John McDougal

John McDougal
2nd Governor of California
In office
January 9, 1851 – January 8, 1852
LieutenantDavid C. Broderick (acting)
Preceded byPeter H. Burnett
Succeeded byJohn Bigler
1st Lieutenant Governor of California
In office
December 20, 1849 – January 9, 1851
GovernorPeter H. Burnett
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byDavid C. Broderick
Personal details
Bornc. 1818 (1818)
Union, Ohio, U.S.
Died (aged 47–48)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political partyIndependent Democrat
SpouseJane McDougal
Children5

John McDougal[1] (c. 1818 – March 30, 1866) was an American politician who served as the second Governor of California from January 9, 1851, until January 8, 1852. Prior to this, he served from 1849 to 1851 as the first Lieutenant Governor of California.

Born to a political family in Ohio, McDougal would immigrate to California in 1849 aboard the S.S. California after serving in the Mexican–American War. After participating in the California Gold Rush, McDougal would enter early California politics a year later as an attendee of the 1849 constitutional convention in Monterey. Entering the lieutenant governorship in 1849, he would succeed to the governorship following the early resignation of Peter Hardeman Burnett.

As Governor, McDougal presided over the creation of the Mariposa Battalion, a state militia unit that killed over 40 Indigenous Californians during the California Indian Wars. McDougal signed legislation to move the state capital from San Jose to Vallejo in modern-day Solano County. After failing to secure the nomination of the California Democratic Party in the 1852 election, McDougal left office and never served in a political capacity for the rest of his life.

  1. ^ "The Governors' Gallery". California State Library. Retrieved November 25, 2017.