Career
He was the heir to the vast Rancho San Pedro land grant in the Los Angeles Basin. (1736-1809) was a Spanish soldier in New Spain. In 1769, with Fernando Rivera y Moncada, he was in the first group that arrived at the site of and founded the Presidio of San Diego in Alta California.
Domínguez served with Gaspar de Portolà and Junípero Serra on the Portolà expedition, the first European land exploration of present day California.
lieutenant traveled north from San Diego to the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles Basin, San Fernando Valley, Monterey Bay, and San Francisco Bay. In 1784, received a land grant grazing concession named Rancho San Pedro, 75,000 acres (300 km2) of land and one of the first in California, by the upper Las Californias military Governor Pedro Fages on behalf of King Charles III of Spain.
lieutenant included what is today the entire Portuguese of Los Los Angeles San Pedro, Los Los Angeles
Harbor City, Los Los Angeles
Wilmington, Los Los Angeles Carson; Compton; the Dominguez Hills. Lomita; the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Redondo Beach.
Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach. And Torrance. (1803–1882), eldest son of Cristobal Dominguez, is credited with the solidification of the Rancho San Pedro with a new Mexican land grant and with the development of the rancho, and erecting the Dominguez Rancho Adobe as rancho headquarters above the Los Angeles River floodplain in the Dominguez Hills, preserved in present-day Carson.
In 1828 was elected to the Pueblo de Los Angeles Cabildo (City Council) under Mexican rule. Four years later, at the age of 29, he was elected Alcalde (Mayor) of the Pueblo de Los Los Angeles
From 1833 to 1834, Manuel served as a representative from Los Angeles pueblo to the Mexican Provincial Legislature in Alta California"s capitol of Monterey.
At this same time, he was appointed by the Governor as the Third Prefect of the Southern District of Alta California, which gave Manuel authority over all of present-day Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Heirs of
Luis Gonzaga Policarpo Manuel Antonio Fernando Dominguez y Reyes was married to María Engracia de Cota y Nieto, daughter of Rancho Los Cerritos owner Guillermo Cota.