Charles V. Stuart
Encyclopedia
Charles V. Stuart was a California
pioneer and delegate to the California Constitutional Convention of 1878-79, where he distinguished himself as the only delegate to speak out in defense of the rights of Chinese immigrants.
, and worked on his father's farm until the age of 14, when he was enrolled at Owego Academy in what is now Tioga, New York
, where he studied under the educational reformer Charles Rittenhouse Coburn. After graduating, Stuart moved to Ithaca, New York
, where he began work as a merchant. In 1839, Stuart took a grand tour of the United States and in 1842, married Ellen Mary Tourtellot. The Stuarts had three children while living in the east: Robert H. Stuart (d. 1878), Mary (Stuart) Pickett, and Emily (Stuart) Stangroom.
, Stuart led the first mule train—called the "Ithaca Company"--to California, beginning from Independence, Missouri
and traveling along the Arkansas River
to the Rocky Mountains
, and then to Salt Lake City, where after a brief recuperation, the expedition traveled to the Cajon Pass
, near what is now Rancho Cucamonga, California
. From there, the travelers headed to Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley
, and San Joaquin, California
, where the members separated to find their own way. Stuart headed to San Francisco, where he arrived on November 20, 1849.
In San Francisco, Stuart and partners I.N. Thorne and John Center began farming 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land in the vicinity of the Mission Dolores. They constructed a house and dug a canal several hundred feet long to accommodate boats on the nearby creek. Shortly afterwards, Stuart and business partner Robert T. Ridley established a tavern on the site, called the "Mansion House." The tavern (located on the site now occupied by the basilica) was successful, and Stuart continued operating it after Ridley's death in 1851. Stuart was able to afford to build San Francisco's first brick house on the corner of 16th and Capp Streets. By the mid-1850s, Stuart was living there with his wife, son Charles Duff Stuart (b. 1854), and daughters Antoinette (Stuart) Vermehr (b. 1856), Ida (Stuart) Sessions (b. 1859) and Isabel (Stuart) Dennis (b. 1863).
Stuart was elected to San Francisco's first Board of Aldermen and ran for a seat in the state assembly in 1854. He tried to lease the New Almaden
quicksilver mine—the state's most financially successful mine—but sold his interest in the mine to escape the extremely complicated litigation over its ownership.
In 1859, Stuart purchased a part of the Rancho Agua Caliente
land grant in Sonoma County and in 1868 began building a house there, eventually establishing a 1000 acres (4 km²) vineyard he named Glen Ellen after his wife. The town that grew up around the vineyard also came to be called Glen Ellen
, and Stuart's home was later renamed Glen Oaks Ranch.
In 1878, when California held its second constitutional convention, Stuart was elected as a delegate on the non-partisan ticket. He spoke rarely in the Convention, most notably in two impassioned speeches defending the rights of Chinese immigrants against various discriminatory provisions proposed by the convention delegates. The first of these speeches occurred on December 9, 1878, in opposition to proposals to ban Chinese immigrants from owning property in the state, or from being employed by any state corporation. Again, on February 1, 1879, when the convention was finalizing the Constitution's language, Stuart spoke against such provisions, declaring,
Although Stuart was ridiculed and attacked for this speech, the convention failed to approve the provisions to which he objected, and many of the later laws enacted restricting the rights of the Chinese were declared unconstitutional by federal courts. Nevertheless, persecution of the Chinese worsened over the next half-century in California and other west coast states.
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...
pioneer and delegate to the California Constitutional Convention of 1878-79, where he distinguished himself as the only delegate to speak out in defense of the rights of Chinese immigrants.
In Pennsylvania and New York
Stuart was born in Nippenose Township, PennsylvaniaNippenose Township, Pennsylvania
Nippenose Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 729 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, and worked on his father's farm until the age of 14, when he was enrolled at Owego Academy in what is now Tioga, New York
Tioga, New York
Tioga is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 4,840 at the 2000 census. The town is in the southwest part of the county and lies between Elmira and Binghamton. Tioga is in the Southern Tier District of New York.- History :...
, where he studied under the educational reformer Charles Rittenhouse Coburn. After graduating, Stuart moved to Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, where he began work as a merchant. In 1839, Stuart took a grand tour of the United States and in 1842, married Ellen Mary Tourtellot. The Stuarts had three children while living in the east: Robert H. Stuart (d. 1878), Mary (Stuart) Pickett, and Emily (Stuart) Stangroom.
In California
Inspired by the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, Stuart led the first mule train—called the "Ithaca Company"--to California, beginning from Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
and traveling along the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
to the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, and then to Salt Lake City, where after a brief recuperation, the expedition traveled to the Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
, near what is now Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga is a suburban city in San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,269, up from 127,743 at the 2000 census. L. Dennis Michael was elected as Mayor on November 2, 2010. Jack Lam is the City Manager...
. From there, the travelers headed to Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, and San Joaquin, California
San Joaquin, California
San Joaquin is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 4,001 at the 2010 census, up from 3,270 at the 2000 census. The nearest high school in the area is Tranquillity High School in Tranquillity...
, where the members separated to find their own way. Stuart headed to San Francisco, where he arrived on November 20, 1849.
In San Francisco, Stuart and partners I.N. Thorne and John Center began farming 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land in the vicinity of the Mission Dolores. They constructed a house and dug a canal several hundred feet long to accommodate boats on the nearby creek. Shortly afterwards, Stuart and business partner Robert T. Ridley established a tavern on the site, called the "Mansion House." The tavern (located on the site now occupied by the basilica) was successful, and Stuart continued operating it after Ridley's death in 1851. Stuart was able to afford to build San Francisco's first brick house on the corner of 16th and Capp Streets. By the mid-1850s, Stuart was living there with his wife, son Charles Duff Stuart (b. 1854), and daughters Antoinette (Stuart) Vermehr (b. 1856), Ida (Stuart) Sessions (b. 1859) and Isabel (Stuart) Dennis (b. 1863).
Stuart was elected to San Francisco's first Board of Aldermen and ran for a seat in the state assembly in 1854. He tried to lease the New Almaden
New Almaden
The New Almaden quicksilver mine in the Santa Teresa Hills in Santa Clara County, California, United States, is the oldest and most productive quicksilver mine in the U.S. The site was known to the Ohlone Indians for its cinnabar long before a Mexican settler discovered the ores in 1820...
quicksilver mine—the state's most financially successful mine—but sold his interest in the mine to escape the extremely complicated litigation over its ownership.
In 1859, Stuart purchased a part of the Rancho Agua Caliente
Rancho Agua Caliente (Pina)
Rancho Agua Caliente was a Mexican land grant in present day Sonoma County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Lázaro Piña . The name means "warm water" and refers to the hot springs in the area...
land grant in Sonoma County and in 1868 began building a house there, eventually establishing a 1000 acres (4 km²) vineyard he named Glen Ellen after his wife. The town that grew up around the vineyard also came to be called Glen Ellen
Glen Ellen, California
Glen Ellen is a census-designated place in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic Park , Sonoma Valley Regional Park, and a former home of Hunter S....
, and Stuart's home was later renamed Glen Oaks Ranch.
In 1878, when California held its second constitutional convention, Stuart was elected as a delegate on the non-partisan ticket. He spoke rarely in the Convention, most notably in two impassioned speeches defending the rights of Chinese immigrants against various discriminatory provisions proposed by the convention delegates. The first of these speeches occurred on December 9, 1878, in opposition to proposals to ban Chinese immigrants from owning property in the state, or from being employed by any state corporation. Again, on February 1, 1879, when the convention was finalizing the Constitution's language, Stuart spoke against such provisions, declaring,
Give to the children of these people (and some of them native born) the privilege of our common schools in return for the school taxes they pay; cease persecuting them by personal assault, to which the law is blind; stop this disgraceful special legislation against them; stop this relentless, heartless, and inhuman persecution of foreigners...and then, and only then, will we do our duty. What right has the State to exact of these men poll and other school taxes, and then legislate against them, prohibiting their children the privilege of her common schools? Why pass and continue to pass arbitrary and oppressive laws against them? Why does the State fail to protect them from murder, arson, and outrage? I charge the city of San Francisco with cowardice in not protecting them in the exercise of their rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," which all men are guaranteed under our flag; while they have collected millions of dollars in taxes, licenses, and otherwise, yet they furnish them no protection in return. They pass cruel ordinances against them; they harass and annoy them through every device the law can invent, and why are similar outrages heaped upon them in nearly every county, town, village, or hamlet in this state? Tell me; tell me; oh, tell me, why they are not protected like others in their honest toil? Or is this to be the final sum of all villainy? In case the outrages on these people do not cease in this state, and it refuses longer to protect them, then I call upon our Government to give them the ballot, that they may protect themselves. If it does not, then I demand the repeal of all naturalization laws, and to modify all immigration laws, with other nations, under the treaty making power.
Although Stuart was ridiculed and attacked for this speech, the convention failed to approve the provisions to which he objected, and many of the later laws enacted restricting the rights of the Chinese were declared unconstitutional by federal courts. Nevertheless, persecution of the Chinese worsened over the next half-century in California and other west coast states.