Charles Allen Sumner was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from California

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...

.

Early life

Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...

, Sumner attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

, but did not graduate.
He subsequently studied law, but was chiefly interested in stenography.
He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 and engaged in patent practice.

California

He moved to California in 1856 and settled in San Francisco where he reported for the legislature from 1857 to 1861. Between the legislative sessions he was engaged in the state and county courts, in law-reporting, and general editorial duties. In 1860, he was involved in political campaigning for the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

.
He became editor of the Herald and Mirror in 1861. His opposition to the “Shafter” land bill succeeded in defeating it.

Civil War

During the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he was appointed, November 26, 1862, to be captain and assistant quartermaster of United States Volunteers, and served until his resignation on March 30, 1864.

Nevada

He moved to Virginia City, Nevada

Virginia City, Nevada

Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...

 where he served as member of the state senate 1865-1868 and served as president pro tempore for one session.
During this time, he was twice an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Representative.

Return to San Francisco

He returned to San Francisco in 1868 and became editor of the Herald where he advocated a government postal telegraph.
He was appointed official note-taker of the city, and in 1875 and 1880 official reporter of the supreme court.

U.S. Representative

After an unsuccessful attempt in 1878, he was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Forty-eighth

48th United States Congress

The Forty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883 to March 4, 1885, during the last two years...

 Congress (March 4, 1883-March 3, 1885). There he opposed the Pacific railroads, and introduced a postal telegraph bill. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1884.

Later life

He resumed the practice of law.
Trinity gave him the degree of A. M. in 1887.
He died in San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, January 31, 1903.
He was interred in the George H. Thomas Post plot at the Presidio.

Publications

• Shorthand and Reporting (New York, 1882)
• Golden Gate Sketches (1884)
• Travel in Southern Europe (1885)
• Sumners' Poems (with his brother, Samuel B. Summer, 1887)