Arturo O'Neill de Tyrone

Arturo O'Neill de Tyrone y O'Kelly was a colonel prominent and Irish governor of several places in New Spain (1781-1794). He came from an important lineage of families who occupied prominent positions and titles throughout European history, from sometime before the sixteenth century.

Biography

Arturo O'Neill de Tyrone y O'Kelly was born in Dublín, Ireland the 8 January 1736. He was third of the five children of Henry O´Neill and Ana O´Kelly. One of his brothers was Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Niall "O'Neill O'Kelly. As a youth he came to Spain and entered the Irleland Regiment as a cadet in 1752. He was colonel of Regiment of Hibernia when it fought against the British Fort George near the Spanish fleet in Singuesa, Santa Rosa, Pensacola Bay in March in 1781. At the battle's conclusion, on May 9, 1781 he was appointed governor of West Florida in the service of New Spain, proving to be an effective diplomat and an able administrator. Later, he then became a member of the Supreme War Council of Spain, replacing the governor Miguel de Uztaraiz and lieutenant general. On March 10, 1792 Arturo O'Neill became Marqués del Norte, governor of Yucatan, Mexico, and he replacing to Don Jose Sabido de Vargas; and Viscount. In 1794, O´Neill stepped down as governor of West Florida and was replaced later by Enrique White. His last position was important that he was a soldier in the army of Spain against Napoleon. Arturo O´Neill died in Madrid in 9 December 1814.

Sources

• http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ONEILL/2008-02/1202589689. ONEILL-L Archives
• http://www.jstor.org/pss/30148550. Arturo O´Neill: First Governor of West Florida During The Second Spanish Period, by Eric Beerman, 1981.

External links

http://www.araltas.com/features/oneill/