Andrés Pico

Andrés Pico was a Californio who became a successful rancher, fought in the contested Battle of San Pascual during the Mexican–American War, and negotiated promises of post-war protections for Californios in the 1847 Treaty of Cahuenga. After California became one of the United States, Pico was elected to the state assembly and senate. He championed the Pico Act of 1859, seeking to split California into two parts in the interest of fair tax representation of the Californios in the southern third of the state. He was appointed as the commanding brigadier general of the state militia during the American Civil War.