Claudio López (1767 – 1 January 1833) was a Californio politician who served as mayordomo of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel and Alcalde of Los Angeles.
Claudio López | |
|---|---|
| Alcalde of Los Angeles | |
| In office 1826–1827 | |
| Preceded by | José Antonio Carrillo |
| Succeeded by | Guillermo Cota |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1767 San José del Cabo, California |
| Died | 1 January 1833 (aged 65–66) San Gabriel, California |
| Occupation | Politician |
Biography
editClaudio López was born in 1767 in San José del Cabo.[1] His parents, Ignacio López and María Facunda López,[2] were members of the prominent and wealthy López family, descended from Castilian aristocracy.[3][4] He had four siblings: Juan, Juan Francisco, María Francisca, and María de la Encarnación.[3]
López was the Mayordomo of San Gabriel for more than thirty years, serving under Frs. José María de Zalvidea and José Bernardo Sánchez.[2][3][5][6] As Mayordomo, he was responsible for managing the affairs of the mission, including its orchards, vineyards, and warehouses, and overseeing the native laborers. He also supervised the various ranchos subordinate to the mission, such as San Bernardino, Ucaipe, El Chino, San Jose, Cucamonga, Santa Anita, Rosa de Castilla, and San Pasqual.[5] His success at this made him a locally popular figure,[4][7] with contemporary writer Hugo Reid remarking that, unlike most mission officials, López achieved his successes "without flogging".[7]
For his work as Mayordomo, López was granted the use of a rancho, which he named Santa Anita in honor of Anita Cota, whom he hoped to marry. After Anita's death, López instead married her cousin María Luisa Cota on 20 April 1789.[1][3] The couple had two children: Estevan López and Maria Ygnecia Valenzuela.[4]
In 1826, López became Alcalde-Mayor of the Pueblo de Los Ángeles.[1] He served a single term, and afterwards continued as Mayordomo of San Gabriel until his death in 1833.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c California, Pioneer Migration Index. Sacramento: California State Library. 1906–1935. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ a b Sánchez, George (2021). Boyle Heights. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 20. doi:10.1525/9780520382374. ISBN 9780520382374.
- ^ a b c d Latta, Frank (1976). Saga of Rancho el Tejón. Exeter: Bear State Books. pp. 1–3.
- ^ a b c Layne, J. Gregg (1936). "The First Census of the Los Angeles District: Padron de la Ciudad de Los Angeles y su Jurisdiccion Año 1836". The Quarterly: Historical Society of Southern California. 18 (3): 95–96. doi:10.2307/41168947. JSTOR 41168947.
- ^ a b Barrows, H. D. (1898). "The Story of a Native Californian". Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California and Pioneer Register, Los Angeles. 4 (2): 114–118. doi:10.2307/41167703. JSTOR 41167703.
- ^ a b Reyes, Bárbara O. (2009). Private Women, Public Lives: Gender and the Missions of the Californias. New York, USA: University of Texas Press. p. 165. doi:10.7560/718968. ISBN 9780292799240.
- ^ a b Reid, Hugo (1968). "Letter XIX". In Heizer, Robert (ed.). The Indians of Los Angeles County: Hugo Reid's letters of 1852. Los Angeles: Southwest Museum. p. 66.
Claudio Lopez was the famed one during Padre Salvedea's administration, and although only executing the Priests' plans, in the minds of the people he is the real hero. Ask any one who made this, or who did not, and the answer on all sides is the same: El difunto Claudio.! And great credit is due him for carrying out, without flogging, the numerous works set before him.