William A. Richardson
Encyclopedia
William A. Richardson (August 27, 1795 – April 20, 1856) was an early California
entrepreneur, influential in the development of Yerba Buena
which later became San Francisco
. Richardson was the first to receive a land grant
in the city, deeded to him by the alcalde
José Joaquín Estudillo
. He was subsequently awarded even larger land holdings across the San Francisco Bay, a private rancho
comprising a large portion of present-day Marin County. On these lands he founded the city of Sausalito
.
citizenship, converted to Catholicism and married Maria Antonia Martinez (1803–1887), the daughter of Ygnacio Martinez, commandant of the Presidio of San Francisco
and in 1842, grantee of Rancho El Pinole
. His ambitions now expanding to land holdings of his own, Richardson submitted a petition to Governor Echeandía for a rancho
in the headlands across the water from the Presidio, to be called "Rancho Saucelito
". Sausalito is believed to refer to a small cluster of willows, a moist-soil tree, indicating the presence of a freshwater spring.
Even before filing his claim, Richardson had used the spring as a watering station on the shores of what is now called Richardson Bay
(an arm of the larger San Francisco Bay
), selling fresh water to visiting vessels. However, his ownership of the land was legally tenuous: other claims had been submitted for the same region, and at any rate Mexican law reserved headlands for military uses, not private ownership. Richardson temporarily abandoned his claim and settled instead outside the Presidio, building the first permanent civilian home and laying out the street plan for the pueblo
of Yerba Buena (present-day San Francisco). His seafaring experience was instrumental is his also being appointed Port Captain, responsible for overseeing maritime commerce and often personally piloting arriving ships to their anchorage.
After years of lobbying and legal wrangling, Richardson was given clear title to all 19751 acres (79.9 km²) of Rancho Saucelito on February 11, 1838. By 1841 he had sold his holdings across the bay and taken possession of the rancho, while still serving as Port Captain of Yerba Buena.
Richardson had money problems in his later years and died bankrupt.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
entrepreneur, influential in the development of Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena (town)
Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco when in the Spanish Las Californias Province of New Spain, and then after 1822 in the Mexican territory of Alta California, until the Mexican American War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when California became a territory of the...
which later became San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Richardson was the first to receive a land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
in the city, deeded to him by the alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
José Joaquín Estudillo
José Joaquín Estudillo
José Joaquín Estudillo was a Mexican citizen of Alta California who was the second alcalde of Yerba Buena, California , and whose land holdings, known as Rancho San Leandro, formed the basis of the city of San Leandro.-Biography:He was born at the Presidio of Monterey, to José María Estudillo, a...
. He was subsequently awarded even larger land holdings across the San Francisco Bay, a private rancho
Rancho
Rancho may refer to:*Alta California land grants in the 19th century; see Ranchos of California*Rancho High School, a North Las Vegas high school*Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center**Rancho Los Amigos Scale...
comprising a large portion of present-day Marin County. On these lands he founded the city of Sausalito
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
.
Life
Richardson arrived aboard the British whaler "Orion" in San Francisco Bay in 1822, shortly after Mexico had won its independence from Spain. An English mariner who had picked up a fluency in Spanish during his travels, he quickly became an influential presence in the now-Mexican territory. By 1825, Richardson had assumed MexicanMexico
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...
citizenship, converted to Catholicism and married Maria Antonia Martinez (1803–1887), the daughter of Ygnacio Martinez, commandant of the Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
and in 1842, grantee of Rancho El Pinole
Rancho El Pinole
Rancho El Pinole was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Ygnacio Martinez...
. His ambitions now expanding to land holdings of his own, Richardson submitted a petition to Governor Echeandía for a rancho
Rancho
Rancho may refer to:*Alta California land grants in the 19th century; see Ranchos of California*Rancho High School, a North Las Vegas high school*Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center**Rancho Los Amigos Scale...
in the headlands across the water from the Presidio, to be called "Rancho Saucelito
Rancho Saucelito
Rancho Saucelito was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California given in 1838 by Governor Juan Alvarado to William A. Richardson. The name means "ranch of the little willow grove"...
". Sausalito is believed to refer to a small cluster of willows, a moist-soil tree, indicating the presence of a freshwater spring.
Even before filing his claim, Richardson had used the spring as a watering station on the shores of what is now called Richardson Bay
Richardson Bay
Richardson Bay is a shallow, ecologically rich arm of San Francisco Bay, managed under a Joint Powers Agency of four Northern California cities. The Richardson Bay Sanctuary was acquired in the early 1960s by the National Audubon Society. The bay was named for William A...
(an arm of the larger San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
), selling fresh water to visiting vessels. However, his ownership of the land was legally tenuous: other claims had been submitted for the same region, and at any rate Mexican law reserved headlands for military uses, not private ownership. Richardson temporarily abandoned his claim and settled instead outside the Presidio, building the first permanent civilian home and laying out the street plan for the pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
of Yerba Buena (present-day San Francisco). His seafaring experience was instrumental is his also being appointed Port Captain, responsible for overseeing maritime commerce and often personally piloting arriving ships to their anchorage.
After years of lobbying and legal wrangling, Richardson was given clear title to all 19751 acres (79.9 km²) of Rancho Saucelito on February 11, 1838. By 1841 he had sold his holdings across the bay and taken possession of the rancho, while still serving as Port Captain of Yerba Buena.
Richardson had money problems in his later years and died bankrupt.