USA > California > Sacramento County > History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, 1913 > Part 15
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The senators from the county have been as follows: 1849-50, John Bidwell, Elisha O. Crosby, Thomas J. Green and Henry E. Robinson.
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Bidwell was a man who became prominent in the history of the state. He was one of the earliest pioneers, arriving here in 1841 by the overland route, after a journey of six months. He was given charge of Forts Bodega and Ross and also of General Sutter's Feather river property. During the war with Mexico he saw service in the army and rose to the rank of major. He was the first man to find gold on the Feather river. Elected from the Sacramento district to the constitutional convention in 1849, he did not serve as a delegate. He was a delegate to the Charleston national Democratic convention in 1860, and was elected to congress from the old third district in 1864. He was defeated by George Gorham for the nomination for governor in the Republican convention of 1867, and Gorham was beaten at the election by Henry H. Haight. In 1875 Bidwell was nominated for governor, but was defeated by William Irwin, the Democratic nominee; he was nominated again for governor on the Prohibition ticket in 1890, and on the same ticket for president in 1892. For many years he made his home at Chico and there he died, April 4, 1900.
Arriving in California in 1848, Elisha O. Crosby was a member of the first constitutional convention and lived at Alameda for a number of years. Green was elected a major-general by the legislature in 1850. He left California a few years afterwards and died in Warren county, N. C., December 13, 1863. Robinson, a lawyer by education, but engaged in mercantile pursuits, arrived in San Francisco in March, 1849, on the California, the first steamer that ever entered that port. In his will he left $40,000 to be used by the board of supervisors of San Francisco for the benefit of the poor of that city. Robinson was a member of the first council of Sacramento and one of the early postmasters. He amassed a large fortune in Alameda county and died at Norwalk, Conn., January 9, 1880.
1851, Henry E. Robinson; 1852, Henry E. Robinson and James H. Ralston. Ralston was for a number of years one of the leading lawyers in Sacramento, but went to Washoe during the mining excite- ment in that district and afterwards settled at Austin, Nev. While prospecting in search of mineral ledges in May, 1864, he lost his way and perished of starvation after many days of wandering. An Indian discovered and buried his body, which was afterwards disinterred and buried at Austin.
1853, James H. Ralston and A. P. Catlin; 1854, A. P. Catlin and Gilbert W. Colby. The latter was a pioneer who in the early days ran a ferry across the Upper Sacramento at Colby's landing. He was surveyor of Sacramento county two terms, from 1862 to 1866. For a number of years afterwards he made his home at Nord, but later located at Martinez and became interested in banking. He died in San Francisco, August 20, 1881. A. P. Catlin was born in New York and came to California in July, 1849. He was instrumental in
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getting the capital located in Sacramento, was prominent in politics and as a lawyer. He died on November 5, 1900.
1855, G. W. Colby and A. S. Gove. The latter, who was a mer- chant, returned to Vermont and died there. At the time he was elected to the senate he was a member of the city council.
1856, A. S. Gove and W. I. Ferguson. The latter was a na- tive of Illinois and was shot in a duel with George Pen Johnston, dying in San Francisco from the effect of his wound, September 14, 1858. Ferguson was a lawyer of much ability and an effective and popular speaker. The nick-name of "Ipse Doodle" was given to him, for some reason not explained. Ferguson was a man of great courage and it is stated that when he received the wound that caused his death, he exclaimed as he fell, "I am a gone community." His body is interred in the state plat of the Sacramento city cemetery. Johnston died in San Francisco, March 4, 1884.
1857, W. I. Ferguson and Josiah Johnson. Johnson was at one time a member of the board of supervisors and afterwards a city trustee. He died in Sacramento, December 10, 1888.
1858, W. I. Ferguson and Josiah Johnson; 1859, J. M. McDonald and Dr. Johnson Price. McDonald removed to San Francisco some years after and became prominent as a capitalist and mining man. Price was a Kentuckian and was elected at a special election to fill the vacancy caused by Ferguson's death. He had been an officer dur- ing the Mexican war and a member of the convention to revise the constitution of his own state. He came to California in 1849 and practiced medicine in Sacramento. He was appointed secretary of state January 10, 1860, by Governor Latham, and held the office until the expiration of Governor Downey's term. Afterwards he was a stock broker in San Francisco and died there of consumption, Feb- ruary 8, 1868.
1860, J. M. McDonald and Robert C. Clark. The latter, a son of James Clark, an early congressman, supreme judge and governor of Kentucky, arrived in this state in 1853 and began practice of the law in Sacramento. He was elected county judge in 1861, and was contin- uously re-elected to that office until it was abolished by the new con- stitution in 1879, when he was elected superior judge of this county, filling that office until his death, which occurred January 27, 1883.
1861, R. C. Clark and E. H. Heacock. Heacock practiced law in this city for- a number of years, and was city attorney from 1863 to 1867. He moved from here to Santa Cruz and served as county judge there for a number of years. Later he removed to Santa Barbara and was appointed superior judge of that county by Governor Per- kins, to succeed Eugene Faucett, deceased. Faucett will be recol- lected as the judge who tried Sprague for the killing of Moore. Hea -. cock represented the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura in the state senate for several terms.
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1862, E. H. Heacock and Dr. A. B. Nixon. Dr. Nixon practiced medicine in Sacramento for many years and was in charge of the Railroad hospital here. He was one of the first in the county who espoused Republican principles. Later he became identified with the Prohibition movement and ran for mayor in 1884 on the Prohibition ticket against John Q. Brown. He also ran as a St. John elector in 1884. He died in this city, November 2, 1889.
1863, Dr. A. B. Nixon and Newton Booth. A sketch of the latter will be found elsewhere.
1864, J. E. Benton and E. H. Heacock. At the time of his elec- tion Mr. Benton was a minister at Folsom. An anecdote regarding him relates that on one occasion he was so shocked at a remark made by a young rough in Sacramento that he reproved him for his lan- guage. The young man asked him brusquely who he was, and Mr. Benton replied, "I am a follower of the meek and lowly Jesus." "Well," rejoined the offender, "if I was the meek and lowly and such a looking fellow as you was following me around, I would hit him on the nose." Benton built the first church erected in Folsom. Afterward he became postmaster of Oakland, and died there, Feb- ruary 18, 1888.
1865-66, J. E. Benton and E. H. Heacock.
1867-68, E. H. Heacock and N. Greene Curtis. Curtis arrived in California in May, 1850, and was recorder or police judge of this city from 1853 to 1855. For many years he practiced law here and was regarded as the best among the criminal lawyers of the state. Soon after his arrival in Sacramento he was appointed deputy postmaster and shortly afterwards Jonathan Tittle, the postmaster, having gone east on business, left Curtis in charge of the office. While Tittle was absent, Richard Eads appeared and claimed that he had been ap- pointed to the office. Curtis refused to surrender the office until Eads presented his commission and filed his bond, and he retained the office for some months, until Eads had complied with these formalities. When Eads came in he retained Curtis as his deputy until the latter was elected recorder. Curtis was a Democrat, and was elected to the senate three times and the assembly once. He was a regent of the State University from 1880 to 1883, and was Grand Master of Masons of California from 1857 to 1860. He died at Sacramento, July 27, 1897.
1869-70, N. Greene Curtis and A. Comte, Jr. Comte was a lawyer and afterwards went to San Francisco. He graduated from the public schools of this city and from Harvard College, and received his legal training and was admitted to the bar from our local law offices. He also served in the assembly from Sacramento.
1873-74, James A. Duffy and Henry Edgerton. A native of Ver- mont and a distinguished lawyer, Edgerton served for several terms as district attorney of Napa county. As such, he conducted the
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prosecution of Edward McGowan for his connection with the killing of James King of William (the editor of the San Francisco Bulletin), which led to the forming of the vigilance committee of 1856, and the purification of San Francisco. He was senator from Napa county in 1860 and 1861, and ran unsuccessfully for congress in 1861 and 1862. He was also a member of the last constitutional convention and was the only Republican presidential elector elected in 1880, and was re-elected in 1884. He died in San Francisco, November 4, 1887.
1875-76, Henry Edgerton and Creed Haymond. Haymond was a brilliant lawyer, with a national reputation. He came from Virginia to California in 1852, and locating in Plumas county, practiced law there for a number of years, removing thence to Sacramento. In 1870 he was appointed one of the commissioners to draft a code of laws for the state. He was a delegate to three national Republican conventions and held a prominent position in the law department of the Central and Southern Pacific railroads at San Francisco until his death there, January 13, 1893.
1877-78, Creed Haymond and N. Greene Curtis.
1880, Grove L. Johnson and William Johnston. In 1849 Johnston came from Pennsylvania to this state and engaged in mining, but afterward bought a place near Richland, in this county, where he passed the rest of his life, dying at his home, November 15, 1905. He was a member of the senate for two terms and of the assembly one term. He was master of the State Grange two terms and twice a delegate to the National Grange, and was Grand Master of Masons of California. In 1883 he was a member of the state board of equal- ization by appointment of Governor Perkins, served as a dele- gate to the national Republican convention in 1880, and in 1886 was a prominent candidate for the Republican nomination for lieutenant- governor.
1881, Grove L. Johnson and William Johnston.
1883, Frederick Cox and Joseph Routier. Routier was born in France and came to California in 1853. He planted one of the first orchards near Folsom and settled ten miles from Sacramento, becom- ing a successful fruit-raiser. In 1877 he was a member of the assem- bly, and in 1886 he was appointed by Governor Bartlett as a member of the board of fish commissioners. He died at his home at Routier's, February 6, 1898. Frederick Cox came to this state in 1850. He was president of the State Agricultural Society for several years. With C. W. Clarke he engaged in raising cattle for many years, on a large scale.
1885, Frederick Cox and Joseph Routier.
1887, Findley R. Dray. As a boy of seventeen, Mr. Dray came to California with his father in 1850. He mined and farmed for several years in different parts of the state, and finally settled here in 1863, being appointed a deputy by Sheriff James McClatchy. After
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the close of MeClatchy's term Mr. Dray was elected public adminis- trator, and then assessor, for eight years. Judge Clark then ap- pointed him a supervisor, to fill out the term of H. O. Seymour, deceased. He engaged in real-estate and insurance and later became connected with the Sacramento Savings Bank. He died in this city, November 30, 1901.
1889-91, Findley R. Dray.
1893-95, Elijah C. Hart. Judge Hart is well known throughout the state, and for many years has been a resident of Sacramento. He was a member of the assembly in 1889-91, served as superior judge of this county from 1897 until 1906, and was elected in 1907 a justice of the third district court of appeals, which office he has filled most creditably. Judge Hart possesses a host of friends.
1897-99, Gillis Doty. Mr. Doty was one of the sturdy farmers of the county, respected by all for his high character and incorrupti- ble integrity. He was a member of the assembly for the twenty-fifth and twenty-ninth sessions, and from 1897 to 1902 was a member of the anditing board to the commissioner of public works. In addition he served two terms as a member of the board of supervisors of this county. He died at his residence in Elk Grove July 23, 1909.
1901-03, R. T. Devlin. Mr. Devlin was born in this city and resided here all his life until recently, being a member of the law firm of Devlin and Devlin ever since its formation many years ago. In 1884 he was appointed a state prison director. In 1885 he was ap- pointed penology commissioner and continued as a member of the board of prison directors until 1905, when he was appointed United States district attorney for the northern district of California, which office he still holds. He is considered one of the soundest and most capable lawyers in the state.
1905-07, J. A. McKee. For a generation Mr. McKee has been a successful practicing physician in this county and resides in this city, still practicing his profession.
1909-11, Charles B. Bills. Mr. Bills is a successful business man of this city and is the head of the Pioneer Fruit company.
CHAPTER XVII
SACRAMENTO COUNTY ASSEMBLYMEN
The first assemblymen, menbers of the legislature of 1849-50, were II. C. Cardwell, P. B. Cornwall, Rev. W. Grove Deal, W. B. Dickerson, T. J. Henley, E. W. Mckinstry, John Bigler, George B. Tinglev, Madison Walthal, Dr. Thomas John White, John T. Hughes and John F. Williams. Sacramento district was entitled at that time to nine assemblymen, as it comprised all of the northern part of the state, but Cornwall resigned and was replaced by Deal; White re-
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signed and was replaced by Henley, and Bigler took the place of Dick- erson, whose seat was declared vacant. Cardwell died at Los Angeles, July 4, 1859.
Cornwall arrived in Sacramento in August, 1848, and was a mem- ber of the first city council. He, with Sam Brannan, foresaw that a great city would soon spring up on the Sacramento river at the head of navigation, so they came up from San Francisco to investigate. Seemingly unimportant events often bring about great changes. They decided that Sutterville would be the most eligible spot for the city, on account of the high ground there. Accordingly, they endeavored to make satisfactory arrangements with L. W. Hastings, who owned the land there, for going into business. They were unable to do so. and having on their way up passed two launches loaded with supplies for the mines, they returned and met them and persuaded them to go farther up and unload their cargoes on the Sutter Embarcadero at Sacramento. Through this little circumstance their trading post was established at this place, and soon a small city sprang up. Had Hastings agreed with them, the city would have been located at Sut terville. Cornwall afterwards went to San Francisco and engaged in business and died there September 5, 1904. He was a member of the first constitutional convention and of the board of regents of the University of California.
Henley was the father of ex-Congressman Barclay Henley, and was a native of Indiana. In that state he served several terms in the assembly, being once speaker. He was congressman from Indiana three terms, serving with President Lincoln. He arrived in California in 1849 and engaged in banking in Sacramento. In 1852 he was a presidential elector; was chosen postmaster in San Francisco in 1853; appointed superintendent of Indian affairs in 1854, and defeated for presidential elector in 1868. He died at his farm in Round valley, Mendocino county, May 1, 1875.
Mckinstry was a native of Michigan, and arrived in California in March, 1849. He was elected judge of the seventh district, Novem- ber 2, 1852; re-elected September 1, 1858; elected judge of the twelfth district (San Francisco) October 30, 1873, but resigned in the latter part of 1873, having been elected a justice of the supreme court Oc- tober 15, 1873. He was re-elected supreme justice September 3, 1879, and resigned October 1, 1888. He died at San Jose, November 1, 1901.
Bigler was a Pennsylvanian, and was a journalist and lawyer. He arrived in Sacramento in 1849, and became an auctioneer and also a woodchopper. For a time he was speaker of the first assem- bly; he was elected governor September 3, 1851; re-elected September 7, 1853; defeated for that office in 1855. He served as United States minister to Chile from 1857 to 1861; was defeated for congress in 1863; served as a delegate to the Democratic national conventions of 1864 and 1868; was appointed assessor of internal revenue for this
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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY
district in 1866 and edited the State Capital Reporter from January, 1868, until his death, November 29, 1871. His body was interred in the City Cemetery.
Tingley was a native of Ohio and was a brilliant lawyer. He removed to Indiana and there served in the legislature with T. J. Henley and Vice-President-elect T. A. Hendricks. He was an unsuc- cessful candidate for the United States senate and was defeated for congress in 1851. He died at San Francisco, August 3, 1862.
White served as speaker till February, 1850, when he resigned the office and was succeeded by Henley. He was at one time city coun- cilman, and died at Los Angeles in December, 1861.
Deal, a Methodist minister, was elected to succeed Cornwall (resigned) and he qualified March 4, 1850. He died in Indiana in June, 1892.
1851, John Bigler, D. J. Lisle and Dr. Charles Robinson. Lisle built the Twelfth street bridge across the American river. At a special election he was chosen to fill the vacancy caused by the death of L. Dunlap, who had been elected, but died of cholera before the meeting of the legislature. He went to San Francisco and died there February 8, 1855.
Robinson came here from Massachusetts. He was prominently identified with the squatter element in 1850 and was second in com- mand of the forces of that party in the riot which took place in August of that year. He was wounded in the fight and was arrested on the oath of several citizens that he had been seen to aim deliber- ately at the mayor, who was shot four times during the fight. He was confined in the prison brig when he was elected to the assembly. In 1854 he, with S. C. Pomeroy, led one of the parties of free state men into Kansas, and was prominently connected with the Free State party in the slavery agitation in that commonwealth. He was elected governor by the Free State men under the Topeka constitution Jan- uary 15, 1856, and was indicted in May by the grand jury for treason, with the other officers who had been elected. Some of them fled from the territory, but Robinson was arrested and confined for four months. While in prison his residence was burned in the sacking of Lawrence. He was elected the first governor of the state after the adoption of the constitution in 1859, and died at Lawrence, August 17, 1894.
1852, Gilbert W. Colby, Alpheus Kip, G. N. McConaha and Dr. Joseph C. Tucker. Colby was also senator one term. MeConaha was a lawyer and was drowned by the upsetting of a boat at Seattle, May 4, 1854. Kip lived on the farm near Brighton where Sheriff Mckinney was killed by Allen, its then owner (1850). The farm was owned later by John Rooney. Kip left this country many years ago. Tucker went to live in San Francisco and died in Oakland, Decem- ber 22, 1891.
1853, J. W. Harrison, J. Neely Johnson, Robert Robinson and
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J. H. Estep. Robinson was afterward county judge, and was for many years connected with the law department of the Central Pacific Railroad Company. He was adjutant-general in 1865-66 and died at San Francisco, September 26, 1894. Estep removed from Sacramento and died at Lakeport January 11, 1876. Harrison left Sacramento in the '50s. Johnson was elected district attorney of Sacramento in 1850 and in 1855 he was elected governor on the Know Nothing ticket. After his term as governor he removed to Nevada, where he served as a member of the constitutional convention and as supreme justice. He died from the effects of a sunstroke at Salt Lake City, August 31, 1872.
1854, J. M. McBrayer, Dr. F. A. Park, T. R. Davidson and J. W. Park. F. A. Park was a dentist and at one time was deputy sheriff. He died at San Francisco, November 13, 1870. The others removed from Sacramento some years after they served.
1855, John G. Brewton, Philip L. Edwards, H. B. Meredith and James H. Vineyard. Edwards was a native of Kentucky. He visited San Francisco with a party of traders in 1836 and returned to the east. He was admitted to the bar, elected to the Missouri legislature in 1843, chosen a delegate to the Whig national convention in 1844, removed to Sacramento in 1850, defeated as the Whig candidate for congress in 1852, and ran unsuccessfully for United States senator in 1855. He died here May 1, 1869. Vineyard was a member of the city council at the time of his election to the assembly. He died at Los Angeles, August 30, 1863. Meredith, a brother of ex-supervisor James H. Meredith, of Folsom, practiced law while living in Sacra- mento county. In 1864 he removed to New York, where he carried on business as a broker, and where he died. Brewton went to San Francisco and died there.
1856, George H. Cartter, George Cone, George W. Leihy and Dr. J. W. Pugh. Cone was for many years justice of the peace in Center township and was an unsuccessful nominee for county treasurer ยท on the Democratic ticket. He was a brother of ex-Railroad Commis- sioner Cone, and died at Red Bluff, November 12, 1883. Leihy, a farmer and miner, was murdered by Indians in Arizona November 18, 1866. Cartter was district attorney in 1852 and 1853. He left this state many years ago and went to Oregon, where he died at Portland February 24, 1862. Pugh removed from the county many years ago, and died at Stockton January 24. 1896.
1857, A. P. Catlin, Robert C. Clark, L. W. Farris and John H. McKune. Catlin and Clark were also senators. A sketch of Judge McKune will be found elsewhere. Farris was in business here for a number of years, but removed to another part of the state, and died at Altaville, Tuolumne county, in April, 1878.
1858, R. D. Ferguson, Charles S. Howell, James E. Sheridan and Moses Stout. For many years Ferguson conducted a horsemarket
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here and then went to Nevada and in 1868 was a member of the legislature of that state. Later he went to Arizona. Sheridan was a farmer near Georgetown (now known as Franklin) and died on his farm there, October 12, 1872. Howell was a farmer living near Wal- nut Grove and was killed by the explosion of the steamboat J. A. McClelland, near Knights Landing, August 25, 1861. Stout died on his farm in this county December 20, 1879.
1859, Dr. R. B. Ellis, A. R. Jackson, James E. Sheridan and Dr. Charles Duncombe. Jackson, a well-known school teacher, died in San Francisco, August 30, 1876. Ellis practiced medicine here at the time of his election. He removed to Nevada in 1861 and died at Carson, that state, January 12, 1873. Duncombe was once a member of the city council. His election gave rise to a novel contest in the assembly and one that is often cited in the legislature in contested election cases. He was born in Connecticut and about 1817 removed to Canada. A couple of months afterwards he was elected to the colonial parliament and took an oath of allegiance to the then English king. He was denounced as a rebel and fled to the United States in 1837, but was never naturalized. His seat in the assembly was con- tested on the ground that he was not a citizen and January 22, 1859, the house declared his seat vacant. A special election was called and on February 19 9he was elected again by a large majority. On the 14th he had been admitted to citizenship under the act of 1795. His seat was again contested on the ground that he had not been a citizen for the constitutional period at the time of his election, and the house again declared his seat vacant. Sacramento county therefore lost part of its representation at the session. Duncombe died at Hicks- ville, October 1, 1867.
1860, Dr. R. B. Ellis, L. C. Goodman, Henry Starr and D. W. Welty. Goodman was at one time a supervisor and afterward re- moved from the county. Starr was a practicing attorney and died in this city about three years ago. Welty removed to Nevada, then returned to Sacramento and practiced law. He removed to Oregon and died 'at Chehalis, Wash., March 24, 1891.
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