Andrés Pico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrés Pico
California Adjutant General
In office ca 1861 – ca 1864
California State Assemblyman
In office 1851–1860
California State Senator
In office 1860–1876
Personal details
Born	(1810-11-18)November 18, 1810 San Diego, Alta California, New Spain
Died	February 14, 1876(1876-02-14) (aged 65) Los Ángeles, California, United States
Citizenship	United States
Political party	Chivalry Democrat
Relations	Pío Pico
Profession	Rancher, soldier, politician
Awards	Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando Pico Canyon Oilfield named for him Rancho Pico Junior High School named after him
Military service
Allegiance	Mexico Alta California  United States
Branch/service	Mexican Cavalry California Cavalry
Rank	General (Mexico – until 1847) Brigadier General (California State Militia – after 1858)
Commands	California Lancers
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War Battle of San Pascual

Andrés Pico (born November 18, 1810 – died February 14, 1876) was an important person from California. He was a successful rancher, a soldier, and a politician. He fought in the Mexican–American War and helped make a peace agreement called the Treaty of Cahuenga. After California joined the United States, Andrés Pico became a leader in the state government. He was elected to the Assembly and the Senate. He also served as a general in the state army during the U.S. Civil War.

Early Life in California

Andrés Pico was born in San Diego in 1810. He was part of the famous Pico family of California. This family was very well-known among the Californios, who were people of Spanish or Mexican heritage living in California.

Andrés was one of many sons born to José María Pico and María Eustaquia López. His older brother, Pío Pico, was also very famous. Pío Pico served as the governor of Alta California twice.

Becoming a Rancher

In 1845, the Mexican government changed laws about Church lands. Andrés Pico and his friend Juan Manso were given a nine-year lease. This lease was for the lands of the Mission San Fernando Rey de España. These lands covered almost the entire San Fernando Valley.

Andrés Pico was 35 years old at this time. He lived in Pueblo de Los Ángeles. He raised cattle on the ranch. He used the old mission buildings as his main home. He later gave the Rómulo Pico Adobe to his son.

In 1846, the government sold some mission lands to raise money. This was for the Mexican–American War. The Mission San Fernando was sold to Eulogio de Celis. He started a large ranch called Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando.

Fighting in the Mexican-American War

During the Mexican–American War, Andrés Pico led the local California forces. These soldiers were called the California Lancers. In 1846, Pico led an attack against U.S. General Stephen Watts Kearny. This battle was called the Battle of San Pasqual. It was a tough fight, but neither side won clearly.

On January 13, 1847, Andrés Pico was acting as governor of Alta California. His brother was away trying to get more money for the war. Pico met with U.S. commander Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Frémont. They met alone and without fighting.

They agreed to the Ceasefire of Cahuenga. This was an informal agreement that ended the war in California. Frémont promised to stop burning Californio ranches. He also agreed to stop taking their horses and cattle. Andrés Pico and Frémont became friends after this. The ceasefire was later made official.

Life After California Became a State

In 1853, Andrés Pico bought half of the Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando. He bought it from Eulogio F. de Celis. The land was split, with Pico's brother, Pío Pico, owning the southern part of the San Fernando Valley.

After California became a state, Andrés Pico became a politician. In 1851, he was elected to the California State Assembly. He represented Los Ángeles.

Some people in San Francisco seemed to be against Californios. Because of this, Andrés Pico wrote a bill in 1859. This bill suggested splitting California into two states: north and south. The southern part would be called the "Territory of Colorado."

The bill passed in both parts of the state legislature. Governor John B. Weller signed it on April 18, 1859. However, the U.S. Congress never voted on the bill. This was because the Civil War started. Congress had to approve the plan before people could vote on it.

In 1858, Pico was made a brigadier general in the California Militia. In 1860, he was elected by the state legislature. He became a California State Senator for Los Ángeles.

On May 7, 1861, Pico and two partners got permission to build a road. This road went through a pass between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Santa Susana Mountains. It became known as the Beale's Cut Stagecoach Pass. The State of California gave them a 20-year contract. They would maintain the road and collect tolls.

Andrés Pico's Rancho ex-Mission San Fernando was taken by the government in 1864. They said he "did not own and never did own" it. He became very poor and stopped being a rancher. The old mission fell into ruins. It was not until the mid-1900s that parts of it were saved.

Most of the old mission has not been rebuilt since Andrés Pico died. A high school now stands where the main mission buildings were. The places where the old stagecoach stables and ranch buildings were are now covered by modern buildings in Mission Hills.

Pico married Catarina Moreno in San Diego. She was the granddaughter of Jose Cesario Moreno. They had one son, Rómulo Pico, and adopted a daughter, also named Catarina.

Legacy

• His son's home, the Andrés Pico Adobe, is the oldest house in the San Fernando Valley. It was fixed up in the 1930s and made bigger. Today, it is a museum. It holds old records for the San Fernando Valley Historical Society. The Andrés Pico Adobe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a Los Ángeles Historic-Cultural Monument.
• Pico Boulevard, a street from Santa Monica to downtown Los Ángeles, is named for Pío Pico. He was the former governor, but the name also honors the whole Pico family.

Representation in Other Media

• The actor Gerald Mohr played Andrés Pico in a 1966 TV show. The show was called Death Valley Days. Will Kuluva played his brother, Pío. Robert Anderson played General Philip Kearny. Gregg Barton played Commodore Robert F. Stockton. This episode was about California in 1848. It showed the tensions between the Mexican government leaving and the American governor arriving.

See also

In Spanish: Andrés Pico para niños