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Pedro Benedit Horruytiner

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Preceded by
  
Nicolás Ponce de León

Died
  
20 November 1684

Succeeded by
  
Diego de Rebolledo

Pedro Benedit Horruytiner

Preceded by
  
Benito Ruíz de Salazar Vallecilla

Succeeded by
  
Benito Ruíz de Salazar Vallecilla

Born
  
1613 (
1613
)

Profession
  
Soldier and Administrator (Governor of Florida)

Pedro Benedit-Horruytiner y Catalán (1613 - November 20, 1684) was a Spanish soldier who served as the Acting Governor and accountant of Florida between 1646 and 1648, alongside Francisco Menendez Marquez, and as Governor of same place between 1651 and 1654.

Contents

Biography

Pedro Benedit Horruytiner was born in Zaragoza, Spain in 1613. He was son of Gilberto Benedit Horruytiner and Inés Catalán and brother of Micaela Benedit Horruytiner Aragón. He was a nephew of former Florida Gov. Luis Benedit Horruitiner. Pedro Benedit Horruytiner moved to Saint Augustine, Florida at a time prior to 11 April 1646. He started to serving the Spanish crown on December 10, 1635. So, he joined the Royal Spanish Navy when he was young, where he excelled, ascending to Lieutenant Colonel´s rank, military grade he exerted in the Fort of Saint Augustine.

Pedro Benedit Horruytiner was appointed acting governor of Florida on 11 April 1646.

On September 5, 1647 Hurruytiner and Francisco Menendez Marquez set an ultimatum to Chisca Amerindians, considered as violents because of the attack on Christian Tumucuans, for which they should choose in two months between their execution in Florida, where they lived, or settle in the town of the Timucua Christians. Two months later, the Chiscas caciques were settled in the territory of this people.

In January that year, Hurruytiner ordered Ensign Pedro de Florencia to search for the people living in missions San Francisco de Potano and Santa Fé de Teleco, because Hurruytiner had feared those places would be depopulated.

He left the Florida government the following year, on 8 January 1648, regaining the politician charge on 19 October 1651. He left the charge, finally, on 18 June 1654, when he was replaced by Diego de Rebolledo.

Hurruytiner died on November 20, 1684, while still served to the Spanish Crown, to the 71 years old.

Personal life

Pedro Benedit Horruytiner married in Saint Augustine, on February 19, 1637, with María Ruíz de Cañizares Mexía y Florencia. They had several children: Isabel, Manuela, Jacobina, Antonio, Pedro, Jusepe, Lorenzo and Juan Benedit de Horruytiner y Ruíz de Cañizares. Juan Horruytiner was military, being captain in the Spanish Army. According other sources, the mother -in- law of them was Sanchez de Urisa.

  • An Urban legend originally of Saint Augustine, Florida points out that the house in which Pedro Benedit de Horruytiner lived in this city (first documented owner of this house and one of the houses oldest of Florida), is haunted and in it there a ghostly precense of governor. It also is say there in the house a ghost cat, a spirit who was killed therein and "a mysterious form" living in the foyer, in the dark. Anyway, although it belonged their family until the British occupation in 1763, eventually many prominents Spanish, British and American military, government and professional leaders also have lived here.
  • The private library of Pedro Benedit Horruytiner, localized in St Augustine, is one of the oldest preserved in Florida.
  • A distant descendant of him, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the Falange´s Spanish politic party and son of a dictator of Spain, Miguel Primo de Rivera (who governed between 1923 and 1930), was killed in November 20 (precisely the date of the death of Pedro Benedit Horruytiner), in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War.

    • References

    Pedro Benedit Horruytiner Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA