Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo

One of California s most important founding fathers, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo fought for the rights of Native Americans while paving the way for California to join the United States. He was just 15 when he joined the Mexican army as a cadet and began his long career in the military and politics. He established the first town in the territory north of San Francisco under Mexican rule and gave the town the Indian name, Sonoma. In addition, he laid the foundation for establishing the local government in San Francisco.