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Santa Cruz County History - Government
Governors of California Prior to Statehood
Governors of California,
When California Belonged to Spain, 1767--1822
The first 2 tables were compiled by Carmen Morones from various editions of the California Blue Book.
| Term | Name |
|---|---|
| 1767-1771 | Gaspar de Portola |
| 1771-1774 | Felipe de Barri |
| 1774-1782 | Felipe de Neve |
| 1782-1790 | Pedro Fajes |
| 1790-1792 | Jose Antonio Romea |
| 1792-1794 | Jose J. Arrillaga |
| 1794-1800 | Diego de Borica |
| 1800-1814 | Jose J. Arrillaga |
| 1814-1815 | Jose Arguello |
| 1815-1822 | Pablo Vincente de Sola |
Governors of California,
When California Belonged to Mexico, 1822--1846
| Term | Name |
|---|---|
| 1822-1823 | Pablo Vincente de Sola |
| 1823-1825 | Louis Arguello |
| 1825-1831 | Jose Maria de Echeandia |
| 1831-1832 | Manuel Victoria |
| 1832-1833 | Pio Pico |
| 1833-1835 | Jose Figueroa |
| 1835-1836 | Jose Castro |
| 1836 | Nicolas Gutierrez Mariano Chico Nicolas Gutierrez |
| 1836-1842 | Juan B. Alvarado |
| 1842-1845 | Manuel Micheltoreno |
| 1845-1846 | Pio Pico |
Military Governors of California,
1846-1849
As the result of the Mexican War, Mexico ceded California to the United States in 1846. A territorial government should have been established by the U.S. Congress, but it was not. Congress delayed establishing any civilian government while it struggled with the issues of slavery and the balance of slave and non-slave states. In the meantime, California was administered by a succession of seven American military governors. [RAP-ed.]
Source of the information in the following table: Hart, James D. A Companion to California, University of California Press, 1987.
| Name | Term |
|---|---|
| John Drake Sloat | July 7--29, 1846 |
| Robert Field Stockton | July 29, 1846--Jan. 19, 1847 |
| John Charles Fremont | Jan. 19--March 1, 1847 |
| Stephen Watts Kearny | March 1--May 31, 1847 |
| Richard Barnes Mason | May 31, 1847--Feb.28, 1849 |
| Persifor F. Smith | Feb. 28--April 12, 1849 |
| Bennet Riley | April 12--Dec.20, 1849 |
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