Benjamin Davis Wilson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2nd Mayor of Los Angeles | |
| In office May 7, 1851 – May 4, 1852 | |
| Preceded by | Alpheus P. Hodges |
| Succeeded by | John G. Nichols |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1, 1811 Wilson County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | March 11, 1878 (aged 66) San Gabriel, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | San Gabriel Cemetery, San Gabriel, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | U.S. and Mexican citizen |
| Spouse(s) | Ramona Yorba, Margaret Hereford |
| Relations | George S. Patton (grandson) |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Statesman |
Benjamin Davis Wilson (December 1, 1811 – March 11, 1878), commonly known as Don Benito Wilson,[1][2][3][4][5] was an American-Mexican politician, fur trapper, and ranchero of California. Born in Tennessee to parents from Virginia, Wilson eventually settled in Alta California when it was part of the Republic of Mexico, and acquired Rancho Jurupa. He became a naturalized Mexican citizen and married into a prominent Californio family.
Following the American Conquest of California, Wilson acquired considerable other property, some from Mexicans struggling to retain their land grants. Having served on the Common Council of Los Angeles, he later was elected to a term as the second Mayor of the city after California was admitted as a state.
- ^ Excerpt: "...commonly known as Don Benito Wilson..."; Hart, James. Companion to California (1987); University of California Press.
- ^ Excerpt: "Wilson, now known as Don Benito, became a Californio – that group of Mexicans and Angols who thought of themselves as Californians rather than Mexicans or Americans"; Farrar Hyde, Anne. Empires, Nations, and Families: A History of the North American West, 1800–1860 (2011); University of Nebraska Press.
- ^ Excerpt: "He was familiarly known as Don Benito"; Macfarland, John C. Don Benito Wilson (1949); Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly (Vol. 31, No. 4)
- ^ Read, Nat B. (2008). Don Benito Wilson: From Mountain Man to Mayor: Los Angeles 1841–1878. Angel City Press. ISBN 978-1-883318-83-3.
- ^ KPCC – The Life and Times of Don Benito Wilson