John C. Frémont appointed Governor of California Territory

Background. The appointment followed the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga on January 13, 1847, which terminated hostilities in Alta California. Frémont, a major in the U.S. Army, had previously taken control of northern California from the short-lived California Republic in 1846. The appointment was made by Commodore Stockton, who subsequently left Los Angeles.

Appointment. On January 16, 1847, Commodore Stockton appointed Frémont as military governor of California. This action occurred immediately after Frémont accepted the surrender of Andres Pico, ending the war in upper California. The legacy row's claim of a 'California Territory' is corrected to reflect the historical reality of military governance under the U.S. Army.

Tenure. Commodore Stockton appointed Frémont military governor of California on January 16, 1847, and then departed Los Angeles. The supplied passages do not describe the subsequent course of Frémont's governorship, so its duration and character remain unrecorded here. The appointment fell within the broader American conquest of California, in which Monterey had been captured in July 1846 and Stockton's forces had entered Los Angeles in August 1846.