George H. Sisson was a nineteenth-century American entrepreneur. He was born in Michigan, and was an early real estate developer in Chicago. He was a mining engineer in Arizona, and with his profits from that operation, purchased a large land concession in Baja California.

George H. Sisson
Born
Michigan, United States

Chicago edit

Arizona edit

Baja California and Ensenada edit

On July 24, 1884, he and Luis Huller obtained a concession from the Mexican government for a tract of land in Baja California, extending between 29° North and 32°42' North, including Cedros Island.[1] This was extended with additional purchases to 28° North, which later was to become the border between Baja California and Baja California Sur. Land was also purchased northward to the United States border. In 1885, they formed the International Company of Mexico[2] in Hartford, Connecticut, and George H. Sisson was named as general manager. Eventually, the Huller Estate covered over 13,325,650 acres of land, a representation of the vast neocolonial inequities in Mexican land distribution during the Porfiriato.[3] The company was sold to the British Mexican Land and Colonization Company in 1888.[4] Related lawsuits continued for years afterward.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ de Novelo, Maria Eugenia Bonifaz (1984). "Ensenada: Its background, founding and early development". The Journal of San Diego History. 30 (Winter). Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  2. ^ Description of lands in Lower California, for sale by the International Company of Mexico (1887) [1]
  3. ^ Charlip, Julie; Burns, E. Bradford (2017). Latin America: An Interpretative History (10th ed.). Pearson. p. 181. ISBN 9780133745825.
  4. ^ Chaput, Donald (1987). "The British are Coming !". The Journal of San Diego History. 33 (Fall, number 4). Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  5. ^ "$243,726 Damages" (PDF). New York Times (May 17). 1910. Retrieved 2008-07-20.