José Antonio Aguirre (1799–1860) ("Don Antonio") was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

-born merchant and rancher in

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 ...

, an early settler 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 ...

and

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

."Jose Antonio Aguirre"
San Diego History Center Online Resources

Biography

Aguirre was born in

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, but left the

Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map) * French Basque Country o ...

for North America at the age of 15, settling in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

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 ...

. He became a citizen of first

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and then the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as national powers rose and fell on the continent. He was a merchant in

Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Califo ...

, then moved to Alta California, becoming a shipowner and trader. He divided his residence between San Diego and Santa Barbara, where he was said in 1842 to own the finest residence in town. He established a warehouse at La Playa, the beach near San Diego where ships would anchor for trading. He exported hides and tallow from San Diego, while importing luxury goods for the

Californios Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californians, Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish language, Spanish-s ...

such as silks, satins and embroidered shawls.Haggland, Mary H.
"Don Jose Antonio Aguirre"
Journal of San Diego History, Volume 29, no. 1, Winter 1983 In the late 1830s he became a partner in his trading activities with another Spaniard,

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 b ...

, who later became his brother-in-law. He soon became one of the most prosperous merchants in Alta California. He became friends with the established Californio families, and in 1841 he married María Francisca Estudillo, eldest daughter of

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 San Diego County Assessor. He was a member of the Estudillo family of California, a pro ...

, a prominent landowner. He and Francisca settled into the grand home he had built in Santa Barbara, but Francisca died within the year, in October 1842, during what would have been the birth of their first child. Aguirre was never to live there again, although he maintained ownership of the house. He took to trading up and down the coast and spent more and more of his time in San Diego. Aguirre received half of the

Rancho El Tejon Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California **List of California Ranchos *Ranchos, Buenos Ai ...

Mexican land grant in 1843. In 1846 he married Francisca's sister, María del Rosario Estudillo, and they settled in San Diego. They were generally referred to as Don Antonio and Doña Rosario. Their San Diego home was completed in 1851. His wife was the grantee of

Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante was a Mexican land grant in present-day Riverside County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to María del Rosario Estudillo de Aguirre. The Rancho San Jacinto Sobrante grant was of the surplus or "sobra ...

. Aguirre also owned portions of

Santa Cruz Island Santa Cruz Island (Spanish: ''Isla Santa Cruz'', Chumash: ''Limuw'') is located off the southwestern coast of Ventura, California, United States. It is the largest island in California and largest of the eight islands in the Channel Islands a ...

and

Rancho San Pedro Rancho San Pedro was one of the first California land grants and the first to win a patent from the United States. The Spanish Crown granted the of land to soldier Juan José Domínguez in 1784, with his descendants validating their legal claim ...

, making him one of the largest landowners in Alta California in the late 1840s. In 1853, José Antonio Aguirre bought

Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero was a Mexican land grant in present-day Riverside County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Miguel Pedrorena. At the time of the US Patent, Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero was a part of San ...

from the estate of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1850, Aguirre joined

William Heath Davis William Heath "Kanaka" Davis, Jr. (1822 – 1909) was a merchant and trader in Alta California who helped to establish "New Town" (now Downtown San Diego) in San Diego, California. Life Davis was born in 1822 in Honolulu in the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

and Miguel Pedrorena (who was married to another Estudillo sister, Antonia) in an attempt to establish a new town, south of the existing town of San Diego and closer to the

San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...

. In 1858, Aguirre bought the land and paid for the construction of an adobe church in San Diego. At the time there were only private chapels (in Casa de Estudillo and Casa de Aguirre) since the Presidio church and the Mission church were both in ruins. José Antonio Aguirre died July 31, 1860. He was buried in the confessional of the church he had donated to the town.

Personal life

In 1841, José Antonio Aguirre married María Francisca Estudillo, eldest daughter of prominent landowner

. He and Maria del Rosario Aguirre had four surviving children: Miguel (born August 25, 1849); María de los Dolores del Rosario (born August 6, 1851, later married to Francisco Pico); José Antonio (born August 1, 1853, died February 3, 1855); another son also named José Antonio (born 1856); and Martin Geronimo (born September 21, 1858). On the day of José Sr.'s death, July 31, 1860, another daughter named Maria Antonia was born, but she died in November 1861.

Legacy

His San Diego home, Casa de Aguirre, still stands in

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California, is a state protected historical park in San Diego. It commemorates the early days of the City of San Diego and includes many historic buildings ...

. It has been restored and contains museum displays and a gift shop. The church he built, known as the Old Adobe Chapel, was bulldozed in the 1930s due to street realignment, but was rebuilt in 1937. It contains many artifacts from the original chapel including Aguirre's tombstone.Old Adobe Chapel, Save Our Heritage Organization

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguirre, Jose Antonio People from San Diego History of San Diego Land owners from California Spanish emigrants to the United States Spanish emigrants to Mexico Mexican people of Basque descent Californios 1799 births 1860 deaths People from San Sebastián 19th-century American businesspeople