Romualdo Pacheco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Romualdo Pacheco
12th Governor of California
In office February 27, 1875 – December 9, 1875
Lieutenant	William Irwin (Acting)
Preceded by	Newton Booth
Succeeded by	William Irwin
12th Lieutenant Governor of California
In office December 8, 1871 – February 27, 1875
Governor	Newton Booth
Preceded by	William Holden
Succeeded by	William Irwin (Acting)
7th California State Treasurer
In office October 10, 1863 – December 7, 1867
Governor	Leland Stanford Frederick Low
Preceded by	Delos R. Ashley
Succeeded by	Antonio F. Coronel
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 4th district
In office March 4, 1879 – March 4, 1883
Preceded by	Peter D. Wigginton
Succeeded by	Pleasant B. Tully
In office March 4, 1877 – February 7, 1878
Preceded by	Peter D. Wigginton
Succeeded by	Peter D. Wigginton
Diplomatic offices United States Minister to Nicaragua In office May 21, 1891 – October 13, 1891 President Benjamin Harrison Preceded by Lansing B. Mizner Succeeded by Richard C. Shannon United States Minister to Costa Rica In office May 7, 1891 – October 31, 1891 President Benjamin Harrison Preceded by Lansing B. Mizner Succeeded by Richard C. Shannon United States Minister to Honduras In office April 17, 1891 – June 12, 1893 President Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland Preceded by Lansing B. Mizner Succeeded by Pierce M. B. Young United States Minister to El Salvador In office March 28, 1891 – November 14, 1891 President Benjamin Harrison Preceded by Lansing B. Mizner Succeeded by Richard C. Shannon United States Minister to Guatemala In office February 28, 1891 – June 12, 1893 President Benjamin Harrison Preceded by Lansing B. Mizner Succeeded by Pierce M. B. Young
Personal details
Born	José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco (1831-10-31)October 31, 1831 Santa Barbara, Alta California, Mexico
Died	January 23, 1899(1899-01-23) (aged 67) Oakland, California, United States
Political party	Democratic (Before 1860) National Union (1860–1868) Republican (1868–1889)
Spouse	Mary McIntire Pacheco
Children	Maybella Ramona Romualdo Jr.
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	American Civil War

José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco (born October 31, 1831 – died January 23, 1899) was an important leader and diplomat from California. He was a member of the Republican Party. Pacheco is famous for being the only Hispanic person to serve as Governor of California after California became part of the United States. He was also the first Latino to represent a state in the U.S. Congress.

Pacheco held many different jobs in government and diplomacy over his thirty-year career. He was a California State Treasurer, a California State Senator, and served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Romualdo Pacheco's Early Life

José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco was born in Santa Barbara, California. His family, known as Californios, had important connections. His father, also named José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco, moved to Alta California from Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1825. He worked as an assistant to Governor José María de Echeandía.

Pacheco's father died in 1831 at the Battle of Cahuenga Pass. Young Romualdo was only five weeks old. His father was killed while trying to protect Governor Manuel Victoria during a fight.

Pacheco's Childhood and Education

Romualdo's mother, María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco, was related to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. After his father's death, his mother married Captain John D. Wilson. Captain Wilson, who was from Scotland, sent Pacheco to Honolulu, Hawaii, for his education.

At age twelve, Pacheco started working on a trading vessel as an apprenticeship. Two years later, the Mexican–American War began. In July 1846, while bringing goods to Yerba Buena (now San Francisco), American forces briefly held him. His ship was searched, and he promised to be loyal to the United States before being released.

Pacheco's Political Career

Official portrait of Romualdo Pacheco in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Pacheco's family connections helped him gain support when he started in politics in the 1850s. People who had recently moved to California also respected him. Early in his career, in the 1850s, he was a Democrat. Later, in the 1860s, he joined the National Union Party. However, he was elected to most of his government jobs as a Republican.

Serving as a Judge and Senator

In 1853, when he was 22, Pacheco became a judge in San Luis Obispo County. In 1857, he was elected to the state senate. He took over from his cousin, Pablo de la Guerra. Pacheco was re-elected two more times and served until 1863.

During the American Civil War, Governor Leland Stanford made Pacheco a brigadier general. Pacheco was told to disarm military groups in the Los Angeles area that were not loyal to the Union.

State Treasurer and Lieutenant Governor

Pacheco served as the state treasurer from 1863 to 1867. After that, he returned to the State Senate. He then became Lieutenant Governor of California under Governor Newton Booth. When Governor Booth was elected to the United States Senate in 1875, Pacheco became governor.

Pacheco served as governor from February 27 to December 9, 1875. Then, William Irwin, who won the September elections, became the new governor.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

After being governor, Pacheco ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He won against the person already holding the seat, Peter D. Wigginton, by only one vote. Wigginton challenged the election results. Because of this, Pacheco had to leave his position in 1878 when the House Committee on Elections did not accept his election certificate.

Pacheco returned to California and worked in business. He won a House seat again in September 1879 and was reelected in 1880.

Pacheco's Diplomatic Work and Later Life

Romualdo Pacheco in the 1890s.

After leaving Congress, Pacheco lived on a cattle ranch in Coahuila, a state in northern Mexico, for five years. In 1890, he was appointed as a U.S. Minister to several countries in Central America. This means he represented the United States in those countries.

He came back to California in 1893. Pacheco passed away in Oakland in 1899 at his brother-in-law's home. He is buried at Mountain View Cemetery.

Pacheco's Family Life

On October 31, 1863, Romualdo Pacheco married Mary McIntire. She was 22 years old and a playwright. They had three children together: Maybella Ramona, Romualdo Jr., and Enrique.

Pacheco's Important Legacy

Romualdo Pacheco is remembered for several important reasons:

• He was the first Hispanic person to be Governor of California. He remains the only one in California's history as a state.
• He was the first Hispanic person to represent a state in the U.S. Congress. Before him, Hispanic people had served as non-voting delegates from territories. Pacheco was the first full-voting Hispanic member of Congress.

He was also the last Hispanic Republican to represent California in the U.S. House of Representatives for a long time. This changed when Mike Garcia was elected in May 2020.

See also

In Spanish: Romualdo Pacheco para niños

• List of governors of California
• Hispanic and Latino conservatism in the United States
• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
• List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States