The governor of Louisiana on July 4, 1776 was Luis de Unzaga y Amézaga, from Spain.
Luis de Unzaga y Amézaga
At the time John Hancock signed his name large enough that George III of the United Kingdom knew who signed first, New Orleans operated under the control of the Spanish Crown. Luis de Unzaga y Amézaga came to New Orleans in 1769 as part of O’Reilly’s force sent from Havana to re-establish Spanish control of the colony. The Rebellion of 1768, led by French Creoles in the city, forced Spain’s action. With the first Spanish Governor, Ulloa, sent back by the French, O’Reilly arrived at Balize, at the mouth of the Mississippi. Three weeks later, his 2100 troops disembarked at New Orleans. He put down the rebellion, executing its leaders, and restored Spanish rule.
By November, 1769, O’Reilly established the Cabildo as the colony’s governing body. He named Unzaga as Governor, retaining the title of Captain General until he returned to Havana.
Unzaga in charge
Luis Unzaga became Louisiana’s 4th Spanish governor in December, 1769. In 1775, he married the daughter of a local merchant, Elizabeth St. Maxent.
Unzaga continued the Code O’Reilly laws established by his predecessor, but he loosened traditional Spanish trade regulations. Luis allowed open trade with (then-British) colonials. By 1776, he enabled the transfer of gunpowder and weapons up the Mississippi to aid the American cause.
“Estados Unidos”
Governor Unzaga is credited with being one of the first foreign leaders to recognize the British colonies as the United States of America. From his Wikipedia entry:
In 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed, George Washington wrote to his friend Colonel Joseph Reed that he had just received a very flattering letter from Luis de Unzaga y Amézaga, governor of Spanish Louisiana, who referred to Washington as “General de Los Estados Unidos Americanos” (General of the American United States).
Throughout the remainder of 1776, Unzaga continued his support of the new nation. He turned over Louisiana to Bernardo de Galvez on January 1, 1777, Luis returned to Havana, then became Captain General of Venezula in June of that year.
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