Juan María Osuna (1785 – March 5, 1851) was an early settler of

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

Life

Juan María Osuna was born 1785 in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to Juan Hismerio Osuna and Maria Alvarado. He was a soldier and corporal of the San Diego Company and settled in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Juan María Osuna was District elector in 1830 and took part in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

of 1831. After retiring as a corporal, Osuna and his family were the first to build on the plain outside the Presidio of San Diego. He built a three-room adobe with his sons and a dispensary. In 1833, with five other male citizens, Osuna urged the governor to establish a pueblo government for San Diego, to replace 60-some years of military rule. On January 1, 1835, this came to reality and Osuna was elected the first

Alcade ''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 counci ...

of San Diego pueblo. Lt. Santiago Argüello, the last Commandant of San Diego Presidio gave Osuna his staff of office, symbolizing the transfer of government from the military to civilian self-rule. He defeated

Pío Pico Don (honorific), Don Pío de Jesús Pico IV (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was a California politician, ranchero, and entrepreneur, famous for serving as the List of governors of California before 1850, last governor of Alta California und ...

by 13 votes. Pico later became the last Mexican governor of Alta California. Osuna also served as ''juez de pas'' (justice of the peace) 1839–40 and 1846. On February 15, 1806, Juan María Osuna married María Juliana Josepha Lopez, who was born March 16, 1791, to Juan Francisco Lopez, of the Portolà Expedition) and María Feliciana Arballo de Gutierrez. Their daughter Felipa married Juan María Marrón, their daughter Luguarda married José María Alvarado, and their two sons were Leandro and Ramon. Juan María Osuna was granted Rancho San Dieguito, 25 miles (40 km.) north of San Diego along the coast, during 1836–1845. He raised cattle and horses on the ranch. Osuna had a weakness in gambling and had to sell some of his land to pay off his debts. Today Rancho San Dieguito is known as Rancho Santa Fe, an exclusive residential area. Juan María Osuna's adobe, overlooking the San Dieguito River Valley, has been restored and is part of The Rancho Santa Fe Homeowners Association. During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

Juan María Osuna remained loyal to Mexico. In 1846, U.S. troops occupied his San Diego home and his youngest son Santiago was killed. His last years were difficult under U.S. rule as he didn't speak English and was unfamiliar with U.S. law and customs. Osuna died 1851, and is buried in El Campo Santo Catholic Cemetery in Old Town, San Diego. A modern headstone reads "Juan Maria Osuna Died 1851 First Alcalde Of San Diego". His wife died December 22, 1871, and was buried next to him.

Sources

* "San Dieguito Rancho", ''Historic Ranchos of San Diego'' by Cecil C. Moyer, Richard F. Pourade, ed. (1960)
Biography (San Diego Historical Society)
from Smythe's ''History of San Diego'' (1907), p. 171.

* ttp://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/68april/tradition.htm "Tradition and Today: The Osuna Story" ''The Journal of San Diego History'' 14:2 (1968)* 1850 Census, San Diego, California, p. 278A * Early California Population Project, www.huntington.org, Mission San Juan Capistrano baptismal record #03846 of daughter shows his parents' names. {{DEFAULTSORT:Osuna, Juan Maria 1785 births 1851 deaths People from San Diego People of Alta California Mayors of San Diego