Manuel Dominguez

Don Manuel Domínguez e Ybáñez (1803–1882) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and a signer of the California Constitution in 1849. He served as two terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). He was one of the largest landowners in Southern California, having inherited Rancho San Pedro in 1825, one of the largest ranchos in California. He was one of the founders of the cities of Carson and Compton and of the fishing village of San Pedro (today a neighborhood of Los Angeles). Today, California State University, Dominguez Hills and the communities of Rancho Dominguez, East Rancho Dominguez, and West Rancho Dominguez bear his family's name.

Manuel Dominguez, addressed as Don Manuel, was born January 26, 1803, in the colonial Las Californias province of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain (colonial México). He was born into a prominent Alta California family. In the colonial Spanish racial classification system sistema de castas he was an Español Criollo. The gente de razón family traced itself through pure blood generations in Mexico to ancestors in Catalonia Spain. He was baptized Luis Gonzaga Policarpo Manuel Antonio y Fernando Dominguez. Baptismal data at Yglesia del Real Presidio de San Diego indicates father as Christobal Dominguez of military status: Cabo de la compañia de cuera deste Presidio and mother as Maria Reyes Yvañez. Godparents are shown as Maria Gorgona Valencuela and Manuel Rodriguez.

Manuel’s father was José Cristobal Dominguez (c. 1761-January 6, 1825) and his mother was Maria de Los Reyes Ybanez (c.1763-February 5, 1834). Existing records do not identify the names of Manuel’s grandparents. Manuel’s granduncle, the brother of his grandfather, was Juan Jose Dominguez (c.1736-1809). The father of Juan Jose was Jose Ignacio Dominguez. Juan Jose was the original holder of the vast Spanish land concession known as the Rancho San Pedro. Juan Jose never married and died in 1809 leaving his nephew Cristobal, Manuel’s father, heir. Upon the death of Cristobal in 1825, Manuel and his surviving siblings inherited the rancho. The siblings of Manuel Dominguez were Maria Jesus (1796-1799), Josef de Los Dolores (1798-1819), Maria Victoria (1800-1873), Francisca Marcelina (1805-1828), Maria Elena Ramona (1807-1842), Jose Nasario (1809-1860), Pedro Juan Santiago Pectinarzo “Agapito” (1812-1859) and Maria Sinforosa (1815-1820).

Manuel Dominguez was described as tall, handsome, intelligent and personable. He was a faithful Roman Catholic and insisted his family observe the rituals. As was customary, he was trained as a youth in horsemanship and herding stock on the open range. He learned to read and write Spanish in a time when most people were illiterate. He continued to educate himself through reading throughout his life. He was a master of the Spanish language and he learned to speak English. He became a proficient public speaker capable of using both diplomacy and profanity as warranted.

His life spanned the Spanish, Mexican, and American eras in California.

Manuel Dominguez was an heir to the vast Rancho San Pedro land grant in the Los Angeles Basin. Eldest son of Cristobal Dominguez, he is credited with the solidification of the Rancho San Pedro with a new Mexican land grant and an American patent and with the development of the rancho, and erecting the Dominguez Rancho Adobe as rancho headquarters above the Los Angeles River floodplain in the Dominguez Hills, located on the border between Compton, California and Carson, California.

At the age of 20, he fathered a child (Tomasa) with the 10- or 11-year-old daughter of Santiago Arguello. Manuel Dominguez met the beautiful and talented Maria Engracia de Cota. They fell in love. On December 7, 1827 they were wed at Mission San Gabriel. Maria skillfully managed the business of household and social gatherings. Maria was the daughter of Don Guillermo Cota, Prefect (Commissioner) for the Mexican government. Through this contact Manuel gained an introduction to the political workings of the Pueblo and surrounding area. Maria was also the granddaughter of Manuel Nieto, powerful holder of the large land grant Rancho Los Nietos, to the east of Rancho San Pedro. Together Manuel and Maria had ten children, four of whom died in childhood.

Beginning in 1828, Dominguez embarked on a lengthy career of public service, in addition to his business interests. His political service included Alcalde (Mayor) of the Pueblo de Los Ángeles and Third Prefect of the Southern District of Alta California.^{[citation needed]}