1839–1841, , 1st time , - ,

Rosario E. Aguilar Rosario E. Aguilar (ca. 1792 – 1847) was an early settler of San Diego, California. Life Aguilar was born around 1792 in Spain. He was corporal of the mission guard at San Diego, and had a house on site of the present town, in 1821. In 1827 ...

, , 1841, , Juez de Paz , - ,

Jesús Moreno Jesús Alberto Moreno Salas (born 3 May 1990) is a Mexican former professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association footba ...

, , 1841, , Suplente , - ,

José Antonio Congora José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, , 1842, , Juez de Paz; 1st time , - ,

José María Alvarado José María Alvarado (1813–1846) was the son of Juan Bautista Alvarado (a soldier and cousin to the governor by the same name) and María Raimunda Yorba. Life Alvarado's grandfather, the elder Juan Bautista Alvarado, accompanied Gaspar de ...

, , 1842, , Suplente , - , José Joaquin Ortega, , 1843 – May 1843, , Juez de Paz; 1st time , - ,

, , May 1843 – 1843, , Juez de Paz; 2nd time , - , José María Orozco, , 1843, , Suplente , - , Juan María Marrón, , 1844, , Juez de Paz; 2nd time; b. February 8, 1808 , - , Thomas Wrightington, , 1844, , Suplente; 1st time , - , Francisco María Alvarado, , 1845, , Juez de Paz , - ,

, , 1845, , Juez de Paz (temporary); 2nd time , - ,

José Ramon Argüello José Ramon Argüello was the son of Luis Argüello, first native born governor of California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of app ...

, , 1845 – April 1845, , Suplente , - ,

, , April 1846 – 1846, , Sub-prefect; 3rd time; served until arrival of Americans , - ,

, , 1846, , Juez de Paz; 2nd time(?); at first declined office, possibly did not act , - ,

Miguel Pedrorena Don Miguel de Pedrorena (c. 1808–March 21, 1850) was a Spanish-born Californio ranchero, merchant, and a signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He also served briefly as acting Alcalde of San Diego (mayor). Life Miguel Pedrorena was ...

, , 1846, , Juez de Paz; served in Estudillo's absence , - , José Joaquin Ortega, , , August 1846 – August 1846, , Juez de Paz; 2nd time; 1st under American rule , - , Henry D. Fitch, , , August 1846 – June 1847, , Suplente; Juez de Paz in 1847 , - , Lt. Robert Clift, Jr., , June 1847 – 1847, , Suplente; also Juez de Paz to March 1848 , - ,

Philip Crosthwaite Philip Crosthwaite (December 27, 1825 – February 19, 1903) was an early settler of San Diego, California, and Rosarito, Baja California. Early life Philip Crosthwaite was born 1825, in Athy, County Kildare, Ireland, to Edward and Rachel Crosth ...

, , 1847, , Suplente; possibly appointed with Fitch , - , Thomas Wrightington, , 1847 – March 1848, , Suplente; 2nd time; possibly served in Crosthwaite's place , - ,

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 ...

, , March 29, 1848 – September 27, 1848, , Juez de Paz , - , E. L. Brown, , April 15, 1848 – 1848, , , - , Juan María Marrón, , , October 3, 1848 – 1849, , Juez de Paz , - , Dennis Gahagan, , 1849–1850, , Alcalde , - , Thomas W. Sutherland, , , March 1850 – 1850, , Acting Alcalde

External links

Mayors of U.S. Cities: San Diego

by Richard F. Pourade

by Richard F. Pourade * ttp://www.sandiegohistory.org/books/smythe/2-a.htm "List of Spanish and Mexican Military Commandants at San Diego, 1769–1840", ''History of San Diego''by William E. Smythe * History of San Diego County, California San Diego, California, before statehood *San Diego

*Los Angeles *Los Angeles mayors

Commandants of the Presidio of San Diego

Alcaldes of the Pueblo of San Diego

See also

External links