Brigadier General Don Francisco Domingo Joseph Bouligny y Paret was a Spanish Army officer and colonial administrator who served as an acting governor of Louisiana in 1799.
22 Facts About Francisco Bouligny
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Francisco Bouligny, called "Frasquito" by his family, was born in 1736 in Alicante, Spain, to Jean Francisco Bouligny, a successful French merchant, and Marie Paret, who was from Alicante.
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In 1758, Francisco Bouligny joined in the Spanish Army, serving the Regiment of Zamora.
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At that time, Spain had entered the Seven Years' War and, while Francisco Bouligny was en route from Cadiz, the British captured Havana.
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New orders had Francisco Bouligny wait out the remainder of the war in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
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Francisco Bouligny was promoted to the rank of brevet captain in the newly formed Louisiana Fixed Infantry Battalion.
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However, a year later Francisco Bouligny was relieved from command by Unzaga and placed under house arrest for ordering a group of deserters six-year prison terms instead of the four-month sentence proscribed by the king's code.
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In 1775, Francisco Bouligny was granted leave to return to Europe to settle family affairs.
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Francisco Bouligny noted with great detail the region's geography and hydrology, including flooding caused by storm surges into Lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain.
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In 1777, Francisco Bouligny returned to Louisiana, where he was named lieutenant governor by Gov.
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In Memoria, Francisco Bouligny advocated settling Spanish and other Catholic immigrants throughout Louisiana to bolster Spain's hold on the territory, including Anglo-Americans who were willing to switch their loyalties to Spain.
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However, the relationship between Francisco Bouligny and Galvez was a tense one.
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Galvez steadily worked to isolate Francisco Bouligny, calling into question his actions, auditing heavily the expenses of the New Iberia settlement and Francisco Bouligny's personal finances, and not recommending him for advancement.
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In late 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, Spain attacked British holdings in West Florida, and Francisco Bouligny participated in the battles of Manchac Post and the Baton Rouge.
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In 1780, Francisco Bouligny led an expedition against the British at Fort Charlotte, and he later participated in the Battle of Pensacola.
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In 1783, Francisco Bouligny was ordered to eliminate a colony of fugitives from slavery downriver from New Orleans.
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Esteban Rodriguez Miro travelled to West Florida to treat with the Muscogee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations, Francisco Bouligny served as acting governor of Louisiana.
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Francisco Bouligny died in New Orleans on November 25,1800, following a long illness.
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Francisco Bouligny was honored by being buried in St Louis Cathedral.
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Francisco Bouligny left behind what was considered an extensive library of 48 works in 147 volumes, a wine cellar holding some 500 bottles of wine, and 31 slaves.
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Francisco Bouligny's library included histories of Ancient Rome, France, America, the Russian Empire, and Germany, as well as the conquest of Mexico and Captain Cook's third voyage.
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In 1977, descendants of Francisco Bouligny founded the Francisco Bouligny Foundation to promote the study of Spanish Louisiana by supporting research and an annual lecture series.