José Sisto
Encyclopedia
José Sisto, also called José Sisto Rodrigo and José Sixto, was twice Governor of Guam, first after overthrowing Francisco Portusach Martínez
, and again after being legitimately placed in the position by the United States government. He served as Spanish
administrator of the Public Treasury in Guam
until the United States
captured
the island during the Spanish–American War. When Martínez was named Commissioner, Sisto quickly staged a coup d'état
and claimed the position as the highest ranking Spanish official on the island. He began arming native guards and commandeering ammunition, but was briefly overthrown by Venancio Roberto
and other pro-American elements on December 31, 1898, but was officially put into power by officers of the United States Navy
only two days later after they decided he held a legitimate claim to the position. His second term was brief, and he officially relinquished control on February 1, 1899 after learning that the United States had obtained Guam in the Treaty of Paris
. After giving up his post, he was found to have misappropriated public funds, arrested, and exiled to Manila
.
, Sisto served as the administer of the Hacienda Publica, of Public Treasury, for the Spanish government on the island. After the Capture of Guam
, Sisto was one of the few Spanish officials left on the island.
by the United States
during the Spanish–American War, the territorial Spanish government was deposed; eventually, Francisco Portusach Martínez
, the only American citizen on the island, was named Commissioner. However, Sisto claimed the authority to rule under Spanish law and because he was the highest-ranking Spanish official left on the island. He overthrew Governor Martínez and took control of the government, while at the same time naming himself provisional governor of the Mariana Islands
.
Upon taking control, he instituted a six dollar tax per head, armed local militia, and commandeered fifteen tons of powder and ammunition. Sisto declared American rule of the island void because the 1884 Berlin Conference stated that a country had to actively occupy a territory with a military force to claim ownership of a seized territory, though the United States did not take part in the conference. He formed a coalition consisting of most of the island's priests and other pro-Spanish parties. Sisto, a Filipino Spaniard, soon ran into conflict with the native Chamorro population after releasing a leper from a Asan, Guam
hospital. An outbreak of whooping cough brought further tensions when 100 native children died from the disease. By December 1898, Sisto had emptied the treasury, mainly by paying salaries far in advance, and violence erupted in the form of riots between Filipinos and Chamorros. Eventually, local district leaders, including Father José Palomo and former governor Martínez removed Sisto from office and placed Venancio Roberto
in the position on December 31, 1898.
Vincendon Cottman of the USS Brutus
arrived on the island. He heard arguments from both the pro-United States
Roberto faction and Sisto, deciding that Sisto had a legitimate claim to the office and re-instated him. His second term lasted less than a month, during which the island experienced relative peace free of communication from the outside world. When news of the 1898 Treaty of Paris
reached the island, Sisto acknowledged that ownership of Guam had officially been transferred to the United States, and relinquished his position on February 1, 1899. After he gave up control, it was found that he had paid himself 18 months in advance, draining the treasury in the process. He was arrested by new governor Joaquín Cruz Pérez
for misappropriation of public funds, was ordered to pay back the salary he had paid himself in advance, and left the island in May 1899 on the Spanish ship Elcano. He was exiled to Manila
.
Francisco Portusach Martínez
Francisco Portusach Martínez was a Spanish merchant and whaler who was briefly the Governor of Guam, before he was deposed. In the American media of the time, he was often referred to as Francisco Portusach or Frank Portusach....
, and again after being legitimately placed in the position by the United States government. He served as Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
administrator of the Public Treasury in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
until the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
captured
Capture of Guam
The Capture of Guam was a bloodless event between the United States and the Kingdom of Spain during the Spanish-American War. The U.S. Navy sent a single cruiser, the , to capture the island of Guam, then under Spanish control. However, the Spanish garrison on the island had no knowledge of the war...
the island during the Spanish–American War. When Martínez was named Commissioner, Sisto quickly staged a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and claimed the position as the highest ranking Spanish official on the island. He began arming native guards and commandeering ammunition, but was briefly overthrown by Venancio Roberto
Venancio Roberto
Venancio Roberto was a resident of Hagåtña, Guam who briefly seized the office of Commissioner of Guam from December 31, 1898 to January 2, 1899 before his rule was declared illegitimate by Lieutenant Commander Vincendon Cottman of the USS Brutus...
and other pro-American elements on December 31, 1898, but was officially put into power by officers of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
only two days later after they decided he held a legitimate claim to the position. His second term was brief, and he officially relinquished control on February 1, 1899 after learning that the United States had obtained Guam in the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
. After giving up his post, he was found to have misappropriated public funds, arrested, and exiled to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
Spanish government
During the last period of Spanish rule in GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Sisto served as the administer of the Hacienda Publica, of Public Treasury, for the Spanish government on the island. After the Capture of Guam
Capture of Guam
The Capture of Guam was a bloodless event between the United States and the Kingdom of Spain during the Spanish-American War. The U.S. Navy sent a single cruiser, the , to capture the island of Guam, then under Spanish control. However, the Spanish garrison on the island had no knowledge of the war...
, Sisto was one of the few Spanish officials left on the island.
Overthrow
After the Capture of GuamCapture of Guam
The Capture of Guam was a bloodless event between the United States and the Kingdom of Spain during the Spanish-American War. The U.S. Navy sent a single cruiser, the , to capture the island of Guam, then under Spanish control. However, the Spanish garrison on the island had no knowledge of the war...
by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the Spanish–American War, the territorial Spanish government was deposed; eventually, Francisco Portusach Martínez
Francisco Portusach Martínez
Francisco Portusach Martínez was a Spanish merchant and whaler who was briefly the Governor of Guam, before he was deposed. In the American media of the time, he was often referred to as Francisco Portusach or Frank Portusach....
, the only American citizen on the island, was named Commissioner. However, Sisto claimed the authority to rule under Spanish law and because he was the highest-ranking Spanish official left on the island. He overthrew Governor Martínez and took control of the government, while at the same time naming himself provisional governor of the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
.
Upon taking control, he instituted a six dollar tax per head, armed local militia, and commandeered fifteen tons of powder and ammunition. Sisto declared American rule of the island void because the 1884 Berlin Conference stated that a country had to actively occupy a territory with a military force to claim ownership of a seized territory, though the United States did not take part in the conference. He formed a coalition consisting of most of the island's priests and other pro-Spanish parties. Sisto, a Filipino Spaniard, soon ran into conflict with the native Chamorro population after releasing a leper from a Asan, Guam
Asan, Guam
Asan is a village located on the western shore of the U.S. territory of Guam. The municipality of Asan-Maina combines Asan with Maina, a community in the hills to the east. It was a primary landing site for United States Marines during Guam's liberation from the Japanese in World War II. Asan...
hospital. An outbreak of whooping cough brought further tensions when 100 native children died from the disease. By December 1898, Sisto had emptied the treasury, mainly by paying salaries far in advance, and violence erupted in the form of riots between Filipinos and Chamorros. Eventually, local district leaders, including Father José Palomo and former governor Martínez removed Sisto from office and placed Venancio Roberto
Venancio Roberto
Venancio Roberto was a resident of Hagåtña, Guam who briefly seized the office of Commissioner of Guam from December 31, 1898 to January 2, 1899 before his rule was declared illegitimate by Lieutenant Commander Vincendon Cottman of the USS Brutus...
in the position on December 31, 1898.
Official appointment
Roberto only held the office for two days, when Lieutenant CommanderLieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Vincendon Cottman of the USS Brutus
USS Brutus (AC-15)
USS Brutus, formerly the steamer Peter Jebsen, was built in 1894 at South Shields-on-Tyne, England, by John Readhead & Sons and was acquired by the United States Navy early in 1898 from L. F. Chapman & Company. She was renamed Brutus and commissioned at the Mare Island Navy Yard on 27 May 1898,...
arrived on the island. He heard arguments from both the pro-United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Roberto faction and Sisto, deciding that Sisto had a legitimate claim to the office and re-instated him. His second term lasted less than a month, during which the island experienced relative peace free of communication from the outside world. When news of the 1898 Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
reached the island, Sisto acknowledged that ownership of Guam had officially been transferred to the United States, and relinquished his position on February 1, 1899. After he gave up control, it was found that he had paid himself 18 months in advance, draining the treasury in the process. He was arrested by new governor Joaquín Cruz Pérez
Joaquín Cruz Pérez
Joaquín Cruz Pérez was an early Guam judge and acting-Governor of Guam from February 1 to April 20, 1899. He was first appointed as Justice of the Peace in 1894 by the Spanish government of Guam. After the capture of Guam by the United States during the Spanish-American War, he retained his role...
for misappropriation of public funds, was ordered to pay back the salary he had paid himself in advance, and left the island in May 1899 on the Spanish ship Elcano. He was exiled to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.