John MacRae Washington

John MacRae Washington (* 1797 in Stafford County , Virginia , † 1853 in the Pacific Ocean ) was an American officer and military governor of New Mexico from 1848 to 1849 .

Military advancement

John Washington graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1817 . After that he was assigned to the artillery . In the following years he fought in the Seminole Wars in Florida . In 1838 and 1839 he served on General Winfield Scott's staff during his campaign to relocate the Cherokee Indians .

Washington in the war against Mexico

During the Mexican-American War , Washington was promoted to lieutenant colonel brevet . In the battle of Buena Vista he commanded an artillery unit that secured the American right wing. He then became military governor in Saltillo for a short time . He was then head of the artillery units of the American occupation forces in Mexico . Between October 1848 and October 1849 he was both military and civil governor in what would become New Mexico Territory .

John Washington died in 1853 when he was thrown overboard by a storm and drowned while on a boat trip to the Pacific coast.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Washington, John MacRae
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician, governor of New Mexico
DATE OF BIRTH	1797
PLACE OF BIRTH	Stafford County , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH	1853
Place of death	Pacific Ocean