Horace Carpentier
Encyclopedia
Horace Walpole Carpentier (1824-1918) was a lawyer and the first mayor of Oakland, California
. He also served as president of the Overland Telegraph Company
which oversaw the construction of the western portion of the first transcontinental telegraph
in the United States.
in July 1824. He graduated with the Class of 1848 at Columbia College.
On May 4, 1852 Horace Carpentier persuaded the new California state legislature to incorporate Oakland as a town. Then, on May 17, he persuaded the new town's trustees to pass an ordinance "for the disposal of the waterfront belonging to the town of Oakland." That ordinance gave complete, lucrative control of Oakland's waterfront to Carpentier. He was ousted as mayor by an angry citizenry and replaced by Charles Campbell who became Mayor on March 5, 1855.
Carpentier presided over the California State Telegraph Company, before heading the Overland Telegraph Company. The Overland was formed in order to construct the western portion of the transcontinental telegraph. On October 24, 1861, Carpentier sent the first telegram from the west to the east over the newly-completed transcontinental telegraph line. The telegram was addressed to President Abraham Lincoln
: "I announce to you that the telegraph to California has this day been completed. May it be a bond of perpetuity between the states of the Atlantic and those of the Pacific." Ironically, it was also Carpentier who dispatched the telegram from Washington DC to San Francisco reporting the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Carpentier notoriously represented members of the Peralta family, the original Spanish land grant owners of the entire region now encompassing Oakland and Berkeley, in various legal proceedings ostensibly initiated to protect their holdings. The end result of these proceedings was that Carpentier himself received large chunks of what remained of their holdings as compensation for his services. Carpentier also acquired most of Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados
, and part of Rancho San Ramon
.
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. He also served as president of the Overland Telegraph Company
Overland Telegraph Company
In 1860, the Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860 called for the facilitation of communication between the east and west coasts of the United States of America. Hiram Sibley of the Western Union Telegraph Company won the contract. In 1861, Benjamin Franklin Ficklin joined Hiram Sibley in helping to form...
which oversaw the construction of the western portion of the first transcontinental telegraph
First Transcontinental Telegraph
The First Transcontinental Telegraph was a milestone in electrical engineering and in the formation of the United States of America. It served as the only method of near-instantaneous communication between the east and west coasts during the 1860s....
in the United States.
Life
Carpentier was born in Galway, New YorkGalway, New York
Galway, New York may refer to:*Galway , New York*Galway , New York...
in July 1824. He graduated with the Class of 1848 at Columbia College.
California
Carpentier came to California during the gold rush, as he is listed as a passenger on the ship Panama in the New York Herald, February 6, 1849. In 1854, he was appointed "Major General" of the California State Militia.On May 4, 1852 Horace Carpentier persuaded the new California state legislature to incorporate Oakland as a town. Then, on May 17, he persuaded the new town's trustees to pass an ordinance "for the disposal of the waterfront belonging to the town of Oakland." That ordinance gave complete, lucrative control of Oakland's waterfront to Carpentier. He was ousted as mayor by an angry citizenry and replaced by Charles Campbell who became Mayor on March 5, 1855.
Carpentier presided over the California State Telegraph Company, before heading the Overland Telegraph Company. The Overland was formed in order to construct the western portion of the transcontinental telegraph. On October 24, 1861, Carpentier sent the first telegram from the west to the east over the newly-completed transcontinental telegraph line. The telegram was addressed to President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
: "I announce to you that the telegraph to California has this day been completed. May it be a bond of perpetuity between the states of the Atlantic and those of the Pacific." Ironically, it was also Carpentier who dispatched the telegram from Washington DC to San Francisco reporting the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Carpentier notoriously represented members of the Peralta family, the original Spanish land grant owners of the entire region now encompassing Oakland and Berkeley, in various legal proceedings ostensibly initiated to protect their holdings. The end result of these proceedings was that Carpentier himself received large chunks of what remained of their holdings as compensation for his services. Carpentier also acquired most of Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados
Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados
Rancho Laguna de Los Palos Colorados was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal. The name means "Ranch of the Lake of the Redwoods" in Spanish...
, and part of Rancho San Ramon
Rancho San Ramon (Pacheco-Castro)
Rancho San Ramon was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1833 by Governor Jose Figueroa to Mariano Castro and Bartolome Pacheco. Governor Figueroa granted Castro and Pacheco two square leagues of San Ramon Valley from the crest of the western ridge to the...
.