California Alien Land Law of 1913
Encyclopedia
The California Alien Land Law of 1913 prohibited "aliens ineligible for citizenship" (i.e., all Asian immigrants) from owning land or property, but permitted three-year leases. It affected the Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Korean immigrant farmers in California
. It passed thirty-five to two in the Senate and seventy-two to three in the Assembly and was co-written by attorney Francis J. Heney and California state attorney general Ulysses S. Webb
at the behest of Governor Hiram Johnson. Japan's Consul General Kametaro Iijima
and lawyer Juichi Soyeda
lobbied against the law. The law was invalidated in 1952 by the Supreme Court of California
as a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution in the case of Sei Fujii v. California.
Ten other American states passed restrictive land-ownership laws during the decade 1913–23.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It passed thirty-five to two in the Senate and seventy-two to three in the Assembly and was co-written by attorney Francis J. Heney and California state attorney general Ulysses S. Webb
Ulysses S. Webb
Ulysses Sigel Webb Born in West Virginia, an American lawyer and politician affiliated with the Republican Party. He served as the 19th Attorney General of California for the lengthy span of 37 years. Webb's parents were Cyrus Webb, a civil war captain, and Eliza Cather-Webb. He was educated in...
at the behest of Governor Hiram Johnson. Japan's Consul General Kametaro Iijima
Kametaro Iijima
' was Japan's Consul General in 1913. He arrived in the United States in June 1913 to lobby against the California Alien Land Law of 1913 while he was stationed in New York City. In 1914 his daughter, Mosa Iijima , was hit by the car of Diamond Jim Brady....
and lawyer Juichi Soyeda
Juichi Soyeda
was a Japanese lawyer, senior civil servant and academic economist. In 1913 he was delegated by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce in Japan to study the California Alien Land Law of 1913.-Biography:He was born in Fukuoka on September 15, 1864...
lobbied against the law. The law was invalidated in 1952 by the Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
as a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution in the case of Sei Fujii v. California.
Ten other American states passed restrictive land-ownership laws during the decade 1913–23.