Manuel Gayoso de Lemos facts for kids
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Manuel Gayoso de Lemos
KOM OTS
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Portrait by unknown artist
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| 8th Spanish Governor of Louisiana | |
| In office 1797–1799 |
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| Monarch | Charles IV |
| Preceded by | Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Bouligny |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Manuel Luis Gayoso de Lemos Amorín y Magallanes
May 30, 1747 Oporto, Portugal |
| Died | July 18, 1799 (aged 52) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Spouses |
Theresa Margarita Hopman y Pereira
(m. 1787; died 1789)Elizabeth Watts
(m. 1792; died 1792)Margaret Cyrilla Watts
(m. 1797) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Viceroyalty of New Spain Kingdom of Spain |
| Branch/service | Spanish Army |
| Years of service | 1771–1779 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
Manuel Gayoso de Lemos (May 30, 1747 – July 18, 1799) was an important Spanish leader. He served as the governor of Spanish Louisiana. This was a large area that Spain controlled in North America. He was governor from 1797 until he died in 1799.
Contents
Manuel Gayoso de Lemos: A Spanish Leader
Early Life and Military Career
Manuel Gayoso de Lemos was born in Oporto, Portugal, on May 30, 1747. His parents were Manuel Luis Gayoso de Lemos y Sarmiento and Theresa Angélica de Amorín y Magallanes. He grew up and went to school in London, England.
When he was 23, Manuel joined the Spanish army in 1771. He became an ensign, which is a low-ranking officer, the next year. He remained in the military his whole life. By the time he died, he was a brigadier, a high-ranking officer.
Leading the Natchez District
In 1787, Gayoso de Lemos took charge of the Natchez District. This area was in what is now Mississippi. He was appointed by the Governor-General, Esteban Rodríguez Miró. This happened after the British lost control of West Florida.
In Natchez, Gayoso de Lemos set up a local council called a cabildo. This council was made up of important landowners. Many of these landowners were not Spanish. They had moved there from areas like Kentucky.
Gayoso de Lemos wanted more people to settle in Spanish lands. He especially welcomed Catholics, like the Irish and Scots. He also welcomed people who brought a lot of property. He moved the main part of Natchez town to a higher, safer area.
One challenge he faced was confusing land grants. People had different claims to the same land. This made it hard to know who owned what.
While in Natchez, Gayoso de Lemos worked to limit the growth of the United States. He made deals with some Americans, like General James Wilkinson. He also formed alliances with local Native American tribes.
He signed important agreements, like the 1793 Treaty of Nogales. This treaty created alliances with nations like the Chickasaw, Muscogee, and Choctaw. Under his leadership, Spain built forts along the Mississippi River. These forts were at places like Fort Nogales (now Vicksburg) and Chickasaw Bluffs (now Memphis).
However, things changed with Pinckney's Treaty in 1796. Spain agreed to give the Natchez District to the United States. Gayoso de Lemos managed the Spanish withdrawal from the area. By 1798, the U.S. took full control and created the Mississippi Territory.
Governor of Louisiana
On August 5, 1797, Gayoso de Lemos became the Governor-General of Louisiana. His first action was to issue a set of rules for good government. He also sent instructions about land grants to all local commanders.
As governor, Gayoso de Lemos strengthened Spain's military power in New Orleans. He worried that Britain might try to move south. He wanted Spanish Louisiana to act as a protective area between the U.S. and Spanish Texas.
He allowed Americans to bring their enslaved people with them from the north. This was an unofficial policy, even though Spain had stopped allowing new enslaved people to be brought in since 1792.
He was very strict about the Catholic Church. In 1798, he issued a rule making Catholicism the official religion of the colony. He wanted more people to join the church. He also tried to stop people from working on Sundays and holy days. He spoke out against anyone who questioned the Church's beliefs or its importance in society.
In 1798, he also started a state-run garbage collection system. This was a new idea at the time. It helped prevent diseases and bad smells in the city.
Gayoso de Lemos died in New Orleans on July 18, 1799. He passed away from yellow fever. He was buried in the Saint Louis Cathedral. After his death, other leaders took over his duties. A stream in Memphis, Tennessee, called Gayoso Bayou, is named after him.
Family Life
Manuel Gayoso de Lemos was married three times. His first wife was Theresa Margarita Hopman y Pereira. They had two children together. In 1792, he married Elizabeth Watts, but she died just three months later. He then married Elizabeth's sister, Margaret Cyrilla Watts, and they had one son.
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Gayoso para niños
