Who is Kearny St. Named After?

Thanks to Samuel L. Lupton's Article, The Making and Naming Of the Streets of San Francisco.

KEARNEY STREET—Originally known as “La Calle de la Fundacion,” or the foundation street, was named after General Stephen W. Kearny, a native of New Jersey, and a veteran of the war of 1812. He had been colonel of the First United States Dragoons, and during the Mexican war was ordered to march with his troops and Doniphan’s Missouri regiment across the plains from Missouri, and conquer and take possession of New Mexico, and then proceed to California and conquer or take possession of it. Having taken possession of New Mexico he reached California December 2, 1846, acting under direct orders from Secretary of War William L. Marcy. He afterward fought the battles of San Pasquale, San Bernardino, San Gabriel and the Mesa, near Los Angeles. He was the son-in-law of Clark of Lewis and Clark, who first crossed the continent to the Pacific in the famous Oregon exploration. When he reached California, Commodore Stockton, who had arrived in Monterey August 15, 1846, and had then succeeded Commodore Sloat in command, was at San Diego, and claimed to be in supreme command of all the military and naval forces of the Untied States in California. He had been acting in conjunction with Colonel John C. Fremont and designed to make him military governor. Kearny, however, repudiated Stockton’s claim and was sustained by the authorities at Washington. Stockton then turned his command over to Commodore Shubrick and went east across the plains. Kearny then became the first military governor of California under United States authority. Not a great while afterward he returned east through New Mexico, taking with him Colonel John C. Fremont, whom he had placed under arrest for insubordination.

Some persons suppose this street was named after Phil Kearney, who was a major during the Mexican war and was for a while stationed at Sonoma. He was a general in the civil war. This fact often leads to the misspelling of the name. Governor and General Kearny spelled his name with one e, while Phil Kearney spelled his with two. The proper spelling is Kearny. This street was once widened twenty feet from Market street to Broadway.

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