Nicolás Gutiérrez

Nicolás Gutiérrez
20th Governor of Alta California (acting)
In office January 1836 – April 1836
Preceded by	José Castro
Succeeded by	Mariano Chico
22nd Governor of Alta California (acting)
In office July 1836 – November 1836
Preceded by	Mariano Chico
Succeeded by	Juan Bautista Alvarado
Personal details
Profession	Soldier

Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Gutiérrez was twice acting governor of the northern (Alta) part of Las Californias in 1836, from January to May and July to November.^[1]

Gutiérrez served two short terms as acting governor of Alta California in 1836, during a very turbulent period in the history of Mexican California.^[1] The Siete Leyes reforms to Mexico's government had combined Alta California and the Baja California peninsula into a single departamento under the older Spanish-era name of Las Californias. His term began on January 2, 1836, succeeding acting (ad interim) governor José Castro, and Gutiérrez served as governor ad interim until the arrival of official appointee Mariano Chico. Chico, however, was dismissed for abandoning his post, and Gutiérrez returned to the job in July.

Gutierrez himself was ousted in a coup led by Californios Juan Bautista Alvarado and José Castro, assisted by a group of foreigners led by Isaac Graham, on November 5, 1836. The battle was short and surrender was secured after the firing of just one artillery round at the governor's residence in Monterey. Gutierrez and his cadre of officers were detained at Cabo San Lucas on the English brig Clementine before returning to Mexico.

References

Further reading

• Pourade, Richard F (1960). The History of San Diego. San Diego: The San Diego Union. OCLC 29421886.