Francisco Bouligny
Francisco Domingo Joseph Bouligny (4 September 1736 – 25 November 1800) was military governor of Spanish Louisiana from 1799 to 1800. He founded the city of New Iberia [1] in 1779.
Early Life
Bouligny, called Frasquito by his family, was born in Alicante, Spain, to Jean (Juan) Bouligny, a successful merchant, and Marie Paret, both of French descent. At the age of 10, he was sent to a boy’s school founded by the bishop of Orihuela, from which he graduated in 1750 and joined the family import-export business.
Military Carrer
In 1758, Bouligny enlisted in the Spanish army, joining the Regiment of Zamora. A year later, he transferred to the Royal Regiment of Spanish Guards and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the infantry and sent to Havana, Cuba, in 1762. He was stationed there until 1769 when he joined Alejandro O'Reilly's expedition to put down the Louisiana Rebellion. Since Bouligny was fluent in French, he was charged with delivering the Spanish government’s messages to the Francophone inhabitants of Louisiana. Bouligny was promoted to the rank of brevet captain in the new Louisiana Battalion. In 1772 he was appointed a full captain. In 1775, Bouligny was granted leave to return to Europe to settle family affairs.
Return to Louisiana
In 1777, Bouligny returned to Louisiana where he was named lieutenant governor by Gov. Bernardo de Gálvez. Among his responsibilities was managing trade and relations with Native American tribes and founding new settlements. In April 1779, he brought a group of 500 Malagueños colonists up Bayou Teche to establish the city of New Iberia. During the American Revolutionary War, Spain attacked British holdings along the Gulf Coast. In 1780, Bouligny lead an expedition against Mobile and he later participated in the siege of Pensacola. In 1791, he was appointed colonel and placed in command of the Louisiana Regiment. Following the death of Gov. Manuel Gayoso de Lemos on 18 July 1799, Francisco Bouligny was appointed military governor of Louisiana with Nicolas Maria Vidal as civil governor under the authority of the new governor general, Sebastián Calvo Puerta y O'Farrill. Bouligny died following a long illness on 25 November 1800 in New Orleans. He had been appointed brigadier general in September 1800, but the commission did reach Louisiana until after his death.
Personal Life
On 29 December 1770, Bouligny married Marie-Louise Le Sénéchal d'Auberville (1750–1834). They had four children, including Charles Dominique Joseph Bouligny who would represent Louisiana in the U.S. Senate in the 1820s.
References
- Martin, Fontaine (1990). A History of the Bouligny Family and Allied Families. Lafayette, Louisiana: The Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwester Louisiana. ISBN 0940984512.
- Din, Gilbert C. (199). Francisco Bouligny: A Bourbon Soldier in Spanish Louisiana. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0807117951.