Hugh O'Conor was born in 1732 in
Dublin,
Kingdom of Ireland, into the Gaelic-Irish aristocratic
O'Conor Don Family. He was a descendant of
Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair,
King of Connacht and
High King of Ireland. Because of the
Penal Laws which restricted the political, religious and commercial rights of Irish Catholics, O'Conor left his homeland and moved to
Spain where his cousins
Alexander (Alejandro) and Dominic O'Reilly were serving as officers in the Spanish Royal Army. He was established in
Aragon. In his youth he joined the regiment of Volunteers of Aragon, eventually acquiring the title of major. He went to Texas to investigate a dispute around San Agustín de Ahumada
Presidio between Governor
Ángel de Martos y Navarrete and
Rafael Martínez Pacheco (future governor of Texas). It was at this time that he obtained the title of inspector general of the Provincias Internas (general inspector of the Interior Provinces). Later, in 1767, he was appointed governor of Texas, in replacement of Martos y Navarrete. When he took office, he found that one of its major cities, San Antonio, was shattered by frequent attacks of several Indian tribes. Therefore, the new governor set up a garrison at
Los Adaes to protect the city. In 1771, he became commander of the
Chihuahua frontier and on January 20, 1773, he was appointed commandant inspector of presidios under the office of
Coronel. He and Governor
Juan María Vicencio de Ripperdá rejected the petition of
Antonio Gil Y'Barbo that the settlers could return to their original homes. To strengthen the protection of
Nueva Vizcaya,
Coahuila,
Sonora, Mexico he decided to expel the Apaches in the region, making war against these peoples in 1775 and 1776. Many Apaches died in the war. The Apaches who survived fled to more western areas. In 1777, he suffered a serious illness and was sent to the
Yucatan Peninsula, with the title of governor and
brigadier general of the Mexican province, which was a lesser charge to that which he usually occupied. He died on March 8, 1779, at Quinta de Miraflores, in
Mérida, Yucatán. ==Legacy==