Major General Bennet Riley was the last military governor of California before it achieved statehood. Riley had a lengthy military career, enlisting as a young man and first serving in the War of 1812. He fought in the wars with Native Americans in the south, including the Seminole Was. Following his service as a general in the Mexican-American War, he took up his post in California as military governor. He gave his name to both Fort Riley and Riley County in Kansas.
A Grave Concern 
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