Bennet Riley Papers, 1849 - OAC (original) (raw)

Collection context

Background

Biographical / historical:

Bennet Riley, born in Virginia in 1787, early became a soldier, rising to the rank of Colonel by 1840 and General by 1849. He fought in Florida, distinguished himself in the Mexican war, particularly in the battle of Cerro Gordo. At the end of the war, in the spring of 1849, he was sent to command the Pacific department, with headquarters at Monterey. Appointed military governor of California, he proposed a convention for the purpose of forming a state constitution. He resigned when this was accomplished, staying on at Monterey until July 1850. He then resumed regular army life until his death in Buffalo, New York, in 1853.

Physical location:

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Other descriptive data:

The papers in this collection come from various sources. Those in v.1 are originals, five of them purchased from Gelber-Lilienthal by subscription in June 1935. Though the source of the sixth document is unknown, it perhaps came from the Cowan Collection. Some items in v.2 were purchased from John Howell, December 12, 1947; some came from the T. W. Norris collection. Sources, when known, have been noted on the folders. Most of the papers are documents issued while Riley was governor of California. Some were signed for him or countersigned by Henry Wager Halleck, Secretary of State.

Access and use

Location of this collection:

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US