Hippolyte de Bouchard

Hippolyte de Bouchard, or Hipólito de Bouchard (January 15, 1780, or 1783 January 4, 1843), was a French and Argentine sailor and corsair who fought for Argentina, Chile, and Peru. During his first campaign as an Argentine corsair he attacked the Spanish colonies of Chile and Peru, under the command of the Argentine-Irish Admiral William Brown. He was the first Argentine to circumnavigate the world. During his voyage around the world he blockaded the port of Manila, recovered, in Hawaii, an Argentine privateer which had been seized by mutineers, occupied Monterey, California, raising the Argentine flag there and claiming for that country, for a short time, a small portion of the future State of California. After raiding Monterey, he raided Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California. Toward the end of the voyage he raided the Spanish ports in Central America. Therefore, in his second homeland he is remembered as a hero and patriot; several places are named in his honour. Bouchard was known for his heated temper, which led to incidents between him and his subordinates, to whom he meted out terrible punishment whenever they disobeyed him.