José de Escandón

José de Escandón (May 19, 1700 - 1770) was the first governor of the colony of Nuevo Santander, which extended from the Pánuco River in Mexico to the Guadalupe River in Texas.

He was born in Soto la Marina, Santander, Spain. He was one of three sons of Juan de Escandón and Francisca de la Helguera. He founded over twenty towns or villages and a number of missions in the colony, including Camargo, Reynosa, Mier, and Revilla south of the Rio Grande and Laredo and Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Hacienda north of the Rio Grande. Escandón is sometimes referred to as the "father" of the lower Rio Grande valley.