José de Soto

José de Soto (1757 – 1824), also known as Joseph de Soto, was a Spanish military officer who served as the Governor of West Florida from February 1815 to March 1816.

He commanded the Pensacola garrison that surrendered in November 1814 to Andrew Jackson. Upon becoming governor, he continued unsuccessful efforts to recapture fugitive slaves from Spanish Florida that had been freed by the British in the previous year.

Career Early career As of 1788, he was second lieutenant in the 18th Infantry Regiment of Spain, garrisoned in Cuba. On March 9, 1790, attached to one of the fixed regiments of Havana, he is a Captain. On August 16, 1795 he was promoted to Sargento mayor in the Cuban Regimiento Fijo de la Havana.

De Soto's correspondence with his superior in Havana - dated July 15, 1815 - complained that the Negro Fort had become a refuge for "villains of all classes and Nations," and that it made Great Britain undoubtedly “the master of trade” throughout this region.

Latter years

Zúñiga took over the governorship of West Florida in March 1816.

In 1818, during the Seminole Wars, American officials accused de Soto of "supplying arms and other support to Seminole and Creek Indians at war."

De Soto died in 1824 in Cuba.