José Joaquín Estudillo

Don José Joaquín Estudillo (May 7, 1800 – June 7, 1852) was a Mexican citizen of Alta California who was the second alcalde of Yerba Buena, California (the precursor to San Francisco), [cite book | title=A History of the City of San Francisco and Incidentally of the State of California | page=78 | first=John Shertzer | last=Hittell | publisher=A.L. Bancroft | year=1878 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=E3vOnKUx1_gC&pg=PA78&dq=estudillo+alcalde+san+francisco&lr=#PPA77,M1] and whose land holdings, known as Rancho San Leandro, formed the basis of the city of San Leandro. [cite web | url=http://www.ci.san-leandro.ca.us/slcityhistory.html | title=City History | publisher=City of San Leandro | accessdate=2008-01-27]

He was born at the Presidio of Monterey, to José María Estudillo, a Spanish soldier. José Joaquín joined the Spanish Army himself at the age of 15 as a "soldado distinguido" ("distinguished soldier") at the Monterey Presidio.cite web | url=http://www.sanleandrohistoricalsociety.org/Our%20History%205-28-07.html | title=San Leandro's History | publisher=San Leandro Historical Society | date=May 28 2007 | accessdate=2008-01-24] It is unclear when he moved to Yerba Buena, but records indicate that he was the commissioner in charge of the secularization of Mission San Francisco de Asís at the beginning of 1835. [cite book | title=History of California | page=210 | first=Theodore Henry | last=Hittell | publisher=N. J. Stone | year=1885 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_e9AAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA204&dq=estudillo+alcalde+san+francisco&lr=&as_brr=3&ie=ISO-8859-1#PPA210,M1] In July that year he petitioned the "alcalde", Francisco de Haro, for a land grant in that area. Haro forwarded the request to Governor José Figueroa, who denied the request on the grounds that the "ayuntamiento" (Town Hall) attached to the Mission did not have the authority to grant such requests. The governor reversed himself a few months later in September, however, stating that a building-lot could be granted to Estudillo, provided it was not within two hundred "varas" (yards) of the beach, and that other persons might obtain grants of the same kind and establish themselves there, although no records exist to show that Estudillo did receive such a grant afterwards. In November 1835, he was elected "alcalde" of Yerba Buena. While "alcalde", Estudillo approved the first grant under the terms set by Figueroa to William A. Richardson. [cite book | title=The Beginnings of San Francisco: From the Expedition of Anza, 1774, to the City Charter of April 15, 1850 | page=505 | first=Zoeth Skinner | last=Eldridge | year=1912 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=7ZgMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA505&dq=joaquin+estudillo+alcalde+san+francisco&lr=&as_brr=3&ie=ISO-8859-1#PPA505,M1]

After his one-year term, Estudillo, his wife, and ten children moved across San Francisco Bay, settling just outside the Peraltas' Rancho San Antonio on San Leandro Creek, [cite book | title=The Bay of San Francisco: The Metropolis of the Pacific Coast and Its History | page=395 | publisher=Lewis Publishing Co. | year=1892 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=COUBAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA395&dq=joaquin+estudillo+alcalde+san+francisco&lr=&as_brr=3&ie=ISO-8859-1] the first settlers in what would later be known as Eden township. [cite book | title=Past and Present of Alameda County, California | chapter=Chapter II: Spanish and Mexican Land Grants | publisher=S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. | year=1914 | url=http://www.calarchives4u.com/history/alameda/1914-ch2.htm] He petitioned Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado to receive a land grant for the land between San Leandro Creek and San Lorenzo Creek in January 1837. Five years went by without a reply. Realizing that his original petition had been lost, he sent a second one in 1842. This time, Alvarado granted him the convert|6829|acre|km2|1|adj=on Rancho San Leandro (named after Saint Leander, Estudillo's patron saint) that he requested. [cite book | title=A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California | chapter=Alameda County | publisher=Lewis Publishing Co. | year=1891 | url=http://www.calarchives4u.com/history/alameda/1891-gen.htm] That same year, Ignacio Peralta would build his adobe across the creek from Estudillo.

The cession of Alta California to the United States and the California Gold Rush marked a turning point in his life. After the influx of Americans, the price of cattle increased from $2/head to $60. Estudillo sold off his entire stock, and built a grand house in 1850, lavishly furnishing it with wares from around the world. On the other hand, squatters overran his land and wreaked havoc with his horses and cattle (before they were sold), so much that their encampment became known as "Squatterville". It was only through the efforts of two of Estudillo's sons-in-law, John B. Ward and William Heath Davis, that the squatters were brought under control. Ward and Davis later laid out the town site that would become San Leandro.cite book | title=Historic Spots in California | page=14 | first=Douglas E. | last=Kyle | coauthors=Hoover, Mildred Brooke | publisher=Stanford University Press | year=2002 | id=ISBN 0804744831 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=AYMPR6xAj50C&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=jose+joaquin+estudillo&source=web&ots=8QMbF2ujya&sig=U8_7mQZKYGYDVJ_wlKh4BXObybA#PPA14,M1]

Estudillo died in 1852. His descendants donated the land where his magnificent house stood for construction of St. Leander's Church. That site was declared California Historical Landmark #279, and sits on the street that now bears his name, Estudillo Avenue.

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