- published: 03 Sep 2010
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- author: bigs1947
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- Alden Anderson
- Amazon River
- American Civil War
- Andrew Jackson
- Andrew Johnson
- Andrés Pico
- Antonio Villaraigosa
- Arthur G. Fisk
- Australia
- Balie Peyton
- Benicia, California
- Bennett C. Riley
- Bob Moretti
- Brian Setencich
- C. C. Young
- Caius T. Ryland
- California gold rush
- Cecil B. Lyon
- Charles S. Fairfax
- Charles W. Cole
- Charles W. Lyon
- Chile
- Chinese-American
- Cholera
- Claude Bowers
- Colombia
- Coolie
- Copperheads
- Cornelius A. Logan
- Craig A. Kelly
- Cruz Bustamante
- Culbert Olson
- Curt Pringle
- Curtis Warren Kamman
- Daniel J. Lisle
- David C. Broderick
- David H. Popper
- Diego de Borica
- Earl Warren
- Edgar C. Levey
- Editing
- Edward H. Strobel
- Edward M. Korry
- Elwood T. Beatty
- Fabian Núñez
- Felipe de Neve
- Frank C. Prescott
- Frank Coombs
- Frank H. Gould
- Frank Merriam
- Frederick Low
- Free Soil Party
- Friend Richardson
- Gaspar de Portolà
- George Barstow
- George Deukmejian
- George H. Rogers
- George Pardee
- George Stoneman
- George W. Landau
- German-American
- Gideon J. Carpenter
- Goodwin Knight
- Gray Davis
- Hal H. Sevier
- Henry Gage
- Henry Huntly Haight
- Henry L. Wilson
- Henry Markham
- Henry W. Wright
- Herb Wesson
- Hiram Johnson
- Hoffman Philip
- Hugh M. LaRue
- Innocents Abroad
- Isaac B. Wall
- J. Neely Johnson
- Jabez F. Cowdery
- James Buchanan
- James Budd
- James D. Porter, Jr.
- James D. Theberge
- James Gillett
- James Rolph
- James T. Farley
- James W. Silliman
- Jerry Brown
- Jesse M. Unruh
- John B. Weller
- John Bigler
- John C. Fremont
- John C. Frémont
- John C. Lynch
- John D. Sloat
- John E. Hamm
- John G. Downey
- John Pendleton
- John Pérez
- John Yule
- Joseph H. Shea
- Joseph Pomeroy Root
- José Antonio Roméu
- José Castro
- José Darío Argüello
- José Figueroa
- José María Flores
- Karen Bass
- Know-Nothing Party
- Lake Tahoe
- Lawyer
- Leland Stanford
- Leo T. McCarthy
- Luther H. Lincoln
- Manuel Micheltorena
- Manuel Victoria
- Mariano Chico
- Mariano Vallejo
- Mark Twain
- Mexico
- Milton Latham
- Morris M. Estee
- Mountain Democrat
- Nathaniel Davis
- Newton Booth
- Nicolás Gutiérrez
- Ninian E. Whiteside
- Norman Armour
- Pat Brown
- Paul E. Simons
- Pedro de Alberni
- Pedro Fages
- Pete Wilson
- Peter Burnett
- Philip A. Stanton
- Phillip Moore
- Pierson B. Reading
- Politician
- Prussia
- Pío Pico
- R. Burnell
- Ralph A. Dungan
- Ralph M. Brown
- Richard Barnes Mason
- Robert Beardslee
- Robert F. Stockton
- Robert F. Woodward
- Robert Hertzberg
- Robert T. Monagan
- Romualdo Pacheco
- Ronald Reagan
- Sacramento
- Sacramento River
- Sacramento Union
- Sam L. Collins
- Samuel Larned
- Samuel Purdy
- San Francisco
- Secessionist
- Stephen W. Kearny
- Thomas A. Osborn
- Thomas H. Nelson
- Thomas J. White
- Tim N. Machin
- U.S. Congress
- U.S. Senate
- United States
- Vallejo, California
- Victorian gold rush
- Virginia City
- Walter Howe
- Walter J. Little
- Washington Bartlett
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- Wikipedia Persondata
- Willard L. Beaulac
- William B. Ide
- William Bigler
- William Brownfield
- William C. Stratton
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- William Henry Knight
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- Yankee
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Australia
Australia (
/əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San Francisco Bay Area along the north bank of the Carquinez Strait. Benicia is just east of Vallejo and across the strait from Martinez. Elizabeth Patterson has served as Mayor of Benicia since 2007.
The town can be divided into four areas: the East Side (east of First Street), the West Side (west of First Street), Southampton (the newer suburban neighborhoods north of Interstate 780), and the industrial park. Most of the town's older homes are on the east and west sides. Southampton contains primarily single family housing developments and condominiums, most of which were built between 1970 and 2000. The East Side includes the Benicia Arsenal, a former United States Army armory, which was bought by the city and is now used for a variety of purposes, most notably as live-work spaces for artists. The Arsenal is home to several historic (ca. 1860) landmark buildings such as The Clock Tower, the Camel Barn, and the Jefferson Street Mansion. The industrial park lies to the northeast of the residential areas of the city, and includes the Valero oil refinery. The Benicia State Recreation Area is on the far west edge of the city.
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Charles S. Fairfax
Charles Snowdon Fairfax (March 8, 1829 – April 4, 1869) was an American Democratic politician of California. He was of Scottish noble descent and was himself entitled to the title as the 10th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Fairfax was lured west as part of the gold rush. The town of Fairfax, California, is named for him.
He was born on Vaucluse Plantation in Virginia, the eldest son of Albert Fairfax (April 15, 1802 – May 9, 1835) and Caroline Eliza Snowden (April 21, 1812 – December 28, 1899), who were married on April 7, 1828. His brother was John Contee Fairfax (September 13, 1830 – September 28, 1900), who was a physician. On May 1, 1838, his mother married William R. Saunders.
He was collaterally related to Thomas, the 6th Lord Fairfax, who relinquished his English estates to his brother, Robert, and emigrated to America, where he settled on a plantation of more than a million acres (4,000 km²) in Virginia, which he inherited from his mother, Catherine Colepeper. Thomas Fairfax was the first person who employed George Washington as a surveyor.
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Chile
Chile (
i/ˈtʃɪliː/ or /ˈtʃɪleɪ/), officially the Republic of Chile (Spanish: República de Chile [reˈpuβlika ðe ˈtʃile] (
listen)), is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Along with Ecuador, it is one of two countries in South America that do not border Brazil. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas and Easter Island. Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.
Chile's distinctive shape—4,300 kilometres (2,700 mi) long and on average 175 kilometres (109 mi) wide—makes it the longest country in the world, north to south, with the fifth lengthiest coastline at over 78 thousand kilometers. The diverse climate of Chile ranges from the world's driest desert in the north—the Atacama—through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, humid subtropical in Easter Island, to an Oceanic climate, including alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and south. The northern desert contains great mineral wealth, principally copper. The relatively small central area dominates in terms of population and agricultural resources, and is the cultural and political center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century when it incorporated its northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands.
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Colombia
Colombia (
/kəˈlʌmbiə/ kə-LUM-biə, or /kəˈlɒmbiə/ kə-LOM-biə), officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia [reˈpuβlika ðe koˈlombja]), is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the northwest by Panama; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia has maritime borders with Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Colombia is the 26th largest country by area and the fourth largest in South America after Brazil, Argentina and Peru. With over 46 million people, Colombia is the 27th largest country in the world by population and has the second largest population of any Spanish-speaking country in the world, after Mexico. Colombia is a middle power, with the fourth largest economy in Latin America, and the third largest in South America. Colombia is famous for the production of coffee, flowers, emeralds, coal, and oil. All of these products make up the primary sector of economy.
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Mexico
Mexico (i/ˈmɛksɨkoʊ/; Spanish: México, IPA: [ˈmexiko] ( listen)), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (help·info)), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States of America; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the thirteenth largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of over 113 million, it is the eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.
In Pre-Columbian Mexico many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory from its base in México-Tenochtitlan, which was administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This territory would eventually become Mexico as the colony's independence was recognized in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, the Mexican-American War and territorial cession to the United States, a civil war, two empires and a domestic dictatorship. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
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Robert T. Monagan
Robert Timothy Monagan, Jr. (July 5, 1920 – January 7, 2009) was a California politician and a member of the Republican Party, who was Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1969–1970. He served in the California State Assembly, representing the 12th district from 1961 until 1973.
Born in Ogden, Utah, Monagan grew up in Vallejo, California and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1942 from the College of the Pacific (later the University of the Pacific), where he played basketball and was student body president.
From 1943–1946, including during World War II, he served as a United States Coast Guard officer, seeing duty in the Aleutian Islands.
After the war, he returned to California to become the graduate manager of athletics for the University of the Pacific.
Monagan moved to Tracy, California in 1950 to be secretary-manager of the Tracy Chamber of Commerce.
In 1952, he became chief of staff for Congressman Leroy Johnson in Washington, D.C. Monagan returned to Tracy in 1954 to begin working in insurance and real estate, eventually founding Monagan-Miller-McInerney Insurance, which eventually became the largest insurance agency in the region surrounding Tracy.
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Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 470,956 at the 2012 Dept. of Finance Report, it is the sixth-largest city in California. Sacramento is the core cultural and economic center of the Sacramento metropolitan area which includes seven counties; with an estimated population of 2,527,123. Its metropolitan area is the fourth largest in California after the Greater Los Angeles Area, San Francisco Bay Area, and the San Diego metropolitan area as well as the 22nd largest in the United States. A city attaining global status, Sacramento was cited by Time magazine as America's most ethnically and racially integrated city in 2002.
Sacramento became a city through the efforts of the Swiss immigrant John Sutter, Sr., his son John Sutter, Jr., and James W. Marshall. Sacramento grew quickly thanks to the protection of Sutter's Fort, which was established by Sutter in 1839. During the California Gold Rush, Sacramento was a major distribution point, a commercial and agricultural center, and a terminus for wagon trains, stagecoaches, riverboats, the telegraph, the Pony Express, and the First Transcontinental Railroad.
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San Francisco
San Francisco (/ˌsæn frənˈsɪskoʊ/), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.6 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland. The only consolidated city-county in California, it encompasses a land area of about 46.9 square miles (121 km2) on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, giving it a density of about 17,179 people per square mile (6,632 people per km2). It is the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the second-most densely populated large city in the United States after New York City. San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 13th most populous city in the United States, with a population of 805,235 as of the 2010 Census. The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metropolitan area has a population of 4,335,391.
In 1776, colonists from Spain established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi a few miles away. The California Gold Rush of 1849 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000, and thus transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at the time. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. During World War II, San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing attitudes, and other factors led to the Summer of Love and the gay rights movement, cementing San Francisco as a center of liberal activism in the United States.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Vallejo, California
Vallejo ( /vəˈleɪ.oʊ/ or /vəˈleɪhoʊ/; Spanish: [baˈʎexo]) is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay. Vallejo is named for General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo.
Vallejo is home to the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom theme park (formerly Marine World and Marine World Africa USA) ; the now-defunct Mare Island Naval Shipyard; the regional office for Region 5 of the United States Forest Service; the California Maritime Academy (part of the California State University system); the Vallejo Center campus of Solano Community College; and Touro University, an osteopathic medical college. Ferry service runs from a terminal on Mare Island Strait to San Francisco, through Vallejo Transit's BayLink division.
Vallejo has twice served as the capital of the state of California: once in 1852 and again in 1853, both periods being brief. Some of the first Europeans drawn to the Vallejo area were attracted by the sulfur springs; in the year 1902 the area was named Blue Rock Springs. In 2008, Vallejo became the largest California city ever to file for bankruptcy.
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Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a federal district to become the national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution. The District is therefore not a part of any U.S. state. It was formed from land along the Potomac River donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia; however, the Virginia portion was returned by Congress in 1846.
A new capital city named after George Washington was founded in 1791 to the east of the preexisting port of Georgetown. Congress consolidated the City of Washington, Georgetown, and the remaining unincorporated area within the District under a single municipal government in 1871. The city shares its name with the U.S. state of Washington, located on the country's Pacific coast.
Washington, D.C., had an estimated population of 617,996 in 2011. The city was the 24th most populous place in the United States as of 2010. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's population to over one million during the workweek. The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, has a population of nearly 5.6 million, the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the country.
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Agustín V. Zamorano
Agustín Vicente Zamorano (1798 – 1842), was a printer, soldier, and provisional Mexican colonial Governor of Alta California.
Agustín Zamorano was born in Spanish Florida to Spanish parents within the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. He entered the newly independent Mexican army May 1, 1821 as a cadet, where he served in Mexico.
He then came north in 1825 to the Mexican territory of Alta California, as Secretary of State to Governor José María Echeandía. He served until 1831, during which he would create and print official letterhead, using woodblocks and type, without a printing press.
In February 1827 Zamorano married María Luisa Argüello, daughter of Santiago Argüello, in a noted double wedding in San Diego. His children were Dolores, Luis, Gonzalo, Guadalupe, Josefa, Agustín, and Eulalia. Zamorano participated in the 1831 Mexican Revolution, heading a group of rebels in Monterey, including a number of foreign residents, as Captain of the Monterey Company.
When Governor Manuel Victoria was exiled from California in January 1832, in the face of revolution from stopping the Mexican government's secularization the Alta California missions and redistribution of the land holdings as land grant ranchos Echeandía remained acting governor until an assembly met in Pueblo de Los Angeles. Pío Pico was chosen governor according to the Plan of San Diego, but officials in Los Angeles refused to recognize him.
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Alden Anderson
Alden Anderson (October 11, 1867 – September 23, 1944) was a Republican politician from California. He served as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor from 1903 to 1907. Prior to that he had been a member of the California State Assembly representing Solano County, and served as Speaker from January 1899 to February 1900.
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Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh President of the United States (1829–1837). Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814), and the British at the Battle of New Orleans (1815). A polarizing figure who dominated the Second Party System in the 1820s and 1830s, as president he destroyed the national bank and relocated most Indian tribes from the Southeast to west of the Mississippi River. His enthusiastic followers created the modern Democratic Party. The 1830–1850 period later became known as the era of Jacksonian democracy.
Jackson was nicknamed "Old Hickory" because of his toughness and aggressive personality; he fought in duels, some fatal to his opponents. He was a rich slaveholder, who appealed to the common men of the United States, and fought politically against what he denounced as a closed, undemocratic aristocracy. He expanded the spoils system during his presidency to strengthen his political base.
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Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) was the 17th President of the United States (1865–1869). As Vice President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American Civil War. Johnson's reconstruction policies failed to promote the rights of the Freedmen, and he came under vigorous political attack from Republicans, ending in his impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives; he was acquitted by the U.S. Senate.
Johnson, born in poverty and of Scots-Irish descent, became a master tailor and was self-educated, married and had five children. He served as an alderman and as Mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee and then sat in both houses of the Tennessee legislature. He went on to spend five consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms as Governor of Tennessee, all as a Democrat. His signature legislative endeavor in the state and federal arenas was passage of the Homestead Act.
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Arthur G. Fisk
Arthur G. Fisk (1868–1938), was a U.S. Republican politician and at age 35 was elected as Speaker of the California State Assembly. He also served as Postmaster of San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake, and U.S. Commissioner for Northern California in his later years. At age 65, he was sentenced to federal prison for embezzling bail bond money under his control.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Arthur Fisk was brought to Santa Barbara, California as an infant by his parents in 1869. His family soon thereafter moved to San Francisco, where Fisk grew up and attended public schools. Fisk graduated from Harvard Law School in 1894. He soon returned to San Francisco to work in the law firm of former Assembly Speaker Morris M. Estee.
In 1900, Fisk was elected to the State Assembly and served as Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee in 1901. Since the legislature was part-time, Fisk also ran for District Attorney in San Francisco but narrowly lost. In 1903 he was elected as Speaker of the Assembly.
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Balie Peyton
Balie Peyton (1803–1878) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Tennessee's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.
He was born near Gallatin, Tennessee on November 6, 1803. He completed preparatory studies, studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Gallatin in 1824.
Peyton was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third Congress and re-elected as a Hugh Lawson White supporter to the Twenty-fourth Congress. He served from March 4, 1833 to March 3, 1837 and switched to become an Anti-Jacksonian.
He moved to New Orleans in 1841, having been appointed the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, a position he held for four years. He then served as an aide-de-camp on the staff of General W.J. Worth during the U.S.-Mexican War. He was appointed as Envoy to Chile by President Zachary Taylor, from August 9, 1849 to September 14, 1853, when he resigned. He moved to California, where he was the prosecuting attorney for San Francisco from 1853 to 1859.
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Bennett C. Riley
Bennett C. Riley (November 27, 1787 in St. Mary's County, Maryland – June 6, 1853 in Buffalo, New York) was the seventh and last military governor of the territory of California before it became a U.S. state. He also served as a general in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War.
Riley entered the U.S. Army at an early age. On January 19, 1813, he was appointed Ensign of Rifles. In March of the same year, he became a third lieutenant and in April 1814 a second lieutenant in the First Rifles. He gained a promotion to the first lieutenant in March 1817. Riley was further advanced to captain in the 5th U.S. Infantry, and by 1821 he was transferred to the 6th U.S. Infantry.
The officer joined his superior, Colonel Henry Leavenworth, in an engagement against the Arikara Indians in August 1823. Riley was honored for ten years of faithful service by being promoted to brevet major on August 6, 1828, leading the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail in 1829.
He had tenures as Major in the 4th U.S. Infantry (1837) and lieutenant colonel, 2nd U.S. Infantry, beginning in December 1839. The Battle of Chokachotta in Florida took place on June 2, 1840. Colonel Riley was cited for bravery and good conduct during this engagement in the Seminole Wars. He gained the rank of Brevet Colonel in February 1844.
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Bob Moretti
Robert Moretti (June 3, 1936 – May 12, 1984) was a Democratic California politician. He served in the California State Assembly from 1965 until 1974. He represented the 42nd district. he served as the Speaker of the Assembly from 1971 until he left office in 1974 when he ran for Governor of California. He died of a heart attack in 1984.
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Brian Setencich
Brian Setencich (born 1962) served in the California Assembly for one term from 1994 to 1996 and as Speaker of that body from September 14, 1995 to January 4, 1996. Setencich was the first freshman legislator to serve as Speaker of the Assembly. He was previously a city councilman in Fresno and played professional basketball in Europe. [1]
California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown convinced Setencich and another Republican, Doris Allen, to vote with the Democrats so that the Republicans could not elect a Speaker. Brown had Allen elected Speaker, but in name only, since Brown continued to lead the legislative body as head of the Democratic caucus. Outraged Republicans had Allen recalled, and shortly before her removal from office, she resigned, and Brown had Setencich elected Speaker.
In 1995, Brown was elected Mayor of San Francisco. On January 3, 1996, Brown resigned to be sworn in as Mayor. This allowed the Republicans to take control of the Assembly and elect conservative Orange County legislator Curt Pringle as Speaker of the Assembly. In the primary election of 1996, Setencich was defeated for renomination by Robert Prenter, who defeated Setencich again in November when Setencich ran as a write-in candidate.
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C. C. Young
Clement Calhoun Young (April 28, 1869 – December 24, 1947) was an American teacher and politician who was affiliated with the original Progressive Party and later the Republican Party. He was elected to five consecutive terms in the California State Assembly, serving from 1909 to 1919, then as the 28th lieutenant governor of California, holding that office from 1919 to 1927. On November 2, 1926, he was elected in a landslide victory as the 26th governor of California and served from 1927 to 1931. Young is considered to have been one of the last governors from the Progressive movement.
Born in Lisbon, New Hampshire, Young moved to California at an early age, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1892. After his graduation, Young embarked on a career as a high school teacher, teaching in Santa Rosa from 1892 to 1893 and then at Lowell High School in San Francisco from 1893 to 1906, heading the school's English department. While at Lowell, Young actively participated in the National Education Association, attending and speaking at its conferences, including giving a speech entitled "The Use of a Library" at the association's conference in Los Angeles in 1899, arguing for greater cooperation between public schools and public libraries. Students at Lowell popularly nicknamed Young "C-Square," due to his initializing of his first and middle names, Clement Calhoun. In 1904, Young, along with Charles Mills Gayley, published The Principles and Progress of English Poetry. published and distributed by the Macmillan Company.
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Charles S. Fairfax
Charles Snowdon Fairfax (March 8, 1829 – April 4, 1869) was an American Democratic politician of California. He was of Scottish noble descent and was himself entitled to the title as the 10th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Fairfax was lured west as part of the gold rush. The town of Fairfax, California, is named for him.
He was born on Vaucluse Plantation in Virginia, the eldest son of Albert Fairfax (April 15, 1802 – May 9, 1835) and Caroline Eliza Snowden (April 21, 1812 – December 28, 1899), who were married on April 7, 1828. His brother was John Contee Fairfax (September 13, 1830 – September 28, 1900), who was a physician. On May 1, 1838, his mother married William R. Saunders.
He was collaterally related to Thomas, the 6th Lord Fairfax, who relinquished his English estates to his brother, Robert, and emigrated to America, where he settled on a plantation of more than a million acres (4,000 km²) in Virginia, which he inherited from his mother, Catherine Colepeper. Thomas Fairfax was the first person who employed George Washington as a surveyor.
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Charles W. Cole
Charles W. Cole (1906–1978) was president of Amherst College from 1946 to 1960. Cole was also involved with the Committee on the National Security Organization, American Cancer Society, U.S. Air Force, Merrill Foundation for the Advancement of Financial Knowledge, Educational Testing Service, and Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association.
Charles W. Cole attended Amherst College and was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Sigma chapter).
Cole received his masters and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He was then a history professor at Columbia. From 1961-1964 he was United States Ambassador to Chile.
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Charles W. Lyon
Charles W. Lyon (September 13, 1887 – July 20, 1960) was an American attorney from California who served as a Republican in the California State Assembly and the California State Senate. Lyon was Assembly Speaker from 1943 to 1946. Lyon was admitted to the Bar in 1910 and was first elected to the Assembly in 1914. Lyon served numerous terms in the Senate and Assembly and authored the legislation creating the UCLA campus.
Lyon was born in Los Angeles on September 13, 1887. He was the eighth of nine children of James H. and Laura Emma (Simpson) Lyon, who had moved to California from Maine. The family was distantly related to John Alden and to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. James Lyon was a carpenter foreman and architect. Charles attended the public schools in Los Angeles and San Francisco, then studied law at night while working for the Title Insurance and Trust Company in Los Angeles; he had begun working for the company at the age of fifteen. He was admitted to the California Bar at the age of 23 in 1910. He then went into private practice as a member of the firm of Fredericks & Hanna. He married Nancy Janney, daughter of a well known Utah mining engineer on September 21, 1912, and the couple would have three children.
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Chinese-American
Chinese Americans (Chinese: trad. 華裔美國人, simp. 华裔美国人, pin. Huáyì Měiguórén; t 美籍華人, s 美籍华人, p Měijí Huárén) are Americans of Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans are immigrants along with their descendants from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, as well as Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries in Southeast Asia and South America that include large populations of Chinese diaspora. Overall demographic research tends to include immigrants from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese who have immigrated from South East Asia into the broadly defined Chinese American category as both the governments of the Republic of China and the United States refer Taiwanese Americans as a separate subgroup of Chinese Americans.
The Chinese American community is the largest overseas Chinese community in North America, closely followed by the Chinese communities in Canada and Mexico. It is also the fourth largest in the Chinese diaspora, behind the Chinese communities in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Chinese American community is the largest ethnic group of Asian Americans, comprising 25.9% of the Asian American population as of 2010. They constitute 1.2% of the United States, including those with partial Chinese ancestry. According to the 2010 census, the Chinese American population numbered approximately 3.8 million.
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Claude Bowers
Claude Gernade Bowers (November 20, 1878 in Westfield, Indiana – January 21, 1958 in New York City) was an American writer, Democratic politician, and ambassador to Spain and Chile.
Bowers began his career as a journalist with a newspaper in Terre Haute, Indiana and, while residing there, became the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives at the request of powerful Democratic leader John Edward Lamb. Though he lost, the experience polished his abundant speaking skills. Bowers' enormously popular books Party Battles of the Jackson Period (1922) and Jefferson and Hamilton: The Struggle for Democracy in America (1925) were political manifestos that denounced the Federalist/Whig/Republican parties as bastions of aristocracy, and hailed the Democrats as true heroes. He was an editorial writer for the New York World from 1923 to 1931, and a political columnist for the New York Journal from 1931 to 1933.
In his very popular histories Bowers promoted the idea that Thomas Jefferson had founded the Democratic Party. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, an avid reader of Bowers, built the Jefferson Memorial. Bowers' The Tragic Era (1929) attracted wide attention for its attack on the Republican Party, which Bowers believed humiliated the South and corrupted the North during Reconstruction. His research was based on the Dunning School. He was the temporary chairman of the 1928 Democratic National Convention where he gave a keynote speech (text in New York Times June 27, 1928. p. 8). Roosevelt appointed him ambassador to Spain and later Chile.
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Cruz Bustamante
Cruz Miguel Bustamante (born January 4, 1953) is an American politician. He was the 45th Lieutenant Governor of California, a former Speaker of the State Assembly and a member of the Democratic Party. He served with Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger and was succeeded by John Garamendi on January 8, 2007.
The eldest of six children, Cruz Bustamante was born in Dinuba, California. His family later moved to San Joaquin, California. He attended and graduated from Tranquillity High School in the 1970s, where he excelled in both football and wrestling, and later attended Fresno City College and California State University, Fresno.
With his wife Arcelia, Bustamante has three daughters. Nao Bustamante, Cruz's youngest sister, is an internationally known contemporary performance artist.
As a resident of Fresno, Bustamante was elected to the California State Assembly in a special election in 1993, and became the Speaker of the Assembly in 1996. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998, the first Latino elected to statewide office in California in more than 120 years. He was also the highest-ranking elected Latino officeholder in the United States until Bill Richardson became Governor of New Mexico in 2003. Bustamante earned his B.A. via distance learning from the California State University, Fresno in 2003.
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Culbert Olson
Culbert Levy Olson (November 7, 1876 – April 13, 1962) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democratic Party member, Olson was involved in Utah and California politics and was elected as the 29th governor of California from 1939 to 1943.
Olson was born in Fillmore, Utah, the son of Delilah Cornelia (née King) and George Daniel Olson, on November 7, 1876. Olson's mother was a suffragette and became the first female elected official in Utah. Both his mother and father belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, Culbert was unconvinced of the existence of God, becoming an atheist at the age of ten. Olson's change of beliefs distanced himself from his parents' Mormon beliefs. He was also the first cousin of U.S. Senator William H. King.
Leaving school at the age of 14, Olson worked briefly as a telegraph operator and in 1890, enrolled at Brigham Young University in Provo, studying law and journalism. Upon graduating at the age of 19 in 1895, Olson embarked on a career as a journalist with the Daily Ogden Standard. During the 1896 Presidential Election, Olson openly campaigned for Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan. After the election, Olson moved briefly to Michigan, studying law at the University of Michigan, and then later to Washington, D.C., working as a newspaper correspondent and secretary for the U.S. Congress. During his time in the capital, Olson attended law school at George Washington University, being admitted to the Utah Bar in 1901.
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Curt Pringle
Curtis L. "Curt" Pringle (born June 27, 1959), is a politician from the U.S. state of California. Pringle, a Republican, a onetime Speaker of the California State Assembly, former Mayor of Anaheim, California and former Chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority, today runs his own public relations and government affairs firm, Curt Pringle & Associates.
As a young man, Pringle ran, unsuccessfully, three times for a seat on the Garden Grove City Council. In 1986, while working for his parents' drapery business, Pringle ran unopposed for the Orange County Republican Central Committee, which is the controlling organ of the county Republican Party. In 1988, the Republican nominee for Pringle's Assembly district, freshman incumbent Assemblyman Dick Longshore, died the day after the June primary election, and under California law the central committee members were charged with selecting a replacement. They chose Pringle.
Pringle took office as a state assemblyman in December 1988 at the age of 29. In 1990, he was defeated for re-election by Democrat Tom Umberg, but after legislative district lines were drawn between Pringle and Umberg's houses following the 1990 census, Pringle ran again for the Assembly in 1992 and won. Pringle worked his way up the Republican hierarchy, and in 1996, after a protracted power struggle between Republicans and former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, he was elected Speaker of the Assembly. According to Brown, Pringle was the last Speaker to wield broad power in that office, since rule changes immediately after Pringle's tenure transferred much of the Speaker's authority to committee chairmen. Pringle, for example, issued committee assignments to both parties' members, controlled State Assembly funds, and had broad administrative authority.
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Curtis Warren Kamman
Curtis Warren Kamman (born January 15, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former career diplomat.
Kamman graduated from Tucson High School and Yale University and entered the Foreigh Service in 1960. He served as United States Ambassador to Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia. Kammen also served in various positions in the United States Department of State, including Director of East African Affairs, and in diplomatic assignments in Mexico, Hong Kong, Kenya, Cuba and the Soviet Union. In 1991, he was sent by President George H. W. Bush to re-establish diplomatic relations with the newly independent nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Kamman retired from the Foreign Service in 2000. After his retirement, Kamman taught diplomacy and U.S. foreign policy at the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
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David C. Broderick
David Colbreth Broderick (February 4, 1820 – September 16, 1859) was a Democratic U.S. Senator from California. He was a first cousin of Andrew Kennedy and Case Broderick.
David C. Broderick was born in Washington, D.C., the son of an Irish stonecutter who had immigrated to the United States in order to work on the United States Capitol. Broderick moved with his parents to New York City in 1823, where he attended public schools, and was apprenticed to a stonecutter.
Broderick became active in politics as a young man. In 1846, he was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative from the 5th District of New York, but lost the election with 38% to 42% for the winning Whig candidate.
In 1849, Broderick joined the California Gold Rush. He moved to San Francisco, where he engaged in smelting and assaying gold. Broderick began the minting of gold coins, with less value of gold in them than their face value. His $10 coins, for example, only had $8 worth of gold in them. He used the profits to finance his political aspirations.
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David H. Popper
David Henry Popper (October 3, 1912 – July 24, 2008) was a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Cyprus (1969–73) and Chile (1974–77). He was a member and former President of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
Popper was born in Manhattan, NY and raised in White Plains, NY. He and his family were Jewish. Popper entered university at the young age of 15 and graduated valedictorian of his class from Harvard University in 1932 and received a Harvard master's degree in government in 1934. He then went on to join the research staff of the Foreign Policy Association, until the United States entered World War II. Popper worked in Army intelligence at a base in Miami where he traced Axis power movement and influence in Latin America.
David H. Popper began his career as a diplomat when WWII came to an end. In September 1945 Popper joined the US State Department and was assigned to the then new bureau of United Nations affairs. He had a brief scrap with McCarthyism when he was internally investigated because some past associates and organizations of which he had been a member had leftist connections. He was briefly suspended without pay, but after an investigation that involved interviewing his former Boy Scout leaders, he was cleared.
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Diego de Borica
Diego de Borica was a Spanish explorer and the seventh Governor of Las Californias from 1794 to 1800, and is credited with defining Alta- and Baja-California's official borders.
As the governor, Diego de Borica and Father Fermín Lasuén determined that five more missions were needed in 1795 along El Camino Real. Borica sent expeditions from four different missions to find suitable new settlements that were no more than one day's travel as military escorts were necessary. By August 1796, Borica notified Viceroy Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca that no increase in troops was necessary. The first missionary site selected in 1796 was Mission San José near the pueblo of the same name.
In 1795, Borica gave José Darío Argüello a Spanish land grant known as Rancho de las Pulgas. This rancho was the largest grant on the San Francisco Peninsula spanning 35,260 acres (14,270 ha).
In 1797, Borica ordered the construction of a battery to protect the cove east of Point Medanos. The location initially was named "Bateria San Jose" and was chosen because the promontory overlooked San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island. Borica provisioned the unit with five brass cannons.
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Earl Warren
Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American jurist and politician who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States and the 30th Governor of California.
He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring "one-man-one vote" rules of apportionment. He made the Court a power center on a more even base with Congress and the presidency especially through four landmark decisions: Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), Reynolds v. Sims (1964), and Miranda v. Arizona (1966).
Warren is one of only two people to be elected Governor of California three times, the other being Jerry Brown. Before holding these positions, he was a district attorney for Alameda County, California, and Attorney General of California.
Warren was also the vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party in 1948, and chaired the Warren Commission, which was formed to investigate the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
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Edgar C. Levey
Edgar C. Levey (August 4, 1881 – October 8, 1962) was a Republican Speaker of the California Assembly and an assistant District Attorney in San Francisco in the early 1900s.
Edgar C. Levey was born in San Francisco in 1881 and graduated from Lowell High School. He received his Bachelors degree from the University of California in 1903 and his law degree from Hastings College of Law in 1905. In 1906, he was appointed Assistant District Attorney for San Francisco under D.A. Hiram Johnson. Levey left the D.A.'s office in 1910 to go into private practice.
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Edward M. Korry
Edward Malcolm Korry (1922–2003) was an American diplomat during the administrations of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.
Korry, a native of New York, was U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia (1963-1967) and to Chile (1967–1971). Upon hearing the news that Salvador Allende had been elected president of Chile, he proclaimed that "not a nut or bolt shall reach Chile under Allende. Once Allende comes to power we shall do all within our power to condemn Chile and all Chileans to utmost deprivation and poverty". During the Allende administration, U.S. did implement a tougher economic policy toward Chile, decreased economic aid, prevented access to loans, taking many of the measures implied by Korry in this quote. The US support for the opposition culminated in the September 11th, 1973 coup that overthrew Allende, and resulted in the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Prior to his appointment to Ethiopia by John F. Kennedy, Korry was European editor for Look magazine and a United Press correspondent in post-World War II Europe. In 1972 and 1973, he was president of the Association of American Publishers, and later, he was president of the United Nations Association of the United States of America. Korry was also a founding director of the Committee for East-West Relations and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 1981, The New York Times, in what Time magazine called a "2,300-word correction," wrote that although the CIA had attempted to orchestrate a military takeover in Chile, "none of this, it is now evident, was known to Ambassador Korry". This "correction" occurred while Korry was teaching a course on International Relations at Connecticut College in New London, CT.
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Frank Coombs
Frank Leslie Coombs (December 27, 1853 – October 5, 1934) was a United States Representative from California.
Frank Leslie Coombs was born in Napa, Napa County, California, the son of Nathan Coombs and Maria Isabel Gordon. He attended the public schools in California and Dorchester High School in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from the law department of Columbian University (now George Washington University Law School), Washington, D.C., in 1875. He was admitted to the bar in 1875 and commenced practice in Napa. He was the District Attorney of Napa County from 1880-1885.
Coombs was a member of the California State Assembly from 1887 to 1893 and from 1897 to 1899, each time representing Napa County, and served as speaker in 1891 and again in 1897. On the death of John F. Swift, he was appointed United States Minister to Japan and served from June 1892 to August 1893. He was the State Librarian of California from April 1, 1898 to April 1, 1899. He was the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California from April 1, 1899 to March 1, 1901.
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Frank Merriam
Frank Finley Merriam (December 22, 1865 – April 25, 1955) was an American politician who served as the 28th governor of California from June 2, 1934 until January 2, 1939. Assuming the governorship at the height of the Great Depression following the death of Governor James Rolph, Merriam famously defeated former Socialist Party member and Democratic candidate for Governor Upton Sinclair in the 1934 general elections. Merriam also served as the Iowa State Auditor 1900-1903, and served in the California and Iowa State Legislatures.
Born in 1865 in Hopkinton, Iowa, Merriam spent nearly half of his life in his home state and the Midwest. After a brief career in education as a school superintendent in Wisner, Nebraska, Merriam was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives as a Republican at the age of 31 in 1896. Two years later, Merriam was elected as Iowa State Auditor, a post he would hold until 1903. In 1910 at the age of 44, Merriam moved to California. Following seven years of living in the state, Merriam was elected to the California State Assembly in 1916, representing the Long Beach area, beginning his rise in California politics.
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Frederick Low
Frederick Ferdinand Low (June 30, 1828 – July 21, 1894) was an American politician, US congressman and the ninth governor of California.
Born in Frankfort (now Winterport, Maine) in 1828, Low attended the Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. Low moved to California, entering the shipping business in San Francisco in 1849. Low became a banker in Marysville, California from 1854 from 1861.
Low presented credentials as a Republican Member-elect to the 37th Congress but was not permitted to take his seat until a special act of Congress was passed. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from June 3, 1862 to March 3, 1863.
Low was appointed in 1863 as collector of the Port of San Francisco prior to becoming governor of California from December 10, 1863 to December 5, 1867. He was the second California governor to live in the Stanford Mansion as the official residence and office until the opening of the California State Capitol building in 1869. Low was California's last Civil War governor. Hallmarks of his administration were the establishment of Yosemite National Park and University of California. Low was considered, father of the University of California, however, his successor, Henry H. Haight signed March 23, 1868, the Charter of the University.
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Friend Richardson
Friend William Richardson (born William Richardson) (December 1, 1865 – September 6, 1943), was an American newspaper publisher and politician. A member of the Progressive Party and later the Republican Party, Richardson was elected as the California State Treasurer from 1915 to 1923, and shortly afterwards as the 25th governor of California from 1923 to 1927. Richardson's governorship marked a sharp reversal in policies from previous administrations, rolling back many of the Progressive reforms and state governmental agencies put in place by previous governors Hiram Johnson and William Stephens.
William Richardson was born in December 1865 to William and Rhoda Richardson at Friends Colony, Michigan, a Quaker township located outside of Ann Arbor. Early in his life, William legally changed his first name to "Friend", the traditional Quaker greeting. In his young adult life, Richardson worked as a county clerk and law librarian, and following his move to San Bernardino, California, married Augusta Felder in 1891, whom he would have three children with. Five years later, Richardson became the owner and newspaper editor of The San Bernardino Times Index.
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Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira (1716–1784) was a Spanish soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California (1767–1770), explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Crown of Aragon, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal. He was commissioned ensign in 1734, and lieutenant in 1743, and died in Spain in 1784.
By 1767, Jesuit missionaries on the peninsula of Baja California had established approximately twenty-three missions over a period of seventy-two years. Rumors were circulating that the Jesuits had amassed a fortune and were becoming very powerful. As part of the nearly global suppression of the Jesuits, King Carlos III ordered the Jesuits expelled at gunpoint and deported back to Spain. Following the command of the king, the viceroy of New Spain ordered the arrest and deportation of all Jesuits in missions and Don Gaspar de Portolà was charged with the expulsion of the Jesuits from Baja. The missions were turned over to the Franciscans, and later to the Dominicans.
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George Barstow
Sir George Lewis Barstow KCB (20 May 1874 – 29 January 1966) was a British civil servant and businessman.
Barstow was born in York and was educated at Clifton College and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He then entered the Civil Service. In 1909 he was appointed a principal clerk in HM Treasury and shortly afterwards became an Assistant Secretary. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1914.
In 1919 he was appointed Controller of Supply Services at the Treasury, serving in the post until 1927. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1920 New Year Honours. In 1927 he became government director of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company), holding the post until 1946.
He also joined the board of the Prudential Assurance Company, becoming deputy chairman and then being elected chairman in 1941. He was chairman until 1953.
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George Deukmejian
Courken George Deukmejian, Jr. ( /djuːkˈmeɪdʒən/; born June 6, 1928) is an American politician who as a Republican served as the 35th governor of California (1983–1991) and as California Attorney General (1979–1983).
Deukmejian was born in Menands, New York, where he spent his childhood. His parents were Armenians who immigrated from the Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s; his father was born in Gaziantep and his mother in Erzurum. The family name "Deukmejian" originates from the Turkish language word "Dökmeci" which means "molder." His father was a rug merchant, while his mother worked in Montgomery Ward and later for New York State. Deukmejian graduated a B.A. in Sociology from Siena College in 1949. He then earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from St. John's University in 1952. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the U.S. Army, assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
Deukmejian moved to California in 1955 where his sister, Anna Ashjian, introduced him to wife Gloria Saatjian, whose parents were also immigrants from Armenia. They married in 1957 and had three children: two daughters, born in 1964 and 1969 and one son, born in 1966.
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George Pardee
George Cooper Pardee (July 25, 1857 – September 1, 1941) was an American doctor of medicine and politician. The 21st Governor of California, holding office from January 7, 1903, to January 9, 1907, Pardee was the second native-born Californian to assume the governorship, after Romualdo Pacheco, and the first governor born in California post-statehood.
Pardee was born on July 25, 1857, in San Francisco, California, the only child of Enoch H. Pardee and Mary Pardee. The Pardee family was well known in the San Francisco Bay Area. His father was a prominent oculist in San Francisco and Oakland. Enoch's stature within the community helped him get elected to the California State Assembly in the early 1870s, and later as the Mayor of Oakland for a single term from 1876 to 1878.
Raised in the Pardee Home in Oakland, George Pardee closely followed in his father's medical background. He attended the nearby University of California, Berkeley, then studied medicine at the Cooper Medical College in San Francisco. In 1885, Pardee traveled abroad to receive his medical degree at the University of Leipzig in the German Empire. After his return from Germany, Pardee joined his father's medical practice, specializing in eye and ear diseases.
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George Stoneman
George Stoneman, Jr. (August 8, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career United States Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the 15th governor of California between 1883 and 1887.
Stoneman was born on a family farm in Busti, New York, the first child of ten. His parents were George Stoneman, Sr., a lumberman and justice of the peace, and Catherine Rebecca Cheney. He studied at the Jamestown Academy and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1846; his roommate at West Point was future Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. His first assignment was with the 1st U.S. Dragoons, with which he served across the West and in California. He was the quartermaster of the Mormon Battalion, which marched from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to San Diego, California. He fought in the Yuma War and was responsible for survey parties mapping the Sierra Nevada range for railroad lines. After promotion to captain of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in March 1855, he served mainly in Texas until 1861.
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George W. Landau
George Walter Landau (born March 4, 1920) is a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Paraguay, Chile, and Venezuela.
Landau was born March 4, 1920 in Vienna, Austria and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1943. He attended Pace College and New York University and received his A.A. in 1969 from George Washington University.
Landau served in private business as an executive of a shipping company (1942–55) and as general manager of an American automobile distributor in Colombia (1955–57). In 1957 he began his career in the Foreign Service as commercial attache and Chief of the Economic Section in Montevideo. From 1962 to 1965, he was political officer, then Deputy Chief of Mission in Madrid, and attended the Canadian National Defence College from 1965 to 1966. He was Country Director of the Office of Spanish and Portuguese Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs in the Department from 1966 to 1972. He was Ambassador to Paraguay (1972–77) and Ambassador to Chile (1977–82). From January to April 1982, he served as Executive Director of the Presidential Commission on Broadcasting to Cuba in the Department. President Ronald Reagan appointed him to be Ambassador to Venezuela in 1982. Landau's foreign languages are German, Spanish, and Portuguese. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and Council on Foreign Relations.[citation needed]
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German-American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 50 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group.California, Texas and Pennsylvania have the largest numbers of German origin, although upper Midwestern states, including Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, have the highest proportion of German Americans at over one-third.
None of the historical German states had overseas colonies, so not until the 1680s did the first significant groups of German immigrants arrive in the British colonies, settling primarily in New York and Pennsylvania. Immigration continued in very large numbers during the 19th century, with some eight million arrivals from Germany. They were pulled by the attractions of land and religious freedom, and pushed out of Europe by shortages of land and religious or political oppression. Many arrived seeking religious or political freedom, others for economic opportunities greater than those in Europe, and others simply for the chance to start fresh in the New World. The arrivals before 1850 were mostly farmers who sought out the most productive land, where their intensive farming techniques would pay off. After 1840, many came to cities, where "Germania"—German-speaking districts—soon emerged.
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Goodwin Knight
Goodwin Jess “Goodie” Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was a U.S. politician who was the 31st governor of California from 1953 until 1959.
Knight was born in Provo, Utah, but his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a boy. His father, Jess Knight (son of Jesse Knight), was a mining engineer, but Goodwin followed in his mother's (Lille) father's (John B. Milner) footsteps. This grandfather was a judge in Provo, Utah.
Knight attended high school in Los Angeles, at Manual Arts High School. One of his classmates was Jimmy Doolittle. He earned an A.B. in Law and Business from Stanford University, where he was a member of the Stanford Chaparral, in 1919. Knight also attended Cornell University. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War I.
Knight was a judge of the Superior Court in Los Angeles beginning in 1935. He was reelected in 1936 and 1942 without significant opposition. His case load varied from the glamorous to the mundane. He oversaw weddings and divorces for Hollywood starlets.
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Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003. Prior to serving as Governor, Davis served as Chief of Staff to Governor Jerry Brown (1975–1981), California State Assemblyman (1983–1987), California State Controller (1987–1995), and the 44th Lieutenant Governor of California (1995–1999). Davis holds a B.A. in history from Stanford University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service as a Captain in the Vietnam War.
During his time as Governor, Davis made education his top priority and California spent eight billion dollars more than was required under Proposition 98 during his first term. Under Davis, California standardized test scores increased for five straight years. Davis signed the nation's first state law requiring automakers to limit auto emissions. Davis supported laws to ban assault weapons. He is also credited with improving relations between California and Mexico. Davis began his tenure as Governor with strong approval ratings, but those ratings declined as voters blamed Davis for the California electricity crisis and the California budget crisis that followed the dot-com bubble burst. Voters were also alienated by Davis’s record breaking fundraising efforts and negative campaigning.
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Henry Gage
Henry Tifft Gage (December 25, 1852 – August 28, 1924) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Republican, Gage was elected to a single term as the 20th governor of California from 1899 to 1903. Gage was also the U.S. Minister to Portugal for several months in 1910.
Gage was born on Christmas Day, 1852 in Geneva, New York. Relocating with his family to East Saginaw, Michigan, Gage spent his teenage years in Michigan, studying law with his lawyer father. In 1873 at the age of twenty-one, Gage was admitted to the Michigan Bar, working for his father's law practice in East Saginaw for over a year. Over a year later, Gage relocated to California, settling in Los Angeles. Between 1874 to 1877, Gage was a successful sheep dealer, selling sheep to various farms around Los Angeles County. In 1877, Gage returned to law, opening his own practice. Largely successful in court, his practice quickly began to attract a number of prominent corporate clients in Southern California, including the Southern Pacific Railroad, who would enjoy a decades-long relationship with Gage. Three years later, Gage married Francesca V. Rains, a great granddaughter of a Californio family. The Gages settled in Bell Gardens at his wife's family home.
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Henry Huntly Haight
Henry Huntly Haight (May 20, 1825 – September 2, 1878) was the tenth governor of California from December 5, 1867 to December 8, 1871.
Son of Fletcher Mathews Haight, he was born in Rochester, New York, and graduated from Yale University. He married Anna Bissell (1834-1898) and had at least one son, Dr. Louis Montrose Haight (1868-1942).
Haight never held public office of any kind before he was elected Governor of California on the Democratic ticket, beginning his term of office in 1867. He was the first governor to use the offices in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. He signed the Act, March 23, 1868 creating the University of California. After he was governor he made his home in Alameda, California. He died in 1878, and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
Though commonly thought to be true, San Francisco's Haight Street may or may not be named in his honor as it is thought by some that the street may indeed be named after that of his uncle, the pioneer and exchange banker Henry Haight (1820–1869).
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Henry Markham
Henry Harrison Markham (November 16, 1840 – October 9, 1923) was a United States Representative from March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1887 and the 18th Governor of California from January 8, 1891 until January 11, 1895.
Markham was born in Wilmington, New York. During the Civil War, Markham enlisted as a private in Company G, 32nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment; he was promoted to second lieutenant and after the war returned to Wisconsin and settled in Milwaukee. He died in Pasadena, California.
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Henry W. Wright
Henry W. Wright (March 4, 1868 – August 19, 1948) was a California politician. He served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and was Speaker of the California State Assembly. He served as a member of the California State Assembly from 1915-1922.
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Herb Wesson
Herb J. Wesson, Jr. (born November 11, 1951) is an American politician. He currently serves as a Los Angeles City Councilman, representing the 10th district, and also serves as the President of the Council. He served in the State Assembly representing the 47th district from 1998 until 2004. He served as Speaker of the California State Assembly from 2002 until 2004. After being termed out of the legislature, he became a senior advisor and special assistant to Supervisor Yvonne Burke. On November 8, 2005, Wesson was elected with almost 80% of the vote to represent the tenth district on the Los Angeles City Council, in a special election to fill the vacancy created when Martin Ludlow resigned to become head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor . Wesson won a full term in March 2007 with 99.7% of the vote . He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Prior to his service in the State Assembly, Wesson served as the Chief of Staff to former tenth district councilmember Nate Holden, and as the Chief of Staff to former Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke.
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J. Neely Johnson
John Neely Johnson (August 2, 1825 – August 31, 1872) was an American lawyer and politician. He was elected as the fourth governor of California from 1856 to 1858, and later appointed justice to the Nevada Supreme Court from 1867 to 1871.[citation needed] As a member of the American Party, Johnson remains one of only two members of a third party to be elected to the California governorship, with the only other being Frederick Low, who was elected on a National Union Party ticket.
Born in rural Gibson County, Indiana, Johnson studied to become a lawyer, successfully completing his studies at the age of 21 in Iowa. In July 1849, Johnson abandoned law to join the Gold Rush in California. Johnson briefly employed himself as a gold prospector, and later as a mule train driver. Upon settling in Sacramento, Johnson restarted his law career, and at the age of 25 in 1850, was elected as Sacramento city attorney. After two years of working in the City Attorney's office in the growing inland city, Johnson embarked on beginning a political career. In the 1852 general election, running as a Democrat, Johnson was elected to the California State Assembly as one of four members representing Sacramento.
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James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868, English pronunciation: /bjuːˈkænən/) was the 15th President of the United States (1857–1861). He is the only president from Pennsylvania and the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor. His niece Harriet Lane played the role as lady of the house.
Buchanan (often called Buck-anan by his contemporaries) was a popular and experienced state politician and a successful attorney before his presidency. He represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives and later the Senate, and served as Minister to Russia under President Andrew Jackson. He was also Secretary of State under President James K. Polk. After he turned down an offer for an appointment to the Supreme Court, President Franklin Pierce appointed him Minister to the United Kingdom, in which capacity he helped draft the controversial Ostend Manifesto.
Buchanan was nominated in the 1856 election. Throughout most of Franklin Pierce's term he was stationed in London as a Minister to the Court of St. James's and therefore was not caught up in the crossfire of sectional politics that dominated the country. Buchanan was viewed by many as a compromise between the two sides of the slavery question. His subsequent election victory took place in a three-man race with John C. Frémont and Millard Fillmore. As President, he was often called a "doughface", a Northerner with Southern sympathies, who battled with Stephen A. Douglas for the control of the Democratic Party. Buchanan's efforts to maintain peace between the North and the South alienated both sides, and the Southern states declared their secession in the prologue to the American Civil War. Buchanan's view of record was that secession was illegal, but that going to war to stop it was also illegal. Buchanan, first and foremost an attorney, was noted for his mantra, "I acknowledge no master but the law."
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James Budd
James Herbert Budd (May 18, 1851 – July 30, 1908) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician. Involved in federal and state politics, Budd was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2nd California district from 1883 to 1885, and later elected as the 19th Governor of California from 1895 until 1899.
Budd was born on May 18, 1851 in Janesville, Wisconsin. When Budd was seven years old, he and his family emigrated to the West, settling in Stockton, California in 1858. Making Stockton his adoptive city, Budd attended local grammar and high schools before attending the University of California, Berkeley, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, graduating in 1873. Following his graduation, Budd returned to Stockton to study law, being admitted to the California Bar the following year. His public career in the courts began after being appointed the San Joaquin County deputy district attorney.
During the 1884 elections, the Democratic Party nominated Budd as its candidate for the 2nd California district in the U.S. House of Representatives. His campaign for the House was based on fighting railroad corruption, going as far as to refuse any travel on railroads altogether during the campaign, earning Budd the nickname "Buckboard Jim." Budd successfully won the election, becoming the first Democrat to win the district since the Civil War.
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James D. Porter, Jr.
James Davis Porter (December 7, 1828–May 18, 1912) was Governor of the U.S. state of Tennessee from 1875 to 1879.
A native of Paris, Tennessee, Porter graduated from the former University of Nashville at age 18. He was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1859. When the American Civil War loomed, Porter sided with the Confederacy. He was involved in the organization of the Provisional Army of Tennessee. After his civil rights were restored he re-entered politics as a Democrat. He was elected a circuit judge, and served as such until his election as governor. His administration was greatly hampered by the high level of state debt relative to the size of the state's economy at the time, and the various approaches suggested for dealing with the state debt were the major issues during his administration.
Porter was a strong supporter of public education. While he was governor, the first medical school for emancipated blacks, Meharry Medical College, was founded in Nashville. During Porter's tenure as governor, the so-called "Four Mile Law" was adopted. An early, backdoor form of Prohibition, it forbade alcoholic beverages within four miles (6.4 km) of any school; given the small size of most of the schools of the era and their resultant presence in almost every community, even many of the smallest ones, this effectively outlawed alcohol in all but the least-populated areas of the state, which was exactly the intent of the measure's sponsors.
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James Gillett
James Norris Gillett (September 20, 1860 – April 20, 1937) was an American lawyer and politician. A Republican involved in federal and state politics, Gillett was elected both a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California from March 4, 1903, to November 4, 1906, and as the 22nd governor of California from January 9, 1907, to January 3, 1911.
James Gillett was born in Viroqua, Wisconsin, on September 20, 1860. As a young child, Gillett moved with his parents to Sparta, Wisconsin at the age of five. He would remain in Sparta for nearly fifteen years, attending the local grammar and high school in the town. In 1881, Gillett was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar, beginning a law practice in Sparta shortly afterwards. In the early 1880s, Gillett permanently relocated out of his native Wisconsin for the West, living briefly in both the Montana Territory and Washington Territory before moving to California, settling in Eureka in 1884.
Once in Eureka, Gillett joined the state militia as a private in the Eureka Guard Company in 1885. Based primarily in Santa Cruz, Gillett's unit would be called into active military service only once, assisting Humboldt County sheriffs in protecting a local town jail during the height of Sinophobic riots in Eureka. Following the end of his state military service, Gillett quickly resumed his career as a lawyer. In 1890, Gillett became the Eureka City Attorney, holding the position until 1895.
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James Rolph
James “Sunny Jim” Rolph, Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death on June 2, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression. Previously, Rolph had been the 30th mayor of San Francisco from January 8, 1912 until his resignation to become governor. Rolph remains the longest serving mayor in San Francisco history.
James Rolph was born in San Francisco on August 23, 1869. He had one younger brother. After attending school in the Mission District, he went to work as an office boy in a commission house. He married Annie Marshall Reid (1872-1956) and had at least one son: James Rolph, III (1904-1980).
He entered the shipping business in 1900, by forming a partnership with George Hind. He would over the next decade, serve as president of two banks, one of which he helped establish. Although he was asked to run for mayor in 1909, he chose to wait until 1911 to run for mayor – a position that he would hold for nineteen years. As mayor, he was known as "Sunny Jim" and his theme song was "There Are Smiles That Make You Happy". In 1915 he appeared as himself in an early documentary film titled Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco, which was directed by and starred Fatty Arbuckle. In 1924, Rolph appeared as himself in a Slim Summerville comedy short film, Hello, Frisco.[citation needed]
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James T. Farley
James Thompson Farley (August 6, 1829 – January 22, 1886) was an American politician.
He was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, and moved to Missouri and then California at an early age. There he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1854, commencing practice in Amador County.
He was elected to the California State Assembly from Amador County and served 1855 to 1857, acting as Speaker in 1856. He was a member of the California State Senate from 1869 until 1876, serving as president pro tempore from 1871 to 1872.
He was for several years the recognized leader of the Democratic Party in California, and in 1874 was defeated as a candidate for the U.S. Senate by Governor Newton Booth. He was elected to the Senate from California in 1878 and served from 1879 until 1885. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1884. He resumed the practice of law after leaving Washington, D.C., and died in Jackson, California in 1886. He is buried in City Cemetery in Jackson.
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James W. Silliman
James Willys Silliman (August 12, 1905 – October 21, 1976) was a Republican politician from the US State of California, who served in the California State Assembly from 1947–1955, including serving as Speaker of the Assembly from 1953–1954. He ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor in 1954 and for State Senator in 1955.
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Jesse M. Unruh
Jesse Marvin Unruh (September 30, 1922 – August 4, 1987), also known as Big Daddy Unruh, was a prominent U.S. Democratic politician and the California State Treasurer.
Born in Newton, Kansas, Unruh served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he enrolled at the University of Southern California, receiving a B.A. in Political Science and Journalism in 1948.
Unruh's political career began as an unsuccessful candidate for the California State Assembly in 1950 and 1952. He was elected as a member of the Assembly on his third attempt in 1954. In 1956, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Presidential Elector on the Democratic ticket for California. During 1959, he authored California's Unruh Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination by businesses that offer services to the public, and was a model for later reforms enacted nationally during the 1960s and 1970s. Unruh was Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1961 to 1969 and a delegate to Democratic National Convention from California in 1960 and 1968.
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John B. Weller
John B. Weller (February 22, 1812 – August 17, 1875) was the fifth governor of California from January 8, 1858 to January 9, 1860 and a congressman from Ohio, U.S. senator from California, and minister to Mexico.
Weller was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, and attended the public schools and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced in Butler County, Ohio. He was prosecuting attorney of Butler County from 1833 until 1836.
He 1838 he was elected as a Democrat from Ohio to the 26th-, 27th- and 28th Congresses, serving from 1839 until 1845.
He served in the 1st Regiment of Ohio Volunteers as a Lieutenant Colonel during Mexican-American War from 1846 until 1847, and then was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Ohio in 1848, a bitterly fought campaign, and the only disputed election for Ohio Governor of the 19th century. A select joint committee of the Ohio General Assembly finally established January 22, 1849 that Weller lost by 311 votes to Whig Seabury Ford.
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John Bigler
John Bigler (January 8, 1805 – November 29, 1871) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office successfully, as well as the first to win re-election. His younger brother, William Bigler, was elected governor of Pennsylvania during the same period. Bigler was also appointed by President James Buchanan as the U.S. Minister to Chile from 1857 to 1861.
Bigler was born in early 1805 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to parents of German ancestry. Beginning work in the printing trade at an early age, Bigler, as well as his younger brother, William, never received a formal education, yet Bigler took it upon himself to educate his younger brother. In 1831, both brothers moved to Bellefonte in Centre County to buy the local Andrew Jackson-affiliated Centre Democrat newspaper, where older John assumed editorial duties. Bigler worked as editor until 1835 when he sold the publication to study law.
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John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890), was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder. He is sometimes called The Great Pathfinder. He retired from the military and moved to the new territory California, after leading a fourth expedition which cost ten lives seeking a rail route over the mountains around the 38th parallel in the winter of 1849.
He became one of the first two U.S. Senators elected from the new state in 1850. He was soon bogged down with lawsuits over land claims between the dispossessions of various land owners during the Mexican-American War, and the explosion of Forty-Niners immigrating during the California Gold Rush. He lost the 1856 presidential election to Democrats James Buchanan and John C. Breckenridge when Democrats warned his election would lead to civil war.
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John D. Sloat
John Drake Sloat (July 6, 1781 – November 28, 1867) was a commodore in the United States Navy who, in 1846, claimed California for the United States.
He was born at the family home of Sloat House in Sloatsburg, New York, of Dutch ancestry, and was orphaned at an early age, his father, Captain John Sloat, having been mistakenly shot and killed by one of his own sentries two months before he was born, and his mother dying a few years later. Sloat was brought up by his maternal grandparents.
Appointed midshipman in the Navy in 1800, he was sailing master of the frigate United States under Commodore Stephen Decatur during the War of 1812, and was promoted to lieutenant for conspicuous gallantry in the capture of the frigate HMS Macedonian. Sloat then commanded the schooner Grampus during which he fought the Action of 2 March 1825 against the pirate ship of Roberto Cofresí. He later served on the ships Franklin and Washington, and from 1828 commanded the sloop St. Louis with the rank of master commandant, to which he had been promoted in 1826. He was promoted to captain in 1837, and from 1840 to 1844 was in charge of the Portsmouth Navy Yard.
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John G. Downey
John Gately Downey (June 24, 1827 – March 1, 1894) was an Irish-American politician and the seventh governor of California from January 14, 1860 to January 10, 1862. Until the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003, Downey was California's only foreign-born governor. Downey was also the first man from Southern California to be elected as governor.
Downey was born on June 24, 1827 in the townland of Castlesampson, Taughmaconnell parish, County Roscommon, in central Ireland, to Denis Downey and Bridget Gately. Castlesampson is west of the present-day town of Athlone, Ireland. Educated in Ireland, Downey emigrated with his family at age 14 to the United States in 1842, before the famine years. Settling in Charles County, Maryland, the Downeys joined two stepsisters who had already settled in the U.S. Dwindling family finances forced Downey to halt his education at age 16 and start working to become independent. He apprenticed at an apothecary in Washington, D.C. until 1846.
Downey relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked as a druggist. Like many who heard about the California Gold Rush, Downey decided to go West. He stopped along the way at Vicksburg, Mississippi; then Havana, Cuba and finally New Orleans, Louisiana. By 1849, Downey had arrived in California, briefly prospecting in Grass Valley before finding a job at a drug store in San Francisco.
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John Pendleton
John Strother Pendleton (March 1, 1802 – November 19, 1868), nicknamed "The Lone Star", was a nineteenth century congressman, diplomat, lawyer and farmer from Virginia.
Born near Culpeper, Virginia, Pendleton pursued in preparatory studies as a child. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1824, commencing practice in Culpeper County, Virginia. He married Lucy Ann Williams, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Bruce Williams, on December 2, 1824, at "Soldiers Rest" in Orange County, Virginia. The two had no biological children, but did adopted Lucy's brother Philip's son, George Morton Williams, when he was three years old. Pendleton was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1830 to 1833 and again from 1836 to 1839. He was appointed by President John Tyler Chargé d'Affaires to Chile in 1841, serving until 1844 when he was elected a Whig to the United States House of Representatives, serving their from 1845 to 1849. In the House, he obtained the nickname "The Lone Star" due to the fact he was the only Whig from Virginia. Afterwards, Pendleton returned to being a statesman and was appointed by President Millard Fillmore Chargé d'Affaires to the Argentine Confederation in 1851, serving until 1854 and in 1852 was Minister to Brazil with Robert C. Schenck to negotiate a treaty of commerce with Paraguay and Uruguay.
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John Pérez
John A. Pérez (born September 28, 1969) is a union organizer and politician from Los Angeles, California, who has been the Speaker of the California State Assembly since March 1, 2010. A Democrat, he represents the 46th district in the California State Assembly.
Pérez grew up in El Sereno and Highland Park before attending the University of California, Berkeley. He did not graduate from Berkeley but instead dropped out after his junior year due to family medical reasons, choosing not to return for a fourth year in the fall of 1990. Various biographies of Pérez dating back to the 1990s had falsely stated that he was a Berkeley graduate, an assertion included in several press releases issued by mayors of Los Angeles and in 2004 remarks inserted by then-Congresswoman Hilda Solis into the Congressional Record. When the San Francisco Chronicle wrote about these inconsistencies in May 2011, Pérez's office clarified that he was not, in fact, a Berkeley graduate.
Pérez is the cousin of Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and has spent seven years handling political matters for the United Food and Commercial Workers, a union representing supermarket workers, and also has served as political director of the California Labor Federation. He was a member of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency until 2008, when he resigned from the board in order to run for the Assembly.
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José Antonio Roméu
José Antonio Roméu (1742? – 1792) was governor of Las Californias from 1791 to 1792.
In 1782, José Antonio Roméu led a retailatory mission after the Quechan Yuma Massacre of 1781.
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José Castro
José Antonio Castro (1808 – February 1860) was acting governor of Alta California in 1835-1836, and Commandante General of the Mexican army in Alta California at the time of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.
Castro was born in Monterey, California, the son of Jose Tiburcio Castro, who was a soldier, member of the diputacion (legislature), administrator of secularized Mission San Juan Bautista, and grantee of Rancho Sausal. Jose Castro's first public office was as secretary to the Monterey ayuntamiento (town council).
In 1830, Castro was arrested for his opposition to the Mexican governor of Alta California. By 1835 he was the First Member (Vocal Primero) of the legislature and acting governor. Along with Juan Bautista Alvarado, he was a vocal opponent of Mexican governors and sought a semi-independent status for Alta California. He was a chief participant in the overthrow of Governor Nicolás Gutiérrez in 1836, becoming Commandante General and Governor, as president of the legislature.
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José Darío Argüello
José Darío Argüello (1753–1828) was a Spanish soldier, Las Californias (California) pioneer, founder of Los Angeles, twice a Spanish colonial governor, of Alta California and then of the Baja California Peninsula, and father of a later Mexican colonial California governor.
José Darío Argüello was born in Santiago de Querétaro, New Spain (present day Mexico).
Argüello enlisted in the Mexico regiment of dragoons, serving as a private, and later sergeant of the presidial company of Altar, Sonora. In 1781 he was promoted to alférez (sub-lieutenant) and commandant for what was to become the Presidio of Santa Barbara in upper Las Californias.
Under orders from Governor Felipe de Neve, Argüello led the first ten Los Angeles Pobladores families and their livestock overland to settle. Military commander Fernando Rivera y Moncada led the guard, until killed during a civil resistance uprising by Quechan Indians near Yuma Crossing.
Argüello and the settlers continued onward to Mission San Gabriel in the geographic Los Angeles Basin. They founded the Pueblo de Los Angeles beside the Los Angeles River on September 4, 1781. This became present day Los Angeles, California.
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José Figueroa
General José Figueroa (1792 – 9 September 1835), was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.
Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials.
This also involved the issuing of many Mexican land grants for former mission lands and original Mission Indians homelands.
Landmarks named after General José Figueroa include:
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José María Flores
General José María Flores (1818, New Spain – 1866) was an officer in the Mexican Army and was a member of la otra banda. He was appointed Governor and Comandante General pro tem of Alta California from 1846 to 1847.
The American occupation would have gone smoothly if Commodore Robert F. Stockton had accepted José Castro’s peaceful surrender during the Mexican-American War. However, Stockton did not trust the Californios and placed Archibald Gillespie in charge of Los Angeles. This decision would bring about a rebellion led by General José María Flores.
Captain José María Flores arrived in California in 1842. He was a secretary for Governor Manuel Micheltorena. He was a captain in Comandante General José Castro's military army. Castro sent Flores to deliver a message to Stockton stating that Castro was going to accede to the wishes of the United States. Stockton did not recognize Castro’s authority and rejected it. Castro, seeing no alternative, fled California. Governor Pío Pico followed shortly thereafter. Flores and other military officers were left behind in Los Angeles.
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Karen Bass
Karen Ruth Bass (born October 3, 1953) is the U.S. Representative for California's 33rd congressional district. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to her election to Congress in 2010, she had served as a member of the California State Assembly representing the 47th district since 2004. From 2008 to 2010, she served as Speaker of the California State Assembly, becoming the second woman and third African American to serve in that post.
Bass was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Wilhelmina (née Duckett) and DeWitt Talmadge Bass. She was raised in the Venice/Fairfax neighborhood and went to Hamilton High School. She attended San Diego State University from 1971 to 1973 majoring in philosophy and graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 1990 with a B.S. in health sciences. Bass worked as a physician assistant and as a clinical instructor at the USC Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. Bass founded the Community Coalition, an organization in South Los Angeles.
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Leo T. McCarthy
Leo Tarcissus McCarthy (August 15, 1930 – February 5, 2007) was a New Zealand-born American politician and businessman. He served as the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of California from 1983 to 1995.
McCarthy was born in Auckland, but moved with his parents to San Francisco, California at the age of four. He went to elementary school at Mission Dolores. He then went to high school at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, and also attended college and law school within the city, receiving his B.A. in history from the University of San Francisco and a law degree from San Francisco Law School.
McCarthy served in the United States Air Force from 1951-1952 during the Korean War, briefly taking part in a Strategic Air Command mission to Saudi Arabia to simulate the start of World War III.
In 1958, the year that saw the Democrats capture statewide offices for the first time since World War II, McCarthy managed the successful campaign for State Senate of John Eugene McAteer, and, after the election, served as McAteer's Administrative Assistant.
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Luther H. Lincoln
Luther Hansen Lincoln (November 20, 1914 – June 27, 1980) was a Republican politician from California who served in the California State Assembly from 1949 to 1959, representing part of Alameda County. He served as Speaker of the Assembly from 1955 to 1958.
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Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena (died September 7, 1853) was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California. He received this appointment by the President of Mexico, Antonio López de Santa Anna and served from December 30, 1842, until his ouster in 1845.
Micheltorena was instrumental in the privatisation of California land. With loyalties firmly seated in Mexico City, he faced criticism, opposition and eventually war from the Californios. He led a rag-tag team of soldiers comprising criminals of lower-class mixed ancestry, who were derisively referred to as cholos. They were insufficient to sustain him in the 1845 Battle of Providencia against Juan Bautista Alvarado.
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Manuel Victoria
Manuel Victoria was Governor of the Mexican territory of Alta California from January 1831 to December 6, 1831. He died in exile in 1833.
The revolt against his governorship lead to his abbreviated twelve month tenure, and subsequent exile.
Removal and exile was due to his nullifying the order of his predecessor Governor José María de Echeandía, to secularize the Alta California missions and distribute their landholdings as land grant ranchos.
Pío Pico first briefly replaced Manuel Victoria as Governor. Then Agustín V. Zamorano in the north, and José María de Echeandía in the south, served as provisional governors from 1832 to 1833.
Governor José Figueroa arrived from Mexico in 1833, resolving the north-south political struggle. Secularization and Mexican land grants resumed with Governor Figueroa.
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Mariano Chico
Colonel Mariano Chico (1796–1850) served one of the briefest terms as Alta California governor from April 1836 to July 1836. He was both preceded and succeeded by the equally unpopular Lieutenant Colonel Nicolas Gutierrez, who joined him in exile in Mexico on November 5, 1836, by a northern revolt.
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Mariano Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (4 July 1807 – 18 January 1890) was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state. Vallejo, a city in California that he founded, is named for him, and the nearby city of Benicia is named for his wife (née Francisca Benicia Carrillo).
Mariano Vallejo was born in Monterey, California, the eighth of thirteen children and third son of Ignacio Vicente Ferrer Vallejo (July 29, 1748 – May 10, 1832) and María Antonia Lugo (September 1, 1776 – May 7, 1855).
There is controversy over Vallejo's exact date of birth. According to Vallejo himself, and his family bible, he was born on 7 July 1807. His baptismal certificate, however, signed by Fr. Baltasar Carnicer states that he was baptized on 5 July 1807, and born the previous night (4 July 1807). Other sources state a birthdate of 7 July 1808. Of these, the baptismal record seems the most reliable[according to whom?], but the question should be further researched.
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Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is most noted for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "the Great American Novel."
Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which would later provide the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. He apprenticed with a printer. He also worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion's newspaper. After toiling as a printer in various cities, he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, before heading west to join Orion. He was a failure at gold mining, so he next turned to journalism. While a reporter, he wrote a humorous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", which became very popular and brought nationwide attention. His travelogues were also well-received. Twain had found his calling.
He achieved great success as a writer and public speaker. His wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.
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Milton Latham
Milton Slocum Latham (May 23, 1827 – March 4, 1882) was an American politician, and served as the sixth governor of California and as a member of the federal U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Latham holds the distinction of having the shortest governorship in California history, lasting for five days between January 9 and January 14, 1860. A Lecompton Democrat, Latham became the second governor to resign in office after being elected by the legislature to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy following the death of David C. Broderick from a duel.
Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1827, Latham was educated in classical studies at Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1845. Following his graduation, Latham moved to Russell County, Alabama, working briefly as a school teacher while studying law. He was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1848, working as Russell County's circuit court clerk for two years until 1850, when he relocated to San Francisco, California following the gold rush.
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Morris M. Estee
Morris M. Estee (November 23, 1833 – October 27, 1903) was an American Republican lawyer and politician from California.
Estee spent his young adult life in Sacramento from 1857 to 1859. His business card read: M.M.Estee, Attorney and Counselor at Law, Office: No 88 J Street, bet, Third and Fourth, (South Side,) Sacramento. He was elected in 1862 to the California State Assembly, one of five members representing the 16th District. From 1863 to 1866 he was District Attorney for Sacramento County.
In 1866 he moved to San Francisco, and practiced with a number of partners including John Henry Boalt. In 1873 he was reelected to the Assembly, one of 12 members representing the San Francisco portion of the 8th District, and he was Speaker of the Assembly from 1873 to 1874.
Estee was nominated and ran twice as a Republican for Governor of California. In his first run, Estee was defeated by Democrat George Stoneman in 1882. His second and final run in 1895 placed him against James Budd, who also defeated him. Estee also had two failed elections to the U.S. Senate. On June 2, 1900 he was appointed the first US Federal District Court judge for the Territory of Hawaii.
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Nathaniel Davis
Nathaniel Davis (April 12, 1925 – May 16, 2011) was a well known career diplomat who served in the United States Foreign Service and the Peace Corps for 36 years. His final years were spent teaching at Claremont Colleges.
Davis was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 12, 1925. His father, Harvey Nathaniel Davis, taught at Harvard University and his mother, Alice Rohde Davis, was a research medical doctor. In 1928, the family moved to the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, N.J., upon the appointment of Harvey Davis as the college's president. Nathaniel Davis attended the Stevens Hoboken Academy and graduated from Philips Exeter Academy, in Exeter, N.H., in 1942. He attended Brown University where he served in the Navy Reserve. He graduated from Brown and obtained a commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy in September, 1944, but as a member of the Class of 1946. He served aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lake Champlain until 1946. He earned a masters and ultimately his doctorate (Ph.D.) from the The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University in 1960.
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Newton Booth
Newton Booth (December 30, 1825 – July 14, 1892) was an American politician.
Born in Salem, Indiana, he attended the common schools. In 1841, his parents Beebe and Hannah Booth moved from Salem to Terre Haute, Indiana. Newton graduated from Asbury University, later renamed DePauw University, in nearby Greencastle, Indiana. He studied law in Terre Haute and was admitted to the bar in 1850. In the same year he moved to California, where he temporarily engaged in the wholesale grocery business at Sacramento. He made his fortune as a saloon keeper. He returned to Terre Haute in 1857 and engaged in the practice of law with future U.S. Congressman Harvey D. Scott until 1860, when he returned to Sacramento, and again engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was the uncle of author Booth Tarkington, son of his sister Elizabeth Booth, who was raised in Terre Haute. He married his business partner's widow Octavine C. Glover (1833-1907) on February 9, 1892.
Booth was elected to the California State Senate in 1862, serving in 1863, and was the eleventh governor of California from December 8, 1871 to February 27, 1875, when he resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.
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Nicolás Gutiérrez
Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Gutiérrez was a twice acting governor of Alta California in 1836 from January to May and July to November.
Gutierrez served two abbreviated terms in less than a year as acting governor of Alta California in 1836. His first term beginning on January 2, 1836, he served as governor ad interim until the arrival of Mariano Chico whom he preceded and subsequently succeeded after Chico's summary dismissal for abandoning his post.
Gutierrez himself was ousted by a revolt led by Juan Bautista Alvarado and assisted by a group of foreigners led by Isaac Graham, on November 5, 1836. The battle was short and surrender was secured after the firing of just one artillery round at the governor's residence. Gutierrez and his cadre of officers were detained at Cabo San Lucas on the English brig Clementine on November 11, 1836 before returning to Mexico.
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Ninian E. Whiteside
Ninian Edwards Whiteside (? – September 1, 1876) was an American Democratic politician and pioneer.
Born in Illinois, Whiteside settled in the mining district in southern Wisconsin. In 1846, Whiteside served in the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1846. In 1847-1848, Whiteside served in the Wisconsin Territorial Council. In 1848, Whiteside was elected to the first Wisconsin State Assembly from Belmont, Wisconsin and was elected the first speaker. He then went to California to take part in the California Gold Rush. In 1858, he was elected to the California State Assembly and was elected speaker. He died in Marysville, California.
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Norman Armour
Norman Armour (October 14, 1887– September 27, 1982) was a career United States diplomat who The New York Times once called "the perfect diplomat". In his long career spanning both World Wars, he served as Chief of Mission in eight countries, as Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and married into Russian nobility.
Armour was born in Brighton, England while his parents were vacationing there. He grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and graduated from St. Paul's School and Princeton University in 1909. In 1913, he graduated from Harvard Law School before returning to Princeton to study diplomacy. His first posts were to Austria in 1912 and France from 1915-1916 before formally entering the Foreign Service.
One of his first assignments in the foreign service was as Second Secretary in the United States embassy in Petrograd in the Russian Empire, beginning in 1916 (during World War I). After the collapse of Czarist Russia, the Bolsheviks seized control of the government and signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers which marked their exit from World War I. (These events precipitated the Russian Civil War which would lead to the formation of the Soviet Union in 1922.) Prior to the formal signing of the treaty, the United States partially evacuated their embassy, but Armour remained as part of the limited staff. On July 25, the Russian authorities ordered the diplomats out of Petrograd and a new legation was set up in Vologda. The North Russia Campaign, an Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War, further destabilized the situation and resulted in the legation becoming essentially under siege. (The Russian army had already attacked the British consulate and killed its Attache.) At this point, the order of events for Armour becomes somewhat unclear.
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Pat Brown
Edmund Gerald “Pat” Brown, Sr. (April 21, 1905 – February 16, 1996) was the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967, and the father of current Governor of California Jerry Brown.
Brown was born in San Francisco, California, one of four children of Edmund and Ida Schuckman Brown. His father was an Irish Catholic, his mother a German Protestant. He acquired the nickname "Pat" during his school years; the nickname was a reference to his Patrick Henry-like oratory. When he was 12 and selling Liberty Bonds on street corners, he would end his spiel with, "Give me liberty, or give me death."
He was a debate champion as a member of the Lowell Forensic Society at San Francisco's Lowell High School, from which he graduated in 1923. Brown skipped college and worked in his father's cigar store while studying law at a local night school. He graduated from San Francisco College of Law in spring 1927, passed the California bar exam the following fall, and started a law practice in San Francisco.
Brown ran as a Republican for the State Assembly in 1928, but lost; he joined the Democratic Party in 1932. He waited until 1939 to seek public office again, this time running for District Attorney of San Francisco, a race he lost to Matthew Brady.
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Paul E. Simons
Paul E. Simons is the former (from 9 November 2007) Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Chile.
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Pedro de Alberni
Don Pedro de Alberni, sometimes known as Pere d'Alberní i Teixidor in Catalan (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpeɾə ðəɫβərˈni]) (Tortosa, January 30, 1747 – Monterrey, New Spain, March 11, 1802) was a Spanish soldier who served the Spanish Crown for almost all his life. He spent most of his military career in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. He is notable for his role in the military history of New Spain, in the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Pacific Northwest in the 1790s, and his later proclamation as interim governor of California in 1800.
Pedro de Alberni was born on January 30, 1747, to a noble and wealthy family of Tortosa, Catalonia, Spain. His father, Jaume d'Alberní i Antolí, was notary public and Honourable Citizen of Barcelona who had married Maria Inés Teixidor on June 24, 1728. The couple had five sons and two daughters. In accordance to Catalan civil law, the oldest brother, Josep Antoni, was named heir to the Alberni estate, including the right to use the title of notary public. The remaining siblings received a small amount of money. For this reason, the rest of the brothers joined the military service. One brother, Gerònim, went to the Regiment of Córdoba; the other two, Joan Bautista and Jaume Pascual, joined the Foreign Volunteer Regiment. One of the sisters became a nun. Pedro joined Spain's Second Regiment of the Light Infantry on July 17, 1762 to fight as a cadet in the campaign of Portugal during the Seven Years' War when he was only fifteen years old. He remained with this regiment for five years, after which he joined the Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia (Compañía Franca de Voluntarios de Cataluña), an independent military unit composed of Miquelets (Catalan irregular troops).
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Pedro Fages
Pere Fages Beleta (Catalan: Pere Fages i Beleta) (1734 – 1794), nicknamed L'Ós (The Bear), was a soldier, explorer, and the second Spanish military Governor of Las Californias Province of New Spain from 1770 to 1774, and the Governor of Las Californias from 1782 to 1791.
Fages was born in Guissona, Lleida province, Catalonia, Spain. In 1767, Lieutenant Fages left Spain with the Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia for New Spain, to serve under Domingo Elizondo in Sonora. In 1769, Fages was selected by Viceroy José de Gálvez to lead the shipborn portion of the Gaspar de Portolà led expedition to found San Diego, California. Fages sailed from the Baja California Peninsula town of La Paz on January 10, 1769, aboard the San Carlos, and arrived at San Diego Bay on April 29 with scurvy-ridden troops, after sailing over 200 mi (320 km) off course because of cartography errors. Fages accompanied the 1769 and 1770 land expeditions to locate Monterey Bay. During this time he was promoted to captain.
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Pete Wilson
Peter Barton “Pete” Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th governor of California (1991–1999), the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator (1983–1991), eleven years as Mayor of San Diego (1971–1982) and four years as a California State Assemblyman (1967–1971).
Peter Barton Wilson was born on August 23, 1933, in Lake Forest, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. His parents were James Boone Wilson and Margaret Callaghan Wilson. His father was originally a jewelry salesman who later became a successful advertising executive. The Wilson family moved to St. Louis, Missouri when Pete was in junior high school. There, he attended the St. Louis Country Day School, an exclusive private high school, where he won an award in his senior year for combined scholarship, athletics, and citizenship. In the fall of 1952, Pete Wilson enrolled at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he received a U.S. Navy (Marine Corps) ROTC scholarship, majored in English, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree.
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Peter Burnett
Peter Hardeman Burnett (November 15, 1807 – May 17, 1895) was an American politician and the first state governor of California, serving from December 20, 1849 to January 9, 1851. He was also the first California governor to resign from office. Burnett previously served briefly during December 1849 as the territorial civilian governor of California.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, but raised in rural Missouri, Burnett received no formal education, but educated himself in law and government. After owning a general store, he turned to his law career; in defending a group of Mormons — including Joseph Smith — who were accused of treason, arson and robbery. Burnett requested a change of venue for the court proceedings, and during transportation to the next venue, the defendants escaped.
In 1843, Burnett became part of the exodus of Easterners moving Westward, moving his family to the Oregon Country (now modern-day Oregon) to take up farming in order to solve growing debts in Missouri, an agricultural endeavour that failed. While in the Oregon Country, Burnett began his forays into politics, getting elected to the provisional legislature between 1844 to 1848. In 1844, he completed construction of Germantown Road between the Tualatin Valley and what became Portland. It was during his time in Oregon that Burnett, a traditional Southern Protestant, began to question the practices of his faith, drifting his religious views more to Roman Catholicism. By 1846, Burnett and his family made the complete transition from Protestant to become Catholic.
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Pierson B. Reading
Pierson Barton Reading (November 26, 1816 – May 29, 1868) (also referred to as Pearson Barton Reading) was a California pioneer.
Pierson B. Reading, was born in New Jersey. He came across country to California with Samuel J. Hensley as a member of the Chiles-Walker party in 1843. In 1844, Reading entered the service of General Sutter as a clerk, explorer, and chief of trappers, and commanded Sutters Fort in Sutter's absence. He received the 26,632 acres (108 km2) Mexican land grant Rancho Buena Ventura in 1844 for the area occupied by today's Redding, California, and Cottonwood, California, along the Sacramento River. In 1846, Reading was a participant in the Bear Flag Revolt. In the Mexican-American War, Reading enlisted under Fremont and was appointed Paymaster of the California Battalion, with the rank of Major. In 1848 Reading was among the first to visit James W. Marshall’s gold discovery in Coloma, California – and shortly after engaged extensively in prospecting for gold in Shasta County, at the head waters of the Trinity River. In the fall of 1849, Major Reading fitted out an expedition to discover the bay into which he supposed the Trinity and Klamath Rivers must empty. From 1849 to 1850, Reading operated a store in Sacramento with Samuel J. Hensley and Jacob R. Snyder. He was the Whig candidate for Governor of California in 1851.
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Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was the last Governor of Alta California (now the State of California) under Mexican rule.
Píco was a third-generation Californio. He was born at the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to José María Pico and his wife María Eustaquia Gutiérrez, with the aid of midwife Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné. His paternal grandmother, María Jacinta de la Bastida, was listed in the 1790 census as mulata, meaning mixed race with some African ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Santiago de la Cruz Pico, was described as a Mestizo (Native American-Spanish) in the same census. He was one of the soldiers who accompanied Juan Bautista de Anza on the expedition that left Tubac, Arizona for California in 1775 to explore the region and colonize it. Pio Pico was thus of Spanish, African and Native American ancestry.
After the death of his father in 1819, Pico settled in San Diego, California. He married María Ignacia Alvarado there on February 24, 1834.
In 1821 Pico set up a tanning hut and dram shop in Los Angeles, selling drinks for two Spanish bits (US 25 cents). His businesses soon became a significant source of his income.
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Ralph M. Brown
Ralph Milton Brown (September 16, 1908 – April 9, 1966) was a member of the California State Assembly representing the 30th State Assembly district from 1943 to 1961. Born in Kentucky and a resident of Modesto, California, he was Speaker of the Assembly from January 1959 until he resigned in September 1961 to accept appointment to the California Courts of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District Court. He is best known for writing the Brown Act, California's first sunshine law, providing for increased public access to government meetings, which was enacted in 1953.
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Richard Barnes Mason
Richard Barnes Mason (January 16, 1797 – July 25, 1850) was a career general officer in the United States Army and the fifth military governor of California before it became a U.S. state.
Mason was born at Lexington Plantation, Fairfax County, Virginia. He was the youngest son of George Mason V and his wife Elizabeth "Betsey" Mary Ann Barnes Hooe and the grandson of George Mason, one of the founding fathers of the United States.
Mason was commissioned into the Army in 1817 and served in the 1st U.S. Infantry during the Black Hawk War. In 1833, he transferred to the United States Dragoons as its first major. During the Mexican-American War, he served in New Mexico Territory and California, eventually rising to the rank of colonel.
Following the war, he was appointed military governor of California, serving from May 31, 1847, until April 13, 1849. When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, Mason made a report of the finding to President James K. Polk.
Mason died at Jefferson Barracks, St Louis, Missouri, in 1850.
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Robert Beardslee
Robert Lewis Beardslee, Sr. (1868–1926) was a Republican city attorney of Stockton, California and state legislator who served as the 36th Speaker of the California State Assembly in the early 1900s.
Robert Beardslee was born in 1868 in San Joaquin County, a rural California county east of the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended public schools and graduated from San Joaquin Valley College. He was admitted to practice law and then served as the City Attorney of Stockton, California in 1905 and 1906.
On November 8, 1904, he was elected to represent the 23rd Assembly District, which encompassed the City of Stockton (now renumbered the 17th Assembly District). Beardslee served in the Assembly until 1911, including service as Speaker of the Assembly during the 1907 session.
His son, Robert L. Beardslee, Jr. (August 3, 1905 – March 3, 1999), was also a lawyer, and was a partner in Neumiller & Beardslee with Charlie Neumiller.
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Robert F. Stockton
Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey.
He was born at Morven, Stockton Street, Princeton, New Jersey into a political family; his father Richard Stockton was a U.S. Senator and Representative, and his grandfather, Judge Richard Stockton was Attorney General for New Jersey and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Stockton was appointed a midshipman in the U.S. Navy at the age of 16, serving at sea and ashore during the War of 1812. After that conflict, Lieutenant Stockton was assigned to ships operating in the Mediterranean, in the Caribbean and off the coast of West Africa. He was the first naval officer to act against the slave trade and captured several slave ships. Stockton along with Dr. Eli Ayers of the American Colonization Society negotiated a treaty that led to the founding of the state of Liberia.
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Robert Hertzberg
Robert Myles Hertzberg served as Speaker of the California State Assembly. He was twice elected unanimously Speaker of the State Assembly, and served two terms. In the State Assembly, he represented more than 400,000 constituents in the San Fernando Valley communities of Los Angeles. Since leaving the State Assembly in 2002, he has served as Co-Chair of California Forward and a member of The Think Long Committee of California, lost a 2005 bid to become mayor of Los Angeles, and maintains a law practice at the international firm Mayer Brown LLP, where he serves as Vice Chairman.
Robert Myles Hertzberg was born on November 19, 1954 in Los Angeles, California to Harrison W. Hertzberg and Antoinette "Bunny" Taussig Hertzberg. He was a graduate of Palm Springs High School. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Redlands with a Bachelor of Arts double major in History and English in 1976. While in college, he wrote a 400-page handbook, entitled A Commonsense Approach to English. Three years, later Hertzberg earned his Juris Doctor from Hastings College of the Law at the University of California in San Francisco. He has been an active member of the California State Bar since 1979.
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Robert T. Monagan
Robert Timothy Monagan, Jr. (July 5, 1920 – January 7, 2009) was a California politician and a member of the Republican Party, who was Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1969–1970. He served in the California State Assembly, representing the 12th district from 1961 until 1973.
Born in Ogden, Utah, Monagan grew up in Vallejo, California and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1942 from the College of the Pacific (later the University of the Pacific), where he played basketball and was student body president.
From 1943–1946, including during World War II, he served as a United States Coast Guard officer, seeing duty in the Aleutian Islands.
After the war, he returned to California to become the graduate manager of athletics for the University of the Pacific.
Monagan moved to Tracy, California in 1950 to be secretary-manager of the Tracy Chamber of Commerce.
In 1952, he became chief of staff for Congressman Leroy Johnson in Washington, D.C. Monagan returned to Tracy in 1954 to begin working in insurance and real estate, eventually founding Monagan-Miller-McInerney Insurance, which eventually became the largest insurance agency in the region surrounding Tracy.
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Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( /ˈrɒnəld ˈwɪlsən ˈreɪɡən/; February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States, serving from 1981 to 1989. Prior to that, he was the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and a radio, film and television actor.
Born in Tampico, Illinois and raised in Dixon, Reagan was educated at Eureka College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and sociology. After his graduation, Reagan moved first to Iowa to work as a radio broadcaster and then in to Los Angeles in 1937 where he began a career as an actor, first in films and later television. Some of his most notable films include Knute Rockne, All American, Kings Row, and Bedtime for Bonzo. Reagan served as president of the Screen Actors Guild, and later as a spokesman for General Electric (GE); his start in politics occurred during his work for GE. Originally a member of the Democratic Party, his positions began shifting rightward in the late 1950s, and he switched to the Republican Party in 1962. After delivering a rousing speech in support of Barry Goldwater's presidential candidacy in 1964, he was persuaded to seek the California governorship, winning two years later and again in 1970. He was defeated in his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 as well as 1976, but won both the nomination and general election in 1980, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter.
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Sam L. Collins
Samuel LaFort Collins (August 6, 1895 – June 26, 1965) was a Republican politician from California.
Collins was born in Fortville, Indiana, attended public schools in Indiana and California, and graduated from Chaffey Union High School, Ontario, California, in 1915.
He served as a private in the Hospital Corps, Seventh Infantry, California National Guard on the Mexican border in 1916.
From 1917–1919, he served in the United States Army overseas as a sergeant in Co. C, 364th Infantry, 91st Division. After discharge from the Army, Collins studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1921, and practiced in Fullerton, California.
He was assistant district attorney of Orange County, California, 1926–1930 and district attorney 1930–1932.
In 1932 Collins was elected to the 73rd Congress, and reelected, serving during 1933–1937. He lost his bid for reelection to a third term in 1936. Collins served as member of the California State Assembly 1940–1952, serving as speaker 1947–1952. After serving in the Assembly, he resumed the practice of law.
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Samuel Purdy
Samuel Purdy (1819 – February 17, 1882) was the third Lieutenant Governor of California, 1852-1856. He ran for office as a Democrat. He also became the first mayor of Stockton, California, in 1851.
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Stephen W. Kearny
Stephen Watts Kearny ( /ˈkɑrni/ KAR-nee; surname also appears as Kearney in some historic sources; August 30, 1794 – October 31, 1848), was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the United States Army. He is remembered for his significant contributions in the Mexican–American War, especially the conquest of California. The Kearny code, which sought to regulate government behavior toward Californios, was named after him.
Kearny was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Philip Kearny, Sr. and Susanna Watts. His maternal grandparents were the wealthy merchant Robert Watts of New York and Mary Alexander, the daughter of Major General "Lord Stirling" William Alexander and Sarah "Lady Stirling" Livingston of American Revolutionary War fame. Stephen Watts Kearny went to public schools. After high school, he attended Columbia University in New York City for two years. He joined the New York Militia soon after he left school, setting the course of the rest of his life.
In the late 1820s after his career was established, Kearny met, courted and married Mary Radford, the stepdaughter of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The couple had eleven children, of whom several died in childhood.
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Thomas A. Osborn
Thomas Andrew Osborn (October 26, 1836 – February 4, 1898) was the sixth Governor of Kansas.
Osborn was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania. As a young man, he was apprenticed as a printer, from which he supported himself through Allegheny College. In 1856 he began to study law under a Meadville judge and was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1857. In November of the same year, he moved to Lawrence, Kansas where he became a compositor for the Herald of Freedom. The following year, Osborn was practicing law in Elwood, Kansas and was known to be a Republican and Free-State supporter.
Osborn's wife died in 1892. In 1898 he was engaged to Marguerite Fowler Richmond of Meadville, Pennsylvania. While awaiting their wedding, Osborn died and his body was returned to Kansas. He is buried in Topeka Cemetery.
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Thomas H. Nelson
Thomas Henry Nelson (1820–1896) was a U.S. diplomat and politician from Indiana.
Nelson was born in Minerva Mason County, Kentucky on 24 October 1821 to Dr. Thomas W. Nelson & Frances Doniphan Nelson. Thomas married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Key in 1844 daughter of Marshall Key and Harriet Sellman Key. They moved to Rockville, Indiana where he set up a Law Practice in Terre Haute, Indiana. In 1852 he was on the Board of Commissioners for the construction of the Springfield and Terre Haute Railroad. In 1860, he unsuccessfully ran for the United States Congress. He was appointed U.S. Envoy to Chile in 1861 by Abraham Lincoln. On December 8, 1863, he organized rescue operations during the Church of the Company Fire in Santiago and was called "a true hero of Chile" for doing so. He was made U.S. Envoy to Mexico from 1869 to 1873 by Ulysses S. Grant. Nelson died in Terre Haute, Indiana, on March 14, 1896, and is buried there in Woodlawn Cemetery.
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Tim N. Machin
Timothy N. Machin was the tenth Lieutenant Governor of California from 1863 to 1867. He previously served in the California State Assembly, representing Tuolumne and Mono counties for two terms in 1862 and 1863.
Machin studied law at John W. Fowler's newly established State and National Law School in Ballston Spa, New York, along with Niles Searls and Chancellor Hartson. He moved west and settled near Mono Lake in California.
Practicing law in Monoville he was elected Mono County's choice for the California State Assembly as a Member of the California's 12th State Assembly district, 1862–63;
In 1863, he was chosen Speaker of the Assembly. Staunchly pro-Union in the Civil War, he made many influential contacts in the Republican Party and its successor, the Union Democrat parties. He was noted for his integrity and straight dealings. In 1863, he received the nomination for Lieutenant Governor of California running with Frederick Low on the Union Democrat ticket. He ran against E.W. McKinstrey, beating him by 21,120 votes. As Lieutenant Governor, he was selected to prosecute the impeachment proceedings instituted against a popular jurist, Judge Hardy. During his tenure he was appointed the Superintendent of San Quentin State Prison. He remained Lt. Governor through 1867.
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Washington Bartlett
Washington Montgomery Bartlett (February 29, 1824 – September 12, 1887) was the 20th mayor of San Francisco, California from 1883 to 1887 and was the first and–to date–only Jewish governor of California.
Bartlett was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1824, the son of Sarah E. Melhado and Cosam Emir Bartlett. His mother was Sephardic. He was a life-long bachelor and a printer by trade, and was not particularly religious. During his lifetime Bartlett was a San Francisco newspaper publisher, San Francisco County Clerk, lawyer, state senator, mayor, and finally a governor.
Bartlett's term as governor started and ended in 1887 when he died in office of Bright's disease nine months into his term. His inaugural address after being elected as governor was presented on 8 January 1887.
Bartlett is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
Washington Bartlett's tomb at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
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Willard L. Beaulac
Willard Leon Beaulac (1899–1990) was a United States Diplomat. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, Colombia, Cuba, Chile and Argentina.
Ambassador Beaulac was born Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and was a graduate of Georgetown University (1921).
A career diplomat, Willard Beaulac joined the United States Foreign Service in 1921. His overseas postings include:
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William B. Ide
William Brown Ide (March 28, 1796 - December 19 or 20, 1852) was a California pioneer and Commander of the short-lived California Republic.
William Ide was born in Rutland, Massachusetts to Lemuel Ide, a member of the Vermont State Legislature. A carpenter by trade, Ide married Susan Grout Haskell (1799–1850) in 1820. He and his wife Susan lived at first in Massachusetts, but soon began moving westward—to Kentucky, then to Ohio and finally to Illinois. They farmed in Springfield, where Ide supplemented his income by teaching school.
Ide is said to have been a leader in the Mormon community of Nauvoo during his time in Illinois, although the Church of Latter Day Saints authoritative records have no account of his being a member. [1] [2]
In 1845, Ide sold his farm and joined a wagon train in Independence, Missouri headed for Oregon. On the advice of the mountain man Caleb Greenwood, Ide and a group of settlers split off and headed to Alta California, then a province of Mexico. They arrived at Sutter's Fort on October 25, 1845. Ide traveled north to work for Peter Lassen on Rancho Bosquejo.
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William Bigler
William Bigler (January 1, 1814 – August 9, 1880) was the 12th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855, and later a U.S. Senator for the Democratic Party.
Bigler was born in rural Pennsylvania and received little formal education; he studied informally under his elder brother John Bigler (later governor of California), publisher of the Centre County Democrat newspaper. Bigler founded his own political newspaper, the Clearfield Democrat, in 1833, and later became wealthy in the lumber business. In the 1840s he served in the Pennsylvania senate, and he defeated incumbent governor William F. Johnston for the governor's seat in 1851. Although Bigler opposed slavery in principle, he supported the federal government's Fugitive Slave Act and the pro-slavery Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was defeated for a second term by James Pollock, the candidate of the newly formed Republican Party. Following his term as governor, he served in the United States Senate from 1856 to 1861.
Bigler Hall on the University Park campus of Penn State is named after William Bigler.
wn.com/William_Bigler -
William Brownfield
William R. Brownfield (born 1952) is the current Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as of January 10, 2011. He has previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Venezuela, and Colombia.
A career Foreign Service Officer, William Brownfield was United States Ambassador to Colombia. He arrived in Colombia on August 31, 2007 and was accredited by Colombian President Álvaro Uribe on September 12, 2007. On August 3, 2010, the United States confirmed Peter Michael McKinley as the new ambassador to Colombia.
Prior to arriving in Colombia, Brownfield was Ambassador to Venezuela, and before that Chile.
Ambassador Brownfield's first assignment after joining the Foreign Service in 1979 was in Maracaibo, Venezuela. His other overseas postings include service as Counselor for Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, and assignments in Argentina and El Salvador. He was temporarily assigned as Political Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Southern Command in Panama 1989-1990.
wn.com/William_Brownfield -
William F. Cogswell
William F. Cogswell (July 15, 1819 – December 24, 1903) was a portrait painter who was born in Fabius, New York. In the 1830s, while working in a Buffalo, New York color factory, he taught himself to paint. During the 1840s, he worked in New York City as a professional portrait artist. He lived in California from 1873 on, with the exception of several trips to Hawaii between 1878 and 1897. He died in Pasadena, California on December 24, 1903.
Cogswell is most noted for his portraits of Ulysses S. Grant, currently hanging in the United States Senate, and Abraham Lincoln, which hangs in the White House. He also painted Hawaiian royalty, including King Kalākaua, Princess Liliuokalani, Queen Emma, King Kamehameha IV, and King Kamehameha V—the latter two from photographs. The Bishop Museum (Honolulu), the Butler Institute of American Art (Youngstown, OH), the Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento, CA), the Joslyn Art Museum (Omaha, NE), the National Portrait Gallery (Washington, DC), the New York Historical Society, the Ohio Historical Society (Columbus, OH), the Haggin Museum (Stockton, CA), the White House, and the Union League Club of Chicago are among the public collections holding paintings by William Cogswell.
wn.com/William_F._Cogswell -
William Henry Knight
William Henry Knight (26 September 1823 - 31 July 1863) was an English portrait and genre painter.
Knight was born in Newbury, Berkshire where his father, John Knight, was a schoolmaster. He was to become a solicitor, but gave up his law studies after two of his paintings were accepted by the annual exhibition of the Society of British Artists. He moved to London in 1855, taking lodgings in Kennington Road, Lambeth, and supporting himself by drawing crayon portraits while studying in the British Museum and in the schools of the Royal Academy.
Following in the footsteps of William Mulready, he became a genre painter, his street scenes and interior scenes often showing children at play. His first contribution to the Royal Academy exhibition was Boys playing draughts in 1846; from that year until 1862 he was a constant exhibitor there. He also showed many pictures at the British Institution.
Among his best works were: "A Christmas party preparing for blind man's buff" (1850); "Time for play", "Boys snowballing" (1853); "The broken window" (1855 - engraved for the August 1865 edition of The Art Journal); "The village school" (1857); "Knuckle down" (1858); "The lost change" (1859);Hide and seek (1860);The game of marbles, "An unexpected trump" (1861); "Rivals to Blondin" and "The counterfeit coin" (1862). Many engravings were made from his works. In his 1855 Academy notes, John Ruskin wrote about The broken window: "This picture does not catch the eye at a distance, but, on looking close, there will be found exquisite and careful painting in it.".
wn.com/William_Henry_Knight -
William R. Roberts
William Randall Roberts (1830–1897) was a diplomat, Fenian Society member, and United States Representative from New York (1871–1875). Born in County Cork, Ireland, he immigrated to the United States in July 1849, received a limited schooling, and was a merchant in New York City until 1869, until he retired.
In 1865, Roberts was president of the Fenian Society, an Irish nationalist organization noted for its raids on British installations in Canada. He participated in the raid into Canada in 1866, for which he was arrested by the Government.
Roberts was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat twice, to the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 4, 1875). After his time in the House, he was member of the board of aldermen of New York City in 1877, an unsuccessful candidate for sheriff in 1879, and was appointed as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Chile by President Grover Cleveland on April 2, 1885, serving until August 19, 1889.
He died in New York City in 1897; interment was in Calvary Cemetery, Woodside, New York.
wn.com/William_R._Roberts -
William Stephens
William Dennison Stephens (December 26, 1859 – April 25, 1944) was an American federal and state politician. A three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1911 to 1916, Stephens was the 24th governor of California from 1917 to 1923.
William Stephens was born in Eaton, Ohio on December 26, 1859. He was the third child out of a total of nine children born to Martin and Alvira Stephens. With ambitions to become a lawyer, Stephens studied earnestly in law to become a lawyer, yet family fortunes required all of his earnings to go to his family instead.
Following his graduation from Eaton High School in 1876, Stephens worked for three years as a school teacher before joining the railroad business to become an engineer. Between 1880 and 1887, Stephens helped survey the construction of railroads in Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Louisiana. His days in the railroads came to an end in 1887 when his mother, Alvira, now falling ill, sought a hot and drier climate to improve her health. The Stephens family, including William, relocated to Los Angeles, California that year, though Alvira would be dead within a year.
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John Field - Nocturne #5 Bb Major. Performer: Steve Bigler
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:01
- Updated: 08 Dec 2012
I am not a professional pianist. I'm just a 62 year-old guy who's played for quite a few years. This particular John Field nocturne appears in two versions. I believe I'm playing the second version here, but I'm not sure. It's a beautiful, melodic little number that's very enjoyable to play. Hope you listeners enjoy it too. - Steve
http://wn.com/John_Field_Nocturne_5_Bb_Major_Performer_Steve_Bigler
I am not a professional pianist. I'm just a 62 year-old guy who's played for quite a few years. This particular John Field nocturne appears in two versions. I believe I'm playing the second version here, but I'm not sure. It's a beautiful, melodic little number that's very enjoyable to play. Hope you listeners enjoy it too. - Steve
Tribute to Blake Bigler, by John Nixon & Ellis Hawes
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:35
- Updated: 27 Aug 2010
John and Ellis play one of my old Evergreen Playground (cover) favorites "If the river were whiskey and I were a diving duck". I caught it mid-way into the set, but the video captures enough to make me smile.
http://wn.com/Tribute_to_Blake_Bigler,_by_John_Nixon_Ellis_Hawes
John and Ellis play one of my old Evergreen Playground (cover) favorites "If the river were whiskey and I were a diving duck". I caught it mid-way into the set, but the video captures enough to make me smile.
- published: 24 Jan 2008
- views: 572
- author: georgialhartman
BiglerGuitars by John McNair
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:01
- Updated: 24 Oct 2012
A little promo by John McNair of Red Dog Guitars playing a Bigler "Colonial Havana" 3-string Cigar Box Guitar. www.biglerguitars.com
http://wn.com/BiglerGuitars_by_John_McNair
A little promo by John McNair of Red Dog Guitars playing a Bigler "Colonial Havana" 3-string Cigar Box Guitar. www.biglerguitars.com
- published: 09 Dec 2010
- views: 1572
- author: GuitarJaeger50
John Butler Trio - Ocean
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:33
- Updated: 22 Dec 2012
One of the best instrumental guitar pieces ever. Just incredible i will not send anybody a video or mp3 of this. Go to www.johnbutlertrio.com and buy the album. you must agree and artist of such talen deserves support! :) Hi, i have had a lot of comments about this getting out of sync. Unfortunately this is nothing to do with me(works fine on my comp, and i have re-uploaded it numerous times), so i cant fix it :(. It may be something to do with the codec i used, but either way, it is a youtube prob. Sorry guys, and glad to have gotten so much positive feedback about it :D
http://wn.com/John_Butler_Trio_Ocean
One of the best instrumental guitar pieces ever. Just incredible i will not send anybody a video or mp3 of this. Go to www.johnbutlertrio.com and buy the album. you must agree and artist of such talen deserves support! :) Hi, i have had a lot of comments about this getting out of sync. Unfortunately this is nothing to do with me(works fine on my comp, and i have re-uploaded it numerous times), so i cant fix it :(. It may be something to do with the codec i used, but either way, it is a youtube prob. Sorry guys, and glad to have gotten so much positive feedback about it :D
- published: 28 Dec 2005
- views: 17010478
- author: N3maN
John Butler Trio - Ocean (Live at Federation Square)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:25
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
Track 9 from the Live at Federation Square DVD Live at Federation Square on 5th April 2007 Melbourne locals witnessed John Butler Trio Live At The Wireless in Federation Square. Performing songs from their hit new album Grand National as well as some old favourites, the John Butler Trio rocked Fed Square before heading off on their world tour. The John Butler Trio is primarily an eclectic roots/jam band led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler. Two of the band's albums Three (2001) and Living 2001-2002 (2003) have gone platinum in Australia and reached the top ten of the Australian album charts in those years. The 2004 album Sunrise Over Sea debuted at number one on the Australian charts on March 15, 2004 reaching gold record status in its first week on sale. Their most recent album,Grand National was released in March 07.
http://wn.com/John_Butler_Trio_Ocean_Live_at_Federation_Square
Track 9 from the Live at Federation Square DVD Live at Federation Square on 5th April 2007 Melbourne locals witnessed John Butler Trio Live At The Wireless in Federation Square. Performing songs from their hit new album Grand National as well as some old favourites, the John Butler Trio rocked Fed Square before heading off on their world tour. The John Butler Trio is primarily an eclectic roots/jam band led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler. Two of the band's albums Three (2001) and Living 2001-2002 (2003) have gone platinum in Australia and reached the top ten of the Australian album charts in those years. The 2004 album Sunrise Over Sea debuted at number one on the Australian charts on March 15, 2004 reaching gold record status in its first week on sale. Their most recent album,Grand National was released in March 07.
- published: 20 Jan 2008
- views: 2938806
- author: 0totoro0
Chopin Nocturne in C-Minor, No 21 (Posthumous). Performer: Steve Bigler
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:52
- Updated: 04 Oct 2012
I'm a 63-year old amateur pianist. I love this particular nocturne by Chopin - in fact, I'm hoping that someone will play it at my funeral someday! I hope you enjoy it. And if you enjoy nocturnes in general, you may wish to check out my posted version of the John Field Nocturne #5 in Bb major.
http://wn.com/Chopin_Nocturne_in_C-Minor,_No_21_Posthumous_Performer_Steve_Bigler
I'm a 63-year old amateur pianist. I love this particular nocturne by Chopin - in fact, I'm hoping that someone will play it at my funeral someday! I hope you enjoy it. And if you enjoy nocturnes in general, you may wish to check out my posted version of the John Field Nocturne #5 in Bb major.
- published: 23 Jun 2011
- views: 2801
- author: bigs1947
WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic saison 1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 90:04
- Updated: 20 Nov 2012
Actu poker : pokerxy.fr French Poker Radio la radio poker qui vous répond en direct : frenchpokerradio.net Posez vos questions pour Pokerxy Showdown : www.facebook.com Une table finale avec Gus Hansen, Scotty Nguyen, John Juanda, John Henningan, Fredy Deeb,Chris Bigler.
http://wn.com/WPT_Five_Diamond_World_Poker_Classic_saison_1
Actu poker : pokerxy.fr French Poker Radio la radio poker qui vous répond en direct : frenchpokerradio.net Posez vos questions pour Pokerxy Showdown : www.facebook.com Une table finale avec Gus Hansen, Scotty Nguyen, John Juanda, John Henningan, Fredy Deeb,Chris Bigler.
- published: 08 Jul 2012
- views: 1442
- author: TonyRoyEarle
The Growth Coach NY : Testimonial : Dave Bigler
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:31
- Updated: 07 Oct 2011
http://wn.com/The_Growth_Coach_NY_Testimonial_Dave_Bigler
Dreaming With a Broken Heart - Live at local Show
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:02
- Updated: 06 Dec 2012
This is me singing John Mayer's Dreaming With a Broken Heart live at a local show. I personally love this song and I hope you like my version of it! Please comment, rate and subscribe! Thanks - cb
http://wn.com/Dreaming_With_a_Broken_Heart_Live_at_local_Show
This is me singing John Mayer's Dreaming With a Broken Heart live at a local show. I personally love this song and I hope you like my version of it! Please comment, rate and subscribe! Thanks - cb
- published: 04 Feb 2012
- views: 453
- author: cbigler96
Lake Tahoe (Kalifornische Seite)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:47
- Updated: 30 Dec 2011
Der etwa 497 km² große Lake Tahoe ist ein See auf der Grenze der US-Bundesstaaten Nevada und Kalifornien (Nordamerika). Der See wurde im 19. Jahrhundert zunächst bis 1862 Lake Bigler genannt, zu Ehren des dritten Gouverneurs von Kalifornien, John Bigler. 1862 wurde dann der Name Tahoe (nach dá'aw Washoe für See) eingeführt und beide Namen wurden parallel genutzt. Erst seit 1945 heißt der See offiziell Lake Tahoe.
http://wn.com/Lake_Tahoe_Kalifornische_Seite
Der etwa 497 km² große Lake Tahoe ist ein See auf der Grenze der US-Bundesstaaten Nevada und Kalifornien (Nordamerika). Der See wurde im 19. Jahrhundert zunächst bis 1862 Lake Bigler genannt, zu Ehren des dritten Gouverneurs von Kalifornien, John Bigler. 1862 wurde dann der Name Tahoe (nach dá'aw Washoe für See) eingeführt und beide Namen wurden parallel genutzt. Erst seit 1945 heißt der See offiziell Lake Tahoe.
- published: 22 Oct 2010
- views: 39
- author: neeedflanders
The Growth Coach of NY : Testimonial : Dave Bigler
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:31
- Updated: 20 Jan 2012
This video was produced by ModernMixMarketing.com on behalf of The Growth Coach of New York. For more information on John Stahl and the Growth Coach of New York visit wwwTheGrowthCoachNY.com For more information on how Modern Mix Marketing can help your business find, nurture and convert customers, contact us today by visiting http calling 518.290.1440 or stopping by our office at 432 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, New York
http://wn.com/The_Growth_Coach_of_NY_Testimonial_Dave_Bigler
This video was produced by ModernMixMarketing.com on behalf of The Growth Coach of New York. For more information on John Stahl and the Growth Coach of New York visit wwwTheGrowthCoachNY.com For more information on how Modern Mix Marketing can help your business find, nurture and convert customers, contact us today by visiting http calling 518.290.1440 or stopping by our office at 432 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, New York
- published: 28 Nov 2011
- views: 44
- author: ModernMixMarketing
ForHands, John Michet et Gabriel Ducommun
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:28
- Updated: 28 Nov 2012
Mon Village a du talent, Cortaillod, 13 juillet 2012 Avec Vincent Bigler, Gabriel Ducommun, John Michet, etc... :-)
http://wn.com/ForHands,_John_Michet_et_Gabriel_Ducommun
Mon Village a du talent, Cortaillod, 13 juillet 2012 Avec Vincent Bigler, Gabriel Ducommun, John Michet, etc... :-)
- published: 28 Oct 2012
- views: 53
- author: adomjan
Malibu Noseriders (Part 1) - www.TheUglySurfboard.com
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:13
- Updated: 09 Jul 2012
On a great day at Da Bu, Steve Bigler, Chad Marshall, Joel Tudor and Josh Samuel, among others, brilliantly surf, getting awsom tiprides to the jammin' music of John Murphy. A Bob Purvey Flick
http://wn.com/Malibu_Noseriders_Part_1_wwwTheUglySurfboardcom
On a great day at Da Bu, Steve Bigler, Chad Marshall, Joel Tudor and Josh Samuel, among others, brilliantly surf, getting awsom tiprides to the jammin' music of John Murphy. A Bob Purvey Flick
- published: 02 Nov 2006
- views: 27279
- author: bobpurvey
Highlands Castle Promotional Video
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:54
- Updated: 21 Oct 2011
The Highlands Castle is an amazing location for intimate weddings or events. Contact www.highlandscastle.com for more info. Video by www.biglerproductions.com
http://wn.com/Highlands_Castle_Promotional_Video
The Highlands Castle is an amazing location for intimate weddings or events. Contact www.highlandscastle.com for more info. Video by www.biglerproductions.com
- published: 24 Jul 2010
- views: 502
- author: BiglerProductions
Daydream
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:53
- Updated: 18 Sep 2012
Second silent film done in NYFA Paris 2006 HSW. Director, Photography, and Concept: John Nouel Girl: Lucy Girl 2: Lily Bigler
http://wn.com/Daydream
Second silent film done in NYFA Paris 2006 HSW. Director, Photography, and Concept: John Nouel Girl: Lucy Girl 2: Lily Bigler
- published: 09 Dec 2006
- views: 1208
- author: jnouel
Peter Bigler on ION Sports
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:27
- Updated: 03 Jul 2011
ION Sports is the Network of Champions in Volleyball. Who do you have your ION? Watch Peter Bigler here.
http://wn.com/Peter_Bigler_on_ION_Sports
ION Sports is the Network of Champions in Volleyball. Who do you have your ION? Watch Peter Bigler here.
- published: 03 Jul 2011
- views: 63
- author: IONSTUDIOS
World Poker Tour 1x01 Five Diamond World Poker Classic
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 90:46
- Updated: 11 Dec 2012
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises (WPTE), the firm that controlled the World Poker Tour up to November 2009. In 2008, the WPT started offering bracelets to its event champions. Players who won a title prior to the release of the WPT Bracelet, were given one retroactively.
http://wn.com/World_Poker_Tour_1x01_Five_Diamond_World_Poker_Classic
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises (WPTE), the firm that controlled the World Poker Tour up to November 2009. In 2008, the WPT started offering bracelets to its event champions. Players who won a title prior to the release of the WPT Bracelet, were given one retroactively.
- published: 24 Sep 2011
- views: 3360
- author: ChipmunkTransitionDV
Alone - Naked Version - A. Ryan Bigler & The Wild Humans - Live at Kulak's Woodshed
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:39
- Updated: 19 Dec 2012
A song that demonstrates the difference between loneliness and Being Alone.
http://wn.com/Alone_Naked_Version_A_Ryan_Bigler_The_Wild_Humans_Live_at_Kulak's_Woodshed
A song that demonstrates the difference between loneliness and Being Alone.
- published: 11 Aug 2012
- views: 15
- author: thewildhumans
errakugh RAP ATTACK
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:07
- Updated: 22 Jan 2012
just an ordinary day at go pro, ya know.
http://wn.com/errakugh_RAP_ATTACK
THE TEXAS WILDCARDS - Born To Be Wild
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:27
- Updated: 25 Oct 2012
David John & The Wildcards at Poodies Hilltop December 6, 2008. The Wildcards are: Dave Sensat - guitar, Steve Bigler - bass guitar, David John - vocals and drums and our friend Barney on blues harp.
http://wn.com/THE_TEXAS_WILDCARDS_Born_To_Be_Wild
David John & The Wildcards at Poodies Hilltop December 6, 2008. The Wildcards are: Dave Sensat - guitar, Steve Bigler - bass guitar, David John - vocals and drums and our friend Barney on blues harp.
- published: 15 Feb 2009
- views: 263
- author: COWDOGMUSIC
Mon village a du talent, Cortaillod, 13 juillet 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 56:30
- Updated: 24 Jul 2012
Mon village a du talent, Cortaillod, 13 juillet 2012, RTS Avec notamment Vincent Bigler Gabriel Ducommun John Michet
http://wn.com/Mon_village_a_du_talent,_Cortaillod,_13_juillet_2012
Mon village a du talent, Cortaillod, 13 juillet 2012, RTS Avec notamment Vincent Bigler Gabriel Ducommun John Michet
- published: 13 Jul 2012
- views: 400
- author: adomjan
Mon Village a du talent, Cortaillod, 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 23:52
- Updated: 28 Oct 2012
Mon Village a du talent, Cortaillod, 13 juillet 2012 Avec Vincent Bigler, Gabriel Ducommun, John Michet, etc... :-)
http://wn.com/Mon_Village_a_du_talent,_Cortaillod,_2012
Mon Village a du talent, Cortaillod, 13 juillet 2012 Avec Vincent Bigler, Gabriel Ducommun, John Michet, etc... :-)
- published: 13 Jul 2012
- views: 351
- author: adomjan
Malibu Noseriders (Part 2) - www.TheUglySurfboard.com
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:12
- Updated: 21 Mar 2012
On a great day at Da Bu, Steve Bigler, Chad Marshall, Joael Tudor and Josh Samuel, among others, brilliantly surf, getting noserides to the jammin' music by John Murphy - A Bob Purvey Flick
http://wn.com/Malibu_Noseriders_Part_2_wwwTheUglySurfboardcom
On a great day at Da Bu, Steve Bigler, Chad Marshall, Joael Tudor and Josh Samuel, among others, brilliantly surf, getting noserides to the jammin' music by John Murphy - A Bob Purvey Flick
- published: 02 Nov 2006
- views: 4970
- author: bobpurvey
photo: AP / Fahd al-Bakoush
20 Dec 2012
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three senior U.S. State Department officials were asked to resign after an official inquiry harshly criticized their offices for failing to provide adequate security at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, before it came under attack in September, a U.S. official said on Wednesday ... State Department officials declined to comment on the matter, saying it was a personnel issue ... facilities ... Senator John Barrasso said....(size: 5.4Kb)
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
20 Dec 2012
Obama held a White House news conference on Wednesday to announce that Vice President Joe Biden will lead an interagency effort to craft new gun policies. The group is expected to offer its proposals in January. “We know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides,” Obama said. “But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing.” ... WAKE-UP CALL ... ....(size: 6.1Kb)
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
19 Dec 2012
WASHINGTON. US President Barack Obama backs a new bill to revive an assault weapons ban and other new gun laws, the White House said Tuesday, fleshing out his nascent response to a shocking school massacre. Obama also called an ardently pro-gun senator who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday's carnage in Connecticut and has begun meeting top cabinet officials to consider his options, his spokesman Jay Carney said ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)
photo: AP / Alfred de Montesquiou
21 Dec 2012
UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council on Thursday authorized military action to wrest northern Mali from the control of al-Qaida-linked extremists, but it demanded progress first on political reconciliation, elections and training African troops and police ... Instead, it set out benchmarks to be met before the start of offensive operations, starting with progress on a political roadmap to restore constitutional order ... U.N ... On Nov ... ....(size: 3.1Kb)
photo: AP / Mohammad Hannon
19 Dec 2012
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she accepts the findings of an independent panel that faulted the State Department over the deadly September attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya. An inquiry into the attack on the US mission, which saw the US ambassador and three other US citizens killed, found that the State Department security arrangements there were "grossly inadequate" ... 390 Source. ... Share ... Jaws ... Anaheim....(size: 19.2Kb)
The Examiner
29 Sep 2011
Despite the downturn in the economic outlook for San Francisco the improvements previously...John PutnamGold Rush History ExaminerSeptember 28, 2011 The depression of 1854 ... John PutnamSeptember 14, 2011 Even as San Francisco began its greatest year ever the next attack on its prosperity was launched by no less than John Bigler, the governor of California, in his annual message on January 5, 1853....(size: 5.3Kb)
The Examiner
14 Sep 2011
Even as San Francisco began its greatest year ever the next attack on its prosperity was launched by no less than John Bigler, the governor of California, in his annual message on January 5, 1853 ... John BiglerCredits. William F ... California Gold Rush San Francisco waterfront swindle Bigler Governor ReportPrintEmail Read full bio Get my newsletter Get my RSS feed Become an Examiner By John Putnam....(size: 5.0Kb)
The Examiner
25 Apr 2011
When Peter Nicholas visited Columbia from his nearby mining site of Sawmill Flat, got drunk and picked a quarrel with Captain John Parrot of Pine Log and, with no cause at allr, stabbed him in the neck with his Bowie knife causing a fatal wound, he was promptly grabbed and thrown in the county jail ... But then the state governor, John Bigler stepped in and commuted Nicholas’ sentence to seven years in prison ... By John Putnam....(size: 3.0Kb)
Post-Bulletin
01 Sep 2010
Tweet. 9/1/2010 8.09.42 AM By. LOURDES SCHEDULE. (all games start at 7 p.m.). (home games Rochester Regional Sports Stadium). Sept. 3 - Pine Island. Sept. 10 - at Cannon Falls. Sept. 17 - Kasson-Mantorville. Sept. 24 - at La Crescent. Oct. 1 - Byron. Oct. 8 - at Zumbrota-Mazeppa. Oct. 15 - at Stewartville ... 18 John Bigler 10 WR/DB 5-11 145 ... John Jensen, Scott Nickels, Jerome Garry, Dave Jensen, Kevin Kirkeby, Rick Lilla, Ben Witter, John-Howard Carroll. ....(size: 3.0Kb)
| John Bigler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Portrait of Bigler by William F. Cogswell | |
| 3rd Governor of California | |
| In office January 8, 1852 – January 9, 1856 |
|
| Lieutenant | Samuel Purdy |
| Preceded by | John McDougall |
| Succeeded by | J. Neely Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1805-01-08)January 8, 1805 Carlisle, Pennsylvania |
| Died | November 29, 1871(1871-11-29) (aged 66) Sacramento, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Editor, lawyer, politician |
John Bigler (January 8, 1805 – November 29, 1871) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office successfully, as well as the first to win re-election. His younger brother, William Bigler, was elected governor of Pennsylvania during the same period. Bigler was also appointed by President James Buchanan as the U.S. Minister to Chile from 1857 to 1861.
Contents |
Biography[link]
Bigler was born in early 1805 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to parents of German ancestry. Beginning work in the printing trade at an early age, Bigler, as well as his younger brother, William, never received a formal education, yet Bigler took it upon himself to educate his younger brother. In 1831, both brothers moved to Bellefonte in Centre County to buy the local Andrew Jackson-affiliated Centre Democrat newspaper, where older John assumed editorial duties. Bigler worked as editor until 1835 when he sold the publication to study law.[1]
When news of the California gold rush reached the East Coast in mid 1848, Bigler, now a middle-aged lawyer, decided to leave for the West Coast to join a law practice. Travelling overland with an ox train, Bigler reached Sacramento in 1849, only to quickly discover no open positions in law. Bigler began to work a series of odd jobs, including becoming an auctioneer, a wood chopper, and a freight unloader at the town's docks along the Sacramento River.[2] Upon hearing of the territory's first general election in the same year, Bigler decided to turn to politics, and entered the California State Assembly as a Democrat, one of nine members representing the Sacramento district.
Political career[link]
Upon being elected to the first session of the California State Legislature in 1849, Bigler enjoyed a rapid rise to power in the Assembly. Within a year, Bigler was voted by the heavily Democratic majority in the body as the Speaker of the Assembly in February 1850. Now one of the most powerful legislators in the state, Bigler enjoyed widespread name recognition. During the Sacramento Cholera Epidemic of October 1850, Bigler contracted cholera as a direct result of his remaining in the city and assisting doctors and undertakers.[2]
In May 1851, Bigler was nominated by the Democratic Party convention in Benicia as the party's choice for governor in California's first general election after achieving statehood. Bigler's challenger, the Whig Party's Pierson B. Reading, derided Bigler as an unpolished, gruff Yankee Northerner, while Reading articulated himself as an educated pioneering gentleman of the South. Bigler won the election by little more than a thousand votes, remaining today as the closest gubernatorial election in California history.[2]
Governorship[link]
Assuming the governorship on January 8, 1852, Bigler set out in his priorities to protect the state's highly profitable mining interests from leasing or outside monopolies, declaring them in his first inaugural address as "[being] left as free as the air we breathe."[3] Bigler also prioritized bringing industrialization to California, encouraging industrial investment on behalf of the state government.
Anti-Chinese laws[link]
Bigler also set out on a policy to openly target Chinese "coolie" immigrants from entering California. Claiming that the Chinese refused to and could never assimilate into American society, as well as their willingness to work with little pay, Bigler urged Californians to "check this tide of Asiatic immigration."[4] While the previous administration of Governor John McDougall somewhat supported the Chinese presence in the state, Bigler advocated the revival of the 1850 Foreign Miners Tax, originally signed by anti-foreigner Governor Peter Burnett. Whereas the original 1850 law placed a US$20 a month tax on all miners of foreign origin, the Bigler-supported 1852 version of the law placed a US$3 a month tax exclusively for Chinese laborers.[5] Over the course of his two terms in office, taxes for Chinese steadily increased with ever harsher bills passing the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Bigler. One law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor created a US$50 tax per head for Chinese entering Californian ports that was to be paid within three days. The California Supreme Court later ruled the law unconstitutional.[2]
As Sierra Nevada gold mine output came to a trickle by the early 1850s, followed by local financial panic caused by the discovery of gold in Australia, anger towards hard-working and labor-cheap Chinese grew from economically pressured miners, who desperately sought alternative work in California's cities and ports. While Bigler aligned himself with popular anti-immigrant and anti-Chinese sentiment, these pressure ranks would later split from the Democrats and spill over into the anti-immigrant American Know-Nothing Party.
Free Soil period[link]
Pressure was also mounting on the Democratic Party itself in California in regards to slavery. By the 1853 general election campaign, large majorities of pro-slavery Democrats from Southern California, calling themselves the Chivalry (later branded as Lecompton Democrats), threatened to divide the state in half should the state not accept slavery. Bigler, along with former State Senator and Lieutenant Governor David C. Broderick from the previous McDougall Administration, formed the Free Soil Democratic faction, modeled after the federal Free Soil Party that argued against the spread of slavery. The Democrats effectively split into two camps, with both the Chivalry and Free Soilers nominating their own candidates for the 1853 election.[6] Despite the party split, Bigler was able to overcome Whig Party challenger William Waldo and win a second term of office, the first governor to win a second term. No other elected California governor would successfully win a first and second term until Hiram Johnson in 1914.
Moving the capital[link]
While Bigler continued to advocate and sign legislation restricting Chinese immigration and labor, the state government failed to find a permanent location for a capital or a capitol building. State Senator Mariano Vallejo's promises of Vallejo as being an ideal capital city failed to materialize. For one miserable week in early 1852, the California State Legislature met in the township, quickly discovering the lack of facilities, supplies and furniture.[7] With the suggestion of Bigler and support from city government leaders, the Legislature would temporarily relocate to his adopted city of Sacramento, while Vallejo would remain the permanent capital. However, after flooding problems in Sacramento, and dire weather conditions in Vallejo, the Legislature and Bigler agreed to relocate the capital to nearby Benicia. Conditions in Benicia proved once again poor for state bureaucrats. Sacramento offered its services again as a capital, and on February 25, 1854, Governor Bigler signed into law making Sacramento the capital of California. With the exception of a temporary move to San Francisco in 1862 while Sacramento was again flooded, the capital has stayed there since.
Bigler's popularity peaked around 1854 to 1855. For the 1855 general election, the Democratic Party renominated Bigler in his bid to gain a third term of office. However, his monopoly on anti-immigrant sentiment began to lose ground. Growing economic troubles due to the slow collapse of gold mining in the Sierras and other gold discoveries in Australia, as well as failures to solve growing state financial debt led to popular discontent with infrastructure and fiscal management within his administration, one that was generally perceived by the public for its fiscal extravagances.[8] Bigler urged adoption of measures to secure for San Francisco the benefits of the whale trade of the Pacific. The anti-immigrant and Nativist American Know-Nothing Party, led by its nominee, former Democrat J. Neely Johnson, defeated Bigler by a moderate margin during the 1855 election. Bigler is the first California governor to be defeated through a general election.
Post governorship career[link]
Following his defeat in the 1855 elections, Bigler's career turned to diplomacy. In 1857, at the insistence of his brother, Pennsylvania Governor William Bigler, President James Buchanan appointed Bigler as U.S. Minister to Chile.[8] Following the completion of his foreign assignment, Bigler re-entered politics, this time on the federal level. Bigler ran as a Southern-friendly Independent for Congress in the 1863 elections, yet failed to win. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Bigler as the Internal Revenue Service's Federal Assessor for the Sacramento district, but due to open animosity between Congress and President Johnson at the time, the U.S. Senate never confirmed the nomination, and thus Bigler never took the position.[9]
In 1867, Bigler was appointed Railroad Commissioner for the Central Pacific Railroad. In 1868, he founded the State Capitol Reporter and served as its editor until his death in Sacramento on November 29, 1871 at the age of 66. He is interred in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery.[10][11]
Lake Tahoe/Lake Bigler[link]
At the height of his popularity in 1854, the Democratic majority State Legislature named modern-day Lake Tahoe "Lake Bigler" in honor of California's third Governor, who was then beginning his second term. For nearly ten years, the name of the lake had been in dispute. John C. Fremont, one of the lake's first White discoverers in 1844, named it "Lake Bonpland" after Aimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland, a French botanist who had accompanied Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt in his exploration of Mexico, Colombia and the Amazon River.[12] Lake Bonpland's usage never became popular, with the name's lake changing from "Mountain Lake" to "Fremont's Lake." several years after. By 1853, the name "Lake Bigler" began to be applied to maps of the lake after the then-popular California governor. The state legislature officially changed the name the following year."[13]
File:CalifNevada1860s.jpg
An 1860s map of "Lake Bigler" during the name controversy
Lake Bigler's usage never became universal. In just a year, different maps referred to the lake not only as Bigler, but also as "Mountain Lake" to "Maheon Lake." By 1861, at the start of the American Civil War, former Governor Bigler, once a Free Soil Democrat, had become an ardent Confederate sympathizer. Unionists and Republicans alike derided the former governor's name on the lake on official state maps. Pro-Union papers called for a "change from this Secesh appellation" and "no Copperhead names on our landmarks for us."[12] Several Unionist members in the Legislature suggested changing the name to the fanciful sounding "Tula Tulia." The Sacramento Union jokingly suggested the name "Largo Bergler" for Bigler's widely perceived financial incompetency in his final term and contemporary Southern sympathies.
The debate took a new direction when William Henry Knight, mapmaker for the federal U.S. Department of the Interior, and colleague Dr. Henry DeGroot of the Sacramento Union joined the political argument in 1862. As Knight completed a new map of the lake, the mapmaker asked DeGroot for a new name of the lake. DeGroot suggested "Tahoe," a local tribal name he believed meant "water in a high place." Knight agreed, and telegraphed to the Land Office in Washington, D.C. to officially change all federal maps to now read "Lake Tahoe." Knight later explained his desire for a name change, writing, "I remarked (to many) that people had expressed dissatisfaction with the name "Bigler", bestowed in honor of a man who had not distinguished himself by any single achievement, and I thought now would be a good time to select an appropriate name and fix it forever on that beautiful sheet of water."[14]
"Lake Tahoe," also like "Lake Bigler," did not gain universal acceptance. Mark Twain, a critic of the new name, called it an "unmusical cognomen." In an 1864 editorial regarding the name in the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, Twain cited Bigler as being "the legitimate name of the Lake, and it will be retained until some name less flat, insipid and spooney than "Tahoe" is invented for it."[15] In Twain's 1869 novel Innocents Abroad, Twain continued to deride the name in his foreign travels. "People say that Tahoe means 'Silver Lake' - 'Limpid Water' - 'Falling Leaf.' Bosh! It means grasshopper soup, the favorite dish of the digger tribe - and of the Piutes as well."[16] The Placerville Mountain Democrat began a notorious rumor that "Tahoe" was actually an Indian renegade who plundered upon White settlers. To counter the federal government, the California State Legislature reaffirmed in 1870 that the lake was indeed called "Lake Bigler."
By the end of the 19th century, usage of "Lake Bigler" had nearly completely fallen out of popular vocabulary in favor of "Tahoe." The California State Legislature officially reversed its previous decision in 1945, officially changing the name to Lake Tahoe.
References[link]
- ^ Douglas Macneal. "15 Historical Sketches of Our 200 Years". Centre County Government. http://www.co.centre.pa.us/sketches/s6.asp. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ a b c d Tinkham, George H. (1915). California Men and Events, Time 1769-1890. Stockton, CA: Record Publishing. OCLC 6109910.
- ^ Bigler, John (1852-01-08). "Inaugural Address". State of California. http://www.californiagovernors.ca.gov/h/documents/inaugural_3.html. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ Norman Asing. "Becoming American: The Chinese Experience". PBS. http://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/ce_witness1.html. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ Norton, Henry K (1924). "Chapter XXIV the Chinese". The Story of California From the Earliest Days to the Present (7th ed.). Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co.. pp. 283–296. OCLC 13193702. http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/chinhate.html. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ California Research Bureau (June 1853). "Studies in the News". California State Library. http://www.library.ca.gov/SITN/2003/0335.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ The Office of the Assembly Chief Clerk (May 2000) (.PDF). California's State Capitols. Second Edition. State of California. http://www.assembly.ca.gov/clerk/BILLSLEGISLATURE/documents/statecappdf.pdf. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ a b Theodore H. Hittell (1897) [1885]. History of California, Vol IV. San Francisco, CA: N.J. Stone & Company.
- ^ JoinCalifornia, Elections 1849-present
- ^ Self Guided Tour. Historic City Cemetery, Inc.. January 2006. http://www.oldcitycemetery.com/images/PDF/SelfTour.pdf%7C. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Burial Index". Old City Cemetery Committee. 2005. http://www.oldcitycemetery.com/images/PDF/CemeteryIndex.pdf. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ a b "Where does the name "Tahoe" come from?". rubiconbay.net. Archived from the original on 2007-03-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20070315192037/http://www.rubiconbay.net/name.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ California State Library. "John Bigler". State of California. http://www.californiagovernors.ca.gov/h/biography/governor_3.html. Retrieved 2000-01-21.
- ^ "History of Lake Tahoe". South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2007-05-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20070502000925/http://www.tahoeinfo.com/visit/history.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ TwainQuotes.com - From the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, February 12, 1864
- ^ Mark Twain (2003) [1869]. The Innocents Abroad. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-42832-X.
External links[link]
| California Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by First Legislature |
California State Assemblyman, Sacramento District 1849-1851 (with eight others) |
Succeeded by Numbered districts established |
| Preceded by District created |
California State Assemblyman, 12th District 1851-1852 (with Daniel J. Lisle, Charles Robinson) |
Succeeded by Four members |
|
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|
|||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bigler, John |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Governor of California |
| Date of birth | 1805-1-8 |
| Place of birth | Carlisle, Pennsylvania |
| Date of death | 1871-11-29 |
| Place of death | Sacramento, California |
http://wn.com/John_Bigler
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/John Bigler
http://pt.wn.com/John Bigler
http://de.wn.com/John Bigler
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bigler
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the New Bruswick politician. For the Pennsylvania Congressman, see John McNair (congressman).
| The Honourable John Babbitt McNair CC BCL BA |
|
|---|---|
| The Honourable John Babbitt McNair | |
| 23rd Premier of New Brunswick | |
| In office March 13, 1940 – October 7, 1952 |
|
| Lieutenant Governor | William Clark, David Laurence MacLaren |
| Preceded by | Allison Dysart |
| Succeeded by | Hugh John Flemming |
| 22nd Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick | |
| In office June 9, 1965 – January 31, 1968 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Georges Vanier, Roland Michener |
| Preceded by | Joseph Leonard O'Brien |
| Succeeded by | Wallace Samuel Bird |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1889-11-20)November 20, 1889 Andover, New Brunswick |
| Died | June 14, 1968( 1968-06-14) (aged 78) Fredericton, New Brunswick |
| Resting place | Fredericton Rural Cemetery |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Mary MacGregor Crocket Margaret Jones |
| Children | 3 daughters, 1 son |
| Alma mater | University of New Brunswick Oxford University |
| Profession | Lawyer, Politician, Judge |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
John Babbitt McNair, CC (November 20, 1889 – June 14, 1968) was the 23rd premier of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada from 1940 to 1952. He worked as a lawyer, politician and judge.
Born in Andover, New Brunswick, he graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1911 with a B.A. degree. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, at Oxford University he earned a B.A. in 1913 and a Bachelor of Civil Law degree in 1914, graduating with first-class honours.
At the onset of World War I he enlisted in the Canadian Army and served on the battlefields of France and Germany as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Captain McNair served again during World War II as a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery Reserves.
John McNair was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1935 New Brunswick general election and served as Attorney-General in the government of Premier Dysart and served as president of the Liberal Party of New Brunswick from 1932 to 1940. He lost his seat in the 1939 election but returned in 1940, succeeding Dysart as leader of the party and premier.
Despite province wide protests, on April 27, 1950 McNair's government implemented a four percent provincial sales tax to help finance the public education system and social services.
McNair served as premier for twelve years until the defeat of his government in 1952 at which time he returned to the practise of law. In 1955 he was named Chief Justice of New Brunswick and became the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of the province in 1965.
In 1967 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Life Story[link]
The Honourable John Babbitt McNair was born to James McNair and Francis Anne Lewis on November 20, 1889, in Andover, Victoria County, New Brunswick. As a youth he attended Andover Grammar School and Florenceville Consolidated School before enrolling at the University of New Brunswick in 1907. He distinguished himself as a scholar before graduating with his B.A. in 1911, receiving numerous awards including the Lieutenant-Governors Award and served as his class valedictorian. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University, where he further distinguished himself by earning first-class honours, and received a B.A. in 1913 and a B.C.L. in 1914.
Following the outbreak of the First World War, McNair enlisted with the Armed Forces and served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France and Germany. By the war’s close he had attained the rank of Lieutenant. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, McNair volunteered once again and served as a Captain in the Royal Canadian Artillery Reserves.
Following his return to New Brunswick in 1919, McNair was admitted to the bar and entered into a law partnership with J.J.F. Winslow at Fredericton. Over the next 15 years he became a leading member of several fraternal, religious and other community organizations. He also became a barrister and solicitor of some note, eventually being appointed a King’s Counsel on July 16, 1935.
It was during this period that McNair became involved in public affairs. A rising-star in the Liberal Party, in October 1932 he became President of the New Brunswick Liberal Association. He held this position until 1940. During the election campaign of June 1935, McNair was instrumental in A. Alison Dysart’s successful election to the premier’s office. At the same election, the 46 year-old McNair was elected to the Legislative Assembly as a representative for York County.
McNair was appointed Attorney-General in Premier Dysart’s cabinet on July 16, 1935. He held this position for the next seventeen years, until his retirement from politics in 1952. In the Legislative Chambers, McNair distinguished himself as a gifted speaker and was widely regarded as the most able member of Dysart’s government. Dysart frequently suffered from ill-health and during his many absences from the Legislature McNair served as Acting Premier. Although defeated in York County at the general election of November 20, 1939, a by-election was created for McNair in Victoria County and on January 20, 1940 he was re-elected.
Shortly afterwards Dysart retired from political life, and on March 13, 1940 McNair was sworn in as premier. He also continued as Attorney-General and, with a reputation as a hands-on administrator, he also briefly added the portfolios of Labour, Health and Labour, and Lands and Mines to his responsibilities. Considered to have been New Brunswick’s most intellectually gifted premier, McNair was also a shrewd politician and excellent debater who regularly used his cutting wit to fend off criticism from the Opposition benches. He was perhaps the last premier to write all his own speeches, which he did by hand either at his home on Waterloo Row or at his cabin at Gordon Vale.
Governing the province during the war years and through harsh economic times, McNair is credited with introducing a succession of budgetary surpluses, undertaking a massive rural electrification program, improving education in rural areas, expanding the role of the civil service, centralizing the provincial government offices and New Brunswick Electric Power Commission in Fredericton. Following the war, he introduced a variety of social benefit programs, began the modernization of the highway system, and created a Department of Industry and Reconstruction to ensure a smooth economic and social transition for the province from wartime to peacetime.
He was also instrumental in modernizing politics. For the August 1944 general election, McNair became the first politician in Canada to employ the services of a professional advertising agency to direct a political campaign. Following this tremendously successful campaign, the Liberals won all but five seats in the Legislature. After a similar election campaign in June 1948, McNair’s Liberals were returned to office with a similar majority. McNair continued as premier until his party’s defeat at the polls in 1952.
McNair then returned to his Fredericton law practice. In July 1955 he was appointed a Justice in Appeal, Supreme Court of New Brunswick. In October 1955 he was appointed Chief Justice in Appeal, Supreme Court of New Brunswick. He retired from the bench in 1964 on account of age. During his career after politics, McNair was also a member of the Senate for the University of New Brunswick, Chairman of the Selection Committee for the Awarding of the Beaverbrook Scholarships, and a member of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery Board.
In June 1965, at age 76, McNair was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick. He held this position until January 31, 1968 when illness forced him to resign. He died six months later on June 14, 1968.
McNair married Mary MacGregor Crocket on May 17, 1921, and they had three daughters and one son. Not long after McNair assumed the premiership, his wife’s health deteriorated in an alarming fashion and she spent much of her time in hospitals. Therefore, in addition to assuming the responsibility for the affairs of the province, McNair also shouldered the heavy responsibility of raising four children. Following the death of his first wife in 1961, McNair married Margaret Jones on April 27, 1963.
Among the many awards the Hon. John B. McNair received in his life were an honorary L.L.D. from the University of New Brunswick in 1938 and an honorary D.C.L. from Mount Allison University in 1951. He was designated a Companion of the Order of Canada on July 6, 1967, but the award had to be presented posthumously as the scheduled ceremony did not take place until September 23, 1968.
External links[link]
- McNair's biography at the Government of New Brunswick website
- Order of Canada Citation
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles D. Richards |
Chief Justice of New Brunswick 1955-1964 |
Succeeded by George F. G. Bridges |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Allison A. Dysart 1935–1940 |
Premier of New Brunswick 1940–1952 |
Succeeded by Hugh John Flemming 1952–1960 |
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Macnair, John Babbitt |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | November 20, 1889 |
| Place of birth | Andover, New Brunswick |
| Date of death | June 14, 1968 |
| Place of death | Fredericton, New Brunswick |
http://wn.com/John_B._McNair
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/John Babbitt McNair
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._McNair
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
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Wiki Summary
John Bigler (January 8, 1805 – November 29, 1871) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office successfully, as well as the first to win re-election. His younger brother, William Bigler, was elected governor of Pennsylvania during the same period. Bigler was also appointed by President James Buchanan as the U.S. Minister to Chile from 1857 to 1861.
Bigler was born in early 1805 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to parents of German ancestry. Beginning work in the printing trade at an early age, Bigler, as well as his younger brother, William, never received a formal education, yet Bigler took it upon himself to educate his younger brother. In 1831, both brothers moved to Bellefonte in Centre County to buy the local Andrew Jackson-affiliated Centre Democrat newspaper, where older John assumed editorial duties. Bigler worked as editor until 1835 when he sold the publication to study law.
