Jonathan Drake Stevenson (1800–1894) was born in New York; won a seat in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

; was the commanding officer of the First Regiment of New York Volunteers during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...

in California; entered California mining and real estate businesses; and died in San Francisco on February 14, 1894.

New York state politics

Stevenson became the protégé of New York Governor

Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...

and served as his private secretary, and accompanied him to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in that capacity when Tompkins was elected

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

in 1816. His friendship with prominent politicians and his helping to expose the Glentworth election frauds of 1839 gained him a certain stature in the Democratic Party. He supported James K. Polk for the Presidency in 1844, and was a member of the

(New York Co.) in

1846 Events January–March * January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom. * January 13 – The Milan–Venice railway's bridge, over the Venetian Lagoon between ...

Regiment of New York Volunteers

In 1846, President Polk offered Stevenson the command of a regiment of volunteers to be raised as part of the American occupation army during the

in California. Colonel Stevenson raised a volunteer regiment of ten companies of 77 men each or 770 men to go to California with the understanding that they would be muster out and stay in California. On 1 August 1846, the regiment was mustered into Federal service as the "Seventh" New York Volunteers. Stevenson with his Regiment of New York Volunteers sailed around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

for California on September 26, 1846, and arrived at San Francisco March 7, 1847. After his arrival in San Francisco, Stevenson joined General

Stephen W. Kearny Stephen Watts Kearny (sometimes spelled Kearney) ( ) (August 30, 1794October 31, 1848) was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the United States Army. He is remembered for his significant contributions in the Mexican–American Wa ...

at Monterey and was made commander of the post. In May, 1847, he became the military commander of the southern district of California with headquarters in Los Angeles. In 1848, an order was received by Colonel R.B. Mason, directing that Colonel Stevenson's regiment should be designated thereafter the "

1st Regiment of New York Volunteers 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers, for service in California and during the war with Mexico, was raised in 1846 during the Mexican–American War by Jonathan D. Stevenson. Accepted by the United States Army on August 1846, the 1st Regiment of New ...

" instead of the "Seventh".

Post bellum

When his regiment was mustered out of service in 1848, Stevenson traveled to the mining community of Mokelumne Hill. He was appointed alcalde of the settlement, and drew up a code of mining laws and regulations. He returned to San Francisco to enter the real estate business with Dr. William C. Parker, who had been assistant surgeon in the Regiment of New York Volunteers. He bought the southern half of

Rancho Los Medanos Rancho Los Medanos (from the Spanish: ''Rancho Los Médanos'' meaning Sand Dunes Ranch) was a Mexican land grant in present-day Contra Costa County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Jose Antonio Mesa and Jose Miguel Garcia. T ...

in 1849 and laid out a site for a town they called "New York of the Pacific", which was changed to Pittsburg in 1911. He was active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. In 1850 he participated in organizing the

Grand Lodge of California The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of California, commonly called the Grand Lodge of California, is one of the two Masonic Grand Lodges in the state recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England (the other being the Most Worshipful Prince ...

, and served as its first Grand Master. He was appointed Shipping Commissioner for the Port of San Francisco in 1872. He died in San Francisco on February 14, 1894. A street in San Francisco, Stevenson Street, is named for him.''The Chronicle'' 12 April 1987 p.6

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Jonathan D. 1800 births 1894 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 19th-century American politicians Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park