Joseph Yves Limantour
Encyclopedia
Joseph Yves Limantour
Joseph Yves Limantour (1812, Lorient
, France
- 1885, Mexico City
, Mexico
) was a French merchant who engaged in the California sea trade during the years preceding American occupation of that Mexican province in 1846. He was also known in California as José Limantour.
to California. He arrived in Veracruz
in 1831, and was based after 1836 in Mexico City.
Limantour Beach bears his name because he wrecked his schooner, the Ayacucho, on Point Reyes
in October 1841. Although much of the cargo was saved, Limantour was stranded in California with no means of transport. During his time in northern California, Limantour sold his cargo for cash and credit to the local elite, but the value of the Ayucucho’s cargo far exceeded the local capacity for purchase. General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
, Commander General of California, was a major exception and he owned Rancho Suscol in Sonoma
with plenty of cattle. Gale
and company wanted cattle, and Limantour wanted the schooner. In a three way deal, Vallejo purchased the Star of Oregon
for 350 cows, and then transferred ownership to Limantour.
In 1853, Limantour filed claims at the Public Land Commission
for 47 square leagues (200,000 acres) of Mexican land grants
. The claims included eighty square leagues of Cape Mendocino; Tiburon peninsula, the Farallones, Alcatraz; four square leagues of San Francisco (all the land south of California Street); Rancho Ojo de Agua; the eleven square league Rancho Laguna de Tache
; the eleven square league Rancho Cienega del Gabilan
; the eleven square league Rancho Lupyomi
; and the six square leagues Rancho Cahuenga
. All granted by Mexican governor Manuel Micheltorena
. His claims were judged fraudulent in Federal court. Limantour arrested in December 1857, but posted bail and went back to Mexico.
He was married to Adele Marquet, and their son, José Yves Limantour
, was Secretary of Finance of Mexico from 1893-1911. Joseph Y. Limatour died in Mexico City in 1885.
Joseph Yves Limantour (1812, Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 1885, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) was a French merchant who engaged in the California sea trade during the years preceding American occupation of that Mexican province in 1846. He was also known in California as José Limantour.
Life
Limantour, was a Breton trader and sea captain who traded all along the Pacific coast from ValparaísoValparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
to California. He arrived in Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
in 1831, and was based after 1836 in Mexico City.
Limantour Beach bears his name because he wrecked his schooner, the Ayacucho, on Point Reyes
Point Reyes
Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California. It is located in Marin County approximately WNW of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast...
in October 1841. Although much of the cargo was saved, Limantour was stranded in California with no means of transport. During his time in northern California, Limantour sold his cargo for cash and credit to the local elite, but the value of the Ayucucho’s cargo far exceeded the local capacity for purchase. General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
, Commander General of California, was a major exception and he owned Rancho Suscol in Sonoma
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
with plenty of cattle. Gale
Joseph Gale
Joseph Goff Gale was an American pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the Oregon Country...
and company wanted cattle, and Limantour wanted the schooner. In a three way deal, Vallejo purchased the Star of Oregon
Star of Oregon (ship)
The Star of Oregon was a schooner sailing vessel of the mid-19th century used on the west coast of North America. It was the first American sailing ship built in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. Pioneer settlers built the ship from 1840 to 1842 in order to sail it to California and exchange it...
for 350 cows, and then transferred ownership to Limantour.
In 1853, Limantour filed claims at the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
for 47 square leagues (200,000 acres) of Mexican land grants
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
. The claims included eighty square leagues of Cape Mendocino; Tiburon peninsula, the Farallones, Alcatraz; four square leagues of San Francisco (all the land south of California Street); Rancho Ojo de Agua; the eleven square league Rancho Laguna de Tache
Rancho Laguna de Tache (Limantour)
Rancho Laguna de Tache was a Mexican land grant in present day Tulare County, Fresno County and Kings County, California claimed to have been given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Joseph Yves Limantour. The grant extended along the south bank of the Kings River and was bounded on...
; the eleven square league Rancho Cienega del Gabilan
Rancho Cienega del Gabilan
Rancho Cienega del Gabilan was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County and San Benito County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Antonio Chaves . The name means "spring of the hawk ranch". The grant was located in the Gabilan Range east of present day...
; the eleven square league Rancho Lupyomi
Rancho Lupyomi
Rancho Lupyomi was a Mexican land grant in present day Lake County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Salvador Vallejo and his brother Juan Antonio Vallejo. Rancho Lupyomi encompassed present day Clearlake. Rancho Lupyomi was one of three land grants in Lake County...
; and the six square leagues Rancho Cahuenga
Rancho Cahuenga
Rancho Cahuenga was a Mexican land grant in the San Fernando Valley, in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1843 by governor Manuel Micheltorena to José Miguel Triunfo. Rancho Cahuenga is now a part of the city of Burbank, with the Los Angeles River channel running through it...
. All granted by Mexican governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
. His claims were judged fraudulent in Federal court. Limantour arrested in December 1857, but posted bail and went back to Mexico.
He was married to Adele Marquet, and their son, José Yves Limantour
José Yves Limantour
José Yves Limantour was a Mexican politician, Secretary of the Finance of Mexico from 1893 until the fall of the Porfirio Díaz regime in 1911.José Yves Limantour was the illegitimate son of Joseph Yves Limantour....
, was Secretary of Finance of Mexico from 1893-1911. Joseph Y. Limatour died in Mexico City in 1885.