| Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet | |
|---|---|
Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet |
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| Born | 1748 Noyelles-sur-Mer, Flanders |
| Died | 1807 Quito, Ecuador |
Francisco Luis Hector, barón de Carondelet (born 1748, Noyelles-sur-Selle, Flanders – died 1807 Quito, Ecuador) was an administrator of Burgundian descent in the employ of the Spanish Empire. He was a Knight of Malta.
Carondelet was named governor of El Salvador in 1789. After his term as governor ended he was appointed the governor of the Spanish colonies of Louisiana and West Florida from 1791 to 1797. The Carondelet Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana was constructed on his orders and was named after him. Working through an alliance with Native American tribes, he succeeded in thwarting westward American expansion for a decade.
He became intrigued with western areas, notably Kentucky, trying to detach them from the rest of the United States, to thwart American policy to secure unchallenged access to the Mississippi River, a tendency which made Spanish colonial officials fear for the safety of Louisiana and New Spain. The movement came to an end with the ratification (1795) of Pinckney's Treaty, also known as the Treaty of San Lorenz, which established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain and defined the boundaries of the United States with the Spanish colonies. The treaty guaranteed the United States navigation rights on the Mississippi River. After his term in Louisiana, Carondelet served as President of the Real Audiencia de Quito from 1799 through his death in 1807.
| Preceded by Esteban Rodríguez Miró |
Spanish Governor of Louisiana 1791-1797 |
Succeeded by Manuel Gayoso de Lemos |