Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Girault

[john sefton]

Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Girault (1716 – 1795) was a Spanish general, prominent scientist and colonial administrator. He was also a member of the Templar Order, acting primarily as a scientific adviser.
In 1766, de Ulloa became the first Spanish Governor of Louisiana, though his short tenure, lasting only two years, was marked by unrest and discontent, with the French Creole population rebelling against his authority and policies.
Born in Spain in 1716, de Ulloa grew to be a prominent scientist and intellectual, with many achievements to his name.
In 1735, he participated in the French Geodesic Mission to Peru from Port-au-Prince, where he accompanied the French astronomer Louis Godin. They set out to determine the exact circumference of the earth, which would provide France and Spain with navigational advantages. It was during his stay in South America that de Ulloa, along with a fellow researcher, discovered the element platinum.
Upon his return to Spain, de Ulloa was captured by the British, but was soon released thanks to Reginald Birch, who offered to introduce him to the Templar Order. He was then made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, in recognition of his scientific attainments. De Ulloa subsequently established the first museum of natural history, the first metallurgical laboratory in Spain, and the observatory of Cadiz.
After serving as the governor of Huancavelica, Peru, for roughly six years, de Ulloa became the first Spanish governor of Louisiana in 1766. However, he allowed the French flag to remain over the city of New Orleans, leaving the administration of the territory to French Creole officials while he and his family hid in La Balize. He was secretly involved with the shipment of slaves and vagrants to a Templar work site in Mexico and, in 1768, imposed trade restrictions to benefit his Order.
These actions caused de Ulloa's public stature to continually worsen, with a rebellion flaring up amongst the French Creole population. Unknown to the governor, the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré had begun investigating the disappearing slaves, eventually infiltrating the fort where de Ulloa temporarily kept his captives, before they were sent to Mexico. She then set out to cause as much disturbance within the city as possible, in an effort to force the governor out of his hiding place. To achieve this, Aveline incited a riot, intercepted a gunpowder delivery and destroyed a Spanish military vessel.
Eventually, the widespread chaos within the city forced de Ulloa to leave La Balize and attempt to negotiate for peace. However, his carriage ran into an ambush while en route, which had been orchestrated by Aveline. After his guards had been felled, de Ulloa was confronted by the Assassin, who had come to kill him. However, the governor bargained for his life and that of his pregnant wife, offering what little information he possessed.
De Ulloa gave Aveline a map that would lead her to the work site in Mexico, suggesting the workers that had been sent there were perhaps excavating relics of importance to the Templars. In addition, he offered her a special decoding lens that could be used to decipher encrypted documents. Accepting the trade, Aveline chose to spare the governor and told him to remove himself and his family from the continent. De Ulloa, relieved at her mercy, thanked Aveline, though she was quick to remind him that the Templars would punish him for his betrayal sooner or later.
De Ulloa subsequently fled New Orleans, withdrawing from public life and Templar service. For the remainder of his life, he served as a naval officer, before dying peacefully in 1795, an old man.