Background
Pedro Ben Horruytiner was born in Zaragoza, Spain in 1613. He was son of Gilberto Ben Horruytiner and Inés Catalán and brother of Micaela Ben Horruytiner Aragón.
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Pedro Ben-Horruytiner
Edit ProfileCareer
Pedro Ben Horruytiner moved to Saint Augustine, Florida at a time prior to 11 April 1646. He started to serving the Spanish crown on December 10, 1635. So, he joined the Royal Spanish Navy when he was young, where he excelled, ascending to Lieutenant Colonel´s rank, military grade he exerted in the Fort of Saint Augustine.
Pedro Ben Horruytiner was appointed acting governor of Florida on 11 April 1646.
Two months later, the Chiscas caciques were settled in the territory of this people. In January that year, Hurruytiner ordered Ensign Pedro de Florencia to search for the people living in missions San Francisco de Potano and Santa Fé de Teleco, because Hurruytiner had feared those places would be depopulated.
He left the Florida government the following year, on 8 January 1648, regaining the politician charge on 19 October 1651. He left the charge, finally, on 18 June 1654, when he was replaced by Diego de Rebolledo.
Hurruytiner died on November 20, 1684, while still served to the Spanish Crown, to the 71 years old.
An Urban legend originally of Saint Augustine, Florida points out that the house in which Pedro Ben de Horruytiner lived in this city (first documented owner of this house and one of the houses oldest of Florida), is haunted and in it there a ghostly precense of governor. lieutenant also is say there in the house a ghost cat, a spirit who was killed therein and "a mysterious form" living in the foyer, in the dark. Anyway, although it belonged their family until the British occupation in 1763, eventually many prominents Spanish, British and American military, government and professional leaders also have lived here.
The private library of Pedro Ben Horruytiner, localized in Street Augustine, is one of the oldest preserved in Florida.
Achievements
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A distant descendant of him, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the Falange´s Spanish politic party and son of a dictator of Spain, Miguel Primo de Rivera (who governed between 1923 and 1930), was killed in November 20 (precisely the date of the death of Pedro Ben Horruytiner), in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War.
