William Sturgis Hinckley (1806-1846) was the 9th

Alcalde of San Francisco 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 ...

(then known as

Yerba Buena Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. ''Yerba buena'' translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as ''yerba buena'' varies from region to reg ...

) in

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 approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Life

He was born in

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location o ...

, and was a nephew of William F. Sturgis, a Boston merchant. In the 1830s he was owner and captain of ships plying the

California hide trade The California hide trade was a trading system of various products based in cities along the California coastline, operating from the early 1820s to the mid-1840s. In exchange for hides and tallow from cattle owned by California ranchers, sailors ...

with the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost ...

. After his first wife died in Massachusetts in 1840, he became a permanent resident of Yerba Buena, taking Mexican citizenship in 1842 and marrying

Ygnacio Martínez Ygnacio Nicanor Martínez (1774–1848) was a Californio politician, soldier, and ranchero, who served as the fourth Alcalde of San Francisco (then known as Yerba Buena). He was an important figure in the development of Contra Costa and the city ...

's daughter Susana. He enjoyed a close friendship with

Juan Bautista Alvarado Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo (February 14, 1809 – July 13, 1882) was a Californio politician that served as Governor of Alta California from 1837-42. Prior to his term as governor, Alvarado briefly led a movement for independen ...

, and helped him in his efforts to secure the governorship of

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...

against a competing claim from

Carlos Antonio Carrillo Carlos Antonio Carrillo (24 December 1783 – 23 February 1852) was a Californio politician, military officer, and ranchero. He was nominated to serve as Governor of Alta California from 1837–38, in opposition to Juan Bautista Alvarado's rule. ...

. He was elected alcalde in 1844, and in that year ordered the construction of a bridge across the creek between San Francisco Bay and a small saltwater lagoon lying at what is now the intersection of Montgomery and Jackson Streets. This modest construction was regarded as a novelty by many residents at the time, who had formerly had to wade tidal muds or jump across the creek to travel between the settled area to the south and ship embarkments to the north. His term as alcalde ended January 1, 1846, and he died in June of that year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinckley, William Sturgis 1846 deaths History of San Francisco