Gardoqui
Gardoqui Family of Bilbao, Spain
Wealthy Basque proprietors of the 18th-Century House of José Gardoqui and Sons (la Casa de José Gardoqui e hijos) of Bilbao, Spain.[1][2]
The most famous member of this family was Don Diego de Gardoqui (1735-1798), who was the first Ambassador of Spain to the United States.
The House of Gardoqui loaned a large amount of money to the United States during the Revolutionary War (as much as 70,000 pesos).[3][4]
The firm also "supplied the patriots with 215 bronze cannon - 30,000 muskets - 30,000 bayonets - 51,314 musket balls - 300,000 pounds of powder - 12,868 grenades - 30,000 uniforms - and 4,000 field tents during the war."[5]
References
- ^ Román Basurto, Linajes y fortunas mercantiles de Bilbao del siglo XVIII, 4 Revista de Estudios Marítimos del País Vasco 343 (2003).
- ^ Reyes Calderón Cuadrado, Empresarios españoles en el proceso de independencia norteamericana: la Casa Gardoqui e hijos de Bilbao (2004).
- ^ Tom Denegre, An Informal Look At The Contribution Of Spain To The Colonial American War Of Independence.
- ^ William F. Wertz and Cruz del Carmen Moreno de Cota, La España de Carlos III y el Sistema Americano: La participación de España en la Revolución Americana (2001).
- ^ National Park Service, Diego de Gardoqui: Personal Information.