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'{{Refimprove|date=June 2007}} {{Infobox person | name = John Augustus Sutter | image = John Augustus Sutter c1850.jpg | image_size = 200px | caption = John Sutter, c. 1850 | birth_date = {{birth-date|15 February 1803|15 February 1803}} | birth_place = [[Kandern]], [[Baden]], [[Germany]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1880|06|18|1803|02|15}} | death_place = [[Washington D.C.]], [[United States]] | education = | occupation = }} '''Johann August Sutter''' (February 15, 1803&nbsp;– June 18, 1880) was a [[Switzerland|Swiss]] pioneer of [[California]] known for his association with the [[California Gold Rush]] by the discovery of [[gold]] by [[James W. Marshall]] and the mill making team at [[Sutter's Mill]], and for establishing [[Sutter's Fort]] in the area that would eventually become [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], the [[U.S. state|state's]] capital. Although famous throughout California for his association with the Gold Rush, Sutter died almost poor, having seen his business ventures fail while those of his elder son, [[John Augustus Sutter, Jr.]], were more successful.<ref name="jrbio">Sutter, John A., Jr. & Ottley, Allan R. (Ed.). ''Statement: Regarding Early California Experiences''. Sacramento Book Collectors Club. 1943.</ref> ==Biography== ===Early years=== [[Image:Sutter Birthplace.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The birthplace of John Sutter in [[Kandern]], [[Baden]], Germany.]] John Augustus Sutter was a mother fucken bitch born Johann August Sutter on February 15, 1803 in [[Kandern]],<ref>Eric Howard, ''John Sutter,'' '''California and Californians''', Vol. 4.[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1998. Original data: Hunt, Rockwell D., ed. California and Californians. Vol. IV. Chicago, IL, USA: Lewis Publishing, 1932. pp. 36, 37.</ref> [[Baden, Germany|Baden]], [[Germany]], when his father came from the nearby town of [[Rünenberg]] in [[Switzerland]]. He went to school in [[Neuchâtel]], [[Switzerland]] and later joined the Swiss army, eventually becoming captain of the artillery. Debts incurred in business dealings, however, compelled Sutter to leave [[Europe]] for the [[United States]]. In May 1834, he left his wife and five children in [[Burgdorf, Switzerland|Burgdorf]], Switzerland, and with a [[France|French]] [[passport]] he came on board the ship ''Sully'' which travelled from [[Le Havre, France]], to [[New York City]] where it arrived on July 14, 1834 ==The New World== At age 23, Johann married Annette Dubold, the daughter of a rich widow. He had a store but he was more interested in spending money than making it. Because of family and debts, Johann would have faced charges that would have him placed in jail. So he decided to dodge trial and ventured to America and styled his name to Captain John Augustus Sutter. In North America, John Augustus Sutter (as he would call himself for the rest of his life) undertook extensive travels. Before he went to the U.S., he had learned Spanish and English in addition to Swiss French. Together with 35 [[Germany|Germans]] he moved from the [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] area to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]], New Mexico Territory, then moving to the town of [[Westport, Oregon|Westport]], Oregon Territory. On April 1, 1838, he joined a group of [[missionaries]], led by the [[fur trapper]] [[Andrew Dripps]], and went along the [[Oregon Trail]] to [[Fort Vancouver]] in [[Oregon Territory]], which they reached in October. With a few companions, he went on board the [[United Kingdom|British]] bark ''Columbia'' which left Fort Vancouver on 11 November and laid at anchor in [[Honolulu]] on 9 December. Sutter wanted to settle in California, but the only vessel riding at anchor in the harbor was the brig ''Clementine'' &mdash; Sutter managed to be signed on as unpaid [[supercargo]] of this brig freighted with a cargo of provisions and general merchandise for the [[Russia]]n colony of [[Sitka City and Borough, Alaska|New Archangel]], now known as Sitka, Alaska. The ''Clementine'' hoisted anchor on April 20, 1839, with Sutter together with 10 [[Kanakas]], two of them women, a few companions, and a [[Hawaii]]an [[bulldog]]. From the Russian colony at Sitka, where he stayed one month, Sutter traveled by sail to [[Yerba Buena (town)|Yerba Buena]], now [[San Francisco]], at that time a tiny poor mission station. The ''Clementine'' arrived in Yerba Buena on July 1, 1839. John Sutter began to establish Sutter’s Fort in August 1839. The fort's construction was completed in 1841. He had to make peace with the Indians. The Indians and Sutter became friends, and the Indians built a house for Sutter. Sutter called the place New Helvetia or “New Switzerland.” Sutter’s Fort had a central building made of adobe bricks, surrounded by a high wall with protection on opposite corners to guard against attack. It also had workshops and stores that produced all goods necessary for the New Helvetia settlement. In 1848, one of Sutter’s most trusted employees, named James Marshall, found gold at Sutter’s Mill. At first, they kept it a secret. Soon, everyone heard about the gold they found and headed to California. This event was called the Gold Rush. John Sutter tried to mine for gold but he was not successful. At one point, he hired other men to mine for him. He soon found out they were keeping most of the gold for themselves and giving him a little. Soon he went back to Sutter’s Fort. Even if most of his employees left to go to the gold mines, John did not give up. He opened stores and rented spaces to other merchants too. But more trouble came to Sutter’s Fort. The rushing mobs of goldseekers tore out fences that got in their way. Whenever fences got torn down, Sutter’s animals broke out. John needed money because he had no livestock or crops to sell. The only thing he had left to sell was his land. He designed and laid out the boundaries and plots of land for a new town on a large portion of his property. Proudly he named the town Sutterville. He thought the town would be a big hit. But no one wanted to buy his town. So he decided to sell his other land. But the agents who agreed to sell portions of his property cheated him out of his money. He was in debt once again. Sutter ended up giving his son his remaining land, and his [[John Augustus Sutter, Jr.|son]] started making plans to build a new city called Sacramento. Sutter gave up New Helvetia to pay the last of his debts. He rejoined his family and lived in [[Sutter Hock Farm|Hock Farm]]. John Sutter got a letter of introduction to the Congress of the United States from the governor of California. He moved to Washington D.C. at the end of 1865 after Hock Farm was destroyed by fire (June 1865). Soon after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, John Sutter and Nanette moved to Lititz, Pennsylvania (1871). But John made trips back to Washington every so often. John Sutter died in a Washington D.C. hotel room on June 18, 1880. ===New Helvetia=== [[Image:JohannAugustSutter.jpg|thumb|John Sutter, 1866]] [[Image:Sutters Mill.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Sutter's Mill in 1850.]] At the time of Sutter's arrival in California, the territory had a population of only 1,000 Europeans, in contrast with 30,000 [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]s. It was at that point a part of [[Mexico]] and the [[List of pre-statehood governors of California|governor]], [[Juan Bautista Alvarado]], granted him permission to settle; in order to qualify for a [[land grant]], Sutter became a Mexican citizen on August 29, 1840 after a year in the provincial settlement. He identified himself as 'Captain Sutter of the Swiss Guard'. The following year, on 18 June, he received title to {{convert|48,827|acre|km2}}. Sutter named his settlement [[New Helvetia]], or "New Switzerland," after his homeland, "Helvetia" being the Latin name for Switzerland. Sutter employed Native Americans of the [[Miwok]] and [[Maidu]] tribes, [[Kanaka (Pacific Island worker)|Kanakas]], and Europeans at his compound, which he called Sutter's Fort; he envisioned creating an [[agriculture|agricultural]] [[utopia]], and for a time the settlement was in fact quite large and prosperous. It was for a period the destination for most California-bound immigrants, including the ill-fated [[Donner Party]], for whose rescue Sutter contributed supplies. [[Image:Sutter's Fort - A tour of duty 1849.jpg|thumb|left|Contemporaneous illustration of Sutter's Fort]] A [[Francophile]], Sutter threatened to raise the [[France|French]] flag over California and place New Helvetia under French protection, but in 1847 the Mexican land was occupied by the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite journal | first=Claudine | last=Chalmers | title=The French in Early California | url=https://www.ancestry.myfamily.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=808 | journal=Ancestry Magazine | volume= 16 | issue= 2 | month=March/April | year=1998 | accessdate=2007-10-08}}</ref> Sutter at first supported the establishment of an independent [[California Republic]] but when United States troops briefly seized control of his fort, Sutter did not resist because he was outnumbered. In 1848, gold was discovered when [[James W. Marshall]] and he began the construction of his [[Sutters Mill|sawmill]] in [[Coloma, California|Coloma]], along the [[American River]]. As Marshall inspected the tailrace for silt and debris, he noticed some gold nuggets and brought them to Sutter's attention. Together, they read an encyclopedia entry on gold and performed primitive tests to confirm whether it was precious metal. Sutter concluded that it was, in fact, gold, but he was very anxious that the discovery not disrupt his plans for construction and farming. At the same time, he set about gaining legitimate title to as much land near the discovery as possible (Cherry, Page 106). Sutter's attempt at keeping this quiet failed when merchant and newspaper publisher [[Samuel Brannan]] returned from Sutter's Mill to San Francisco with gold he had acquired there and began publicizing the find. Masses of people overran the land and destroyed nearly everything Sutter had worked for. In order to keep from losing everything, however, Sutter deeded his remaining land to his son, [[John Augustus Sutter, Jr.]] The younger Sutter, who had come from Switzerland and joined his father in September 1848, saw the commercial possibilities of the land and promptly started plans for building a new town he named [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], after the [[Sacramento River]]. The elder Sutter deeply resented this because he had wanted the location to be named Sutterville after them and be built near his New Helvetia domain. The younger Sutter didn't seem to be interested in the [[Gold Rush]]. Instead, taking advantage of his father's dual nationality derived to him too he moved south to Mexico where he was named consul of the U.S. in [[Acapulco]], becoming a fixture of the port. There he had a relationship with Carmen Rivas and had 3 children. He later married Nicolasa Solis and had five children. He served for 24 years using the name Juan A. Sutter. He continued living in Acapulco long after his term as consul had ended. In 1897, [[John Augustus Sutter, Jr.]] died and was buried there by his wife and children; his remains were relocated to Sacramento in 1964.<ref name="jrbio"/> ===Land grant challenge=== [[Image:Camp Sutterville plaque historical marker 666 with pillar in background.jpg|thumb|left|Camp Union, Sutterville (State Historical marker and fort pillar)]] [[Image:Camp Sutterville plaque historical marker 666.jpg|thumb|Camp Union, Sutterville (State Historical marker)]] Sutter's El Sobrante (Spanish for leftover) land grant was challenged by the Squatter's Association, and in 1858 the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] denied its validity. Sutter sought reimbursement of his losses associated with the Gold Rush. He received a pension of US$250 a month not as a reimbursement of taxes paid on the Sobrante grant at the time Sutter considered it his own. He and wife Nanette moved to [[Lititz, Pennsylvania]] in 1871. The proximity to Washington, D.C. along with the reputed healing qualities of Lititz Springs appealed to the aging Sutter. He also wanted three of his grandchildren (he had grandchildren in [[Acapulco]], Mexico, as well) to have the benefits of the fine private and [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] Schools. Sutter built his home across from the Lititz Springs Hotel, the present-day General Sutter Inn. For more than fifteen years, John Sutter petitioned Congress for restitution but little was done. On June 16, 1880, Congress adjourned, once again, without action on a bill which would have given Sutter US$50,000. Two days later, on June 18, 1880, John Augustus Sutter died in the Made's Washington D.C. hotel. He was returned to Lititz and is buried in [[God's Acre]], the [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] Graveyard. Mrs. Sutter died the following January and is buried with him. ===Legacy=== [[Image:General sutter grave.jpg|thumb|upright|General Sutter grave in [[Lititz]], PA [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] Cemetery]] In addition to the links found below, Sutter Street in downtown [[San Francisco, California]] is named for John A. Sutter. Sutter's Landing, Sutterville Road, [[Sutter Middle School]], Sutter's Mill School, and [[Sutterville Elementary School]] in [[Sacramento]] are all named after him. The Sutterville Bend of the [[Sacramento River]] is named for Sutter, as is Sutter Medical Foundation, a [[Non-profit organization|non-profit]] medical system in northern California. The City of [[Sutter Creek, California]] is also named after him. In [[Acapulco]], Mexico, the property that used to belong to [[John Augustus Sutter, Jr.]] became the Hotel Sutter, which is still in service. The [[Johann Agust Sutter House]] in [[Lititz, Pennsylvania]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1982.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> ==In literature== ===Scholarly studies=== * Albert L. Hurtado, ''John Sutter: A Life on the North American Frontier'' (2006) University of Oklahoma Press, 416 pp.&nbsp;ISBN 0-8061-3772-X. ===Fiction=== *[[Blaise Cendrars]] ''L'Or'' (1925) (''Sutter's Gold''), a novel *[[Luis Trenker]] ''Der Kaiser von Kalifornien'', 1936 *[[Stefan Zweig]] narrates Sutter's story in one of his ''[[Sternstunden der Menschheit]]'' called ''Die Entdeckung Eldorados'' (The discovery of eldorado). ===Films=== *''[[Days of '49]]'' (1924) *''[[California in '49]]'' (1929) *''[[The Kaiser of California]]'' (1936) *''[[Sutter's Gold]]'' (1936) *''[[Kit Carson (film)|Kit Carson]]'' (1940) *"[[The Pathfinder (The Great Adventure episode)|The Pathfinder]]" (''[[The Great Adventure (TV series)|The Great Adventure]]'', 1964) *''[[Fortune (TV series)|Fortune]]'' (1969) *''[[Donner Pass: The Road to Survival]]'' (1978) *''[[The Chisholms]]'', [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]] [[miniseries]], role of Sutter played by Ben Piazza (1980) *''[[California Gold Rush (film)|California Gold Rush]]'' (1981) *''[[Dream West]]'' (1986) *''[[General Sutter]]'' (1999) ===Music=== *"Sutter's Mill", a song by [[Dan Fogelberg]] (1985) ==See also== {{commons category|Johann August Sutter}} *[[John Augustus Sutter, Jr.]] *[[Sutter's Fort]] *[[Fort Ross, California]] *[[Sutter, California]] *[[Sutter Buttes]] *[[Sutter County, California]] *[[Sutter Creek, California]] ==References== <references/> ==External links== *[https://www.sfmuseum.org/hist2/gold.html His account of the discovery of gold] *[https://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/ark:/13030/tf1w1007b7/ Captain Sutter's account of the first discovery of the gold (illustrated lithograph)] *[https://www.familytales.org/results.php?tla=jas Collection of John Sutter Journal Entries] *[https://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf0c60018q/ Guide to the John Augustus Sutter Papers] at [[The Bancroft Library]] *[https://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hgstr.htm Street names in San Francisco] *[https://www.calandmarks.com/counties/500-599/593.html Sutterville, California State Historic Landmark] *[https://www.calandmarks.com/counties/500-599/525.html Sutter's Fort, California State Historic Landmark] *[https://www.generalsutterinn.com/generalsutterpage.html General Sutter Inn Lititz, PA] *[https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=12388 John A. Sutter, Jr. Marker. Spanish (Acapulco) /English (Sacramento)] *{{Cite Appletons'|Sutter, John Augustus|year=1889|notaref=x}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Sutter, John | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Sutter, Johann August; Sutter, John Augustus | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Swiss pioneer of California | DATE OF BIRTH = February 15, 1803 | PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Kandern]], [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]] | DATE OF DEATH = June 18, 1880 | PLACE OF DEATH = [[Washington D.C.]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutter, John}} [[Category:1803 births]] [[Category:1880 deaths]] [[Category:California explorers]] [[Category:People of the California Gold Rush]] [[Category:California land owners]] [[Category:California military personnel]] [[Category:Californios]] [[Category:People from Sacramento, California]] [[Category:People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Mexican people of Swiss descent]] [[Category:John Sutter| ]] [[Category:American people of Mexican descent]] [[Category:American people of Swiss descent]] [[Category:Swiss emigrants to the United States]] [[Category:American people of German descent]] [[Category:Naturalized citizens of Mexico]] [[Category:City founders]] [[als:Johann August Sutter]] [[cs:John Sutter]] [[de:Johann August Sutter]] [[es:John Sutter]] [[fr:John Sutter]] [[ga:John Sutter]] [[gl:Johann Sutter]] [[it:John Sutter]] [[ja:ジョン・サッター]] [[pt:John Sutter]] [[ru:Саттер, Джон]]'