Arturo O'Neill de Tyrone y O'Kelly (January 8, 1736 – December 9, 1814) was a

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

officer and colonial administrator. He came from a lineage that occupied prominent European positions and titles, since at least the 12th century.

Biography

Early years and military career

Arturo (Arthur) O'Neill was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

ONEILL-L Archives. Consulted in May 22–26, 2010 (although his ancestors were from

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

, now in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

''Florida Irish: Hereditary Center. ARTHUR O’NEILL. First Governor of Spanish West Florida (1781 to 1793)''. Magazine.), on January 8, 1736. He was the third of five children of Henry O’Neill and Ana O’Kelly. One of his brothers was Lieutenant Colonel Niall O'Neill (later Nicolás O'Neill y O'Kelley). His family lost their lands in Ireland, which forced them to emigrate. His parents carried Arturo and his brothers to Spain. In 1752, O'Neill joined the

Irish regiment The Irish military diaspora refers to the many people of either Irish birth or extraction (see Irish diaspora) who have served in overseas armed forces, military forces, regardless of rank, duration of service, or success. Many overseas militar ...

in Ireland, as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

under the command of his cousin, the regimental commander José Camerford. The following year, O'Neill was transferred to the

Regiment of Hibernia The Regimiento ''Hibernia'' (Hibernia Regiment) was one of the Spanish army's foreign regiments (''infantería de línea extranjera''). Known by many in Spain as "O'Neill's Regiment", it was formed in 1709. Serafín María de Sotto, 3rd Count of ...

, to which he belonged for the next 28 years of his military career. In addition, he was sub-lieutenant for nine years, and he attained the ranks of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

.Casares G. Cantón, Raúl; Duch Colell, Juan; Antochiw Kolpa, Michel; Zavala Vallado, Silvio (1998). ''Yucatán en el tiempo'' ("Yucatán in Time"). Mérida, Yucatán He served in the campaign of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in 1762. Later, he was part of the garrison of

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, and, in 1775, he participated in the military campaign of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

. He was also involved in the campaign against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, which contributed to the seizure of Fort Santa Cruz, Santa Catalina Island, where he served as governor until the end of the war. His military skills enabled him to obtain a promotion to Assistant Major of the Hibernia Regiment in 1764. In addition, in 1773, while serving in

Pamplona, Spain Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood plain of th ...

, O'Neill obtained the rank of captain of the regiment. O'Neil was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

of the regiment, after serving with distinction against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

at the

Siege of Pensacola The siege of Pensacola, fought from March 9 to May 10, 1781, was the culmination of Spain's conquest of West Florida during the Gulf Coast Campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The siege was commanded by Bernardo de Gálvez, whose near ...

in March 1781.''Marqués del Norte, Arturo O'Neill''. (in Spanish: Marquis of North, Arthur O O'Neill). Magazine.

Governor of West Florida

At the battle's conclusion on May 9, 1781, he was appointed governor of

Spanish West Florida Spanish West Florida ( Spanish: ''Florida Occidental'') was a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 until 1821, when both it and East Florida were ceded to the United States. The region of West Florida initially had the same borders as the e ...

in the service of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

, proving to be an effective diplomat and an able administrator. Later he became a member of the Supreme War Council and a lieutenant general of allies against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, replacing Governor Miguel de Uztaraiz on the council. In late May or early June 1784, O'Neill participated in the Creek Conference, during which Spain and the Creeks signed a treaty of friendship. In addition, Creeks,

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

s, and

Cherokees The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

sought help from O'Neill to defend against American encroachment or invasion, so the military commandant and governor sent reinforcements to the areas of these peoples. In 1786, McGillivray informed O'Neill that the Americans were trying to make friends with the Creeks. So, fearing that the alliance could be detrimental to

West Florida West Florida () was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. Great Britain established West and East Florida in 1763 out of land acquired from France and S ...

, Spanish officials negotiated another treaty with Native Americans in Mobile. (At that time, West Florida extended all the way to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, exclusive of New Orleans.) In late 1787, O'Neill, based on the fact that he had ruled Florida for six years (when five was customary), asked the

Spanish crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

if he might ascend to the title of brigadier and be appointed the Governor of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

or to a similar position. He did not receive the requested transfer. O'Neill's health began to fail in 1788, and he requested a temporary leave of absence in order to recover. The crown accepted and replaced O'Neill as governor for the interim by Francisco Cruzat, former

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. In addition, O'Neill was promoted to brigadier general in 1789. When O'Neill returned to

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

the following year, he organized the Third Battalion of the Regiment of Louisiana Infantry to strengthen its military position. On March 10, 1792, O'Neill became ''Marqués del Norte'' (Marquess of the North). In order to defend Florida and help the guard there, he recommended creating at least six

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

companies formed by 100 soldiers each. Along with Amerindians, the

mestizos ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to ...

also belonged to those companies.Leitch Wright, James (1986)
Creeks & Seminoles: The Destruction and Regeneration of the Muscogulge People
University of Nebraska Press. Page 124. O'Neill wanted to increase the number of mestizos, proposing marriage between the Spanish and the Native Americans, because he considered that mestizo people kept a more friendly relationship with

whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

. To do this, he planned to send a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

to the Native American villages and encourage

miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is marriage or admixture between people who are members of different races or ethnicities. It has occurred many times throughout history, in many places. It has occasionally been controversial or illegal. Adjectives describin ...

between the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Amerindians and the Spanish. In addition, he considered mestizos an important group in terms of the military and the economy. He left the office of Governor of West Florida in November 1792,Cahoon, Ben
U.S. States F-K
and was succeeded by Carlos Howard.

Governor of Yucatán and last years

On December 13, 1792, he was appointed governor and captain general of

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

, and . On January 20, 1793, the office of governor was expanded. During his government, he took urgent measures to prevent the spread of the

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

, which came to represent a public health risk in the Yucatán. He expanded the supply of teachers for schools and also had to tackle smuggling that was done from across the province of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and the islands the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

. O'Neill carried out the seizure of the ship ''La Bella Jane'' in

San Francisco de Campeche San Francisco de Campeche (; , ), 19th c., also known simply as Campeche, is a city in Campeche Municipality in the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Campeche, on the shore of the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. Both the seat of t ...

. O'Neill wrote a book entitled ''Description, population and census of the Province of Yucatán in New Spain'' in 1795, which was never printed. In 1798, he led an unsuccessful attack on British colonial settlements in Belize in the

Battle of St. George's Caye The Battle of St. George's Caye was a military engagement that lasted from 3 to 10 September 1798, off the coast of British Honduras (present-day Belize). However, the name is typically reserved for the final battle that occurred on 10 Septemb ...

. The Spanish force under his command attempted to force their way into the settlements and rout the Baymen (British settlers), but proved unable to do so. After two hours of confused fighting, the Spanish retreated, with neither side sustaining a single casualty. He served as governor of Yucatán until October 19, 1800, when he gave the charge to Benito Perez Valdelomar. Back in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, he was appointed Minister of the Royal and Supreme Council of War. His last position was as a soldier in the army of Spain against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. He was promoted, in October 1802, to lieutenant general in the same promotion as other notable Spanish military commanders of the Spanish armies during the Peninsular War, including the

Duke of the Infantado Duke of the Infantado () is a Spanish peerage title that was granted to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Figueroa, son of Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana, by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile ...

Manuel Lapeña Manuel de Lapeña y Ruiz del SotilloSome authors, such as Oman (1902), write the surname La Peña. (11 April 1762 – 14 October 1820) was a Spanish Army officer. Having a reputation for incompetence—he had the nickname ''Doña Manuela'' (La ...

, Juan Carrafa, Francisco Castaños, Francisco Taranco, Francisco Eguía, and Juan Pignatelli.
''Gaceta de Barcelona'', no. 1750. 6 October 1802.
''Hemeroteca Digital''.

Biblioteca Nacional de España The (National Library of Spain) is the national library of Spain. It is the largest public library in the country, and one of the largest in the world. Founded in 1711, it is an autonomous agency attached to the Ministry of Culture since 1 ...

. Retrieved 30 April 2023. O’Neill died in

on December 9, 1814, and was buried in a niche in the cemetery of the . He was unmarried and had no children.

References

External links