James Gillett
Encyclopedia
James Norris Gillett was an American lawyer
and politician
. A Republican
involved in federal and state politics, Gillett was elected both a member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California from March 4, 1903, to November 4, 1906, and as the 22nd Governor of California
from January 9, 1907, to January 3, 1911.
, on September 20, 1860. As a young child, Gillett moved with his parents to Sparta, Wisconsin
at the age of five. He would remain in Sparta for nearly fifteen years, attending the local grammar and high school in the town. In 1881, Gillett was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar, beginning a law practice in Sparta shortly afterwards. In the early 1880s, Gillett permanently relocated out of his native Wisconsin
for the West
, living briefly in both the Montana Territory
and Washington Territory
before moving to California
, settling in Eureka
in 1884.
Once in Eureka, Gillett joined the state militia
as a private in the Eureka Guard Company in 1885. Based primarily in Santa Cruz
, Gillett's unit would be called into active military service only once, assisting Humboldt County
sheriffs in protecting a local town jail during the height of Sinophobic
riots in Eureka. Following the end of his state military service, Gillett quickly resumed his career as a lawyer. In 1890, Gillett became the Eureka City Attorney, holding the position until 1895.
By the mid-1890s, Gillett had become interested in state politics. Running as a Republican
, Gillett was elected to the California State Senate
in the 1896 general elections. After serving a single term in the State Senate, Gillett successfully ran for the federal U.S. House of Representatives
in the 1902 House elections. He successfully defended his seat again in the 1904 elections
.
Gillett's success in Washington was noticed by state Republicans and lobbyists for the Southern Pacific Railroad
, who saw Gillett's politics as supporting their own corporate interests. Attending the state Republican convention in Santa Cruz
in 1906, party machine boss Abe Ruef
sought to replace incumbent Governor
George Pardee
with Gillett for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Pardee, a medical physician and staunch Progressive and conservationist
politician, openly opposed the Southern Pacific's monopoly over cargo and transportation, believing its business influence harmful to the state's economy and politics. In backroom deals, Southern Pacific lobbyists, including Ruef and Southern Pacific political bureau chief William Herrin, persuaded the attending Republican delegates to refuse Pardee renomination, instead handing the nomination to the railroad-friendly Gillett. In response to their support, Gillett promised the Southern Pacific waterfront patrongage.
The denying of Pardee's renomination caused immediate controversy and outrage. Pardee, due to his efficient bureaucracy and direction of the state government's response to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
, remained an enormously popular politician. His replacement by Gillett, a Railroad Republican, caused anger both in the press and within political circles. The San Francisco Call
printed a photograph taken at the convention's end of Gillett among top party bosses entitled "the Shame of California." Gillett's nomination by special interests would fuel calls for a direct primary law in the state.
Despite his highly controversial nomination, Gillett would successfully win the governorship in the 1906 general elections, defeating Democrat Theodore A. Bell
, Socialist
Austin Lewis, Prohibitionist
James H. Blanchard, and William Langdon
of the Independence League. Langdon's strong third place showing of 14.4% successfully sapped votes away from both the popular contenders Gillett and Bell, yet enough to tip the balance in Gillett's favor.
Following his successful election, Gillett resigned from his U.S. House seat.
Gillett's agenda included the construction of more transcontinental railroads between California
and the East
. In addition, Gillett, like his predecessor Pardee
, encouraged the California State Legislature
to debate the direct primary, though remained vague on his support for any such law. Gillett also included within his agenda the expansion of harbors, especially in the case of the Port of San Francisco
following the 1906 firestorm, to keep up with the state's expanding commerce and ongoing population boom. Gillett also pushed bills through the Legislature
to create state measures assisting federal food safety laws, particularly for the expanding fruit and California wine
industries.
During his governorship, Gillett encouraged and signed laws to reform state parole
guidelines, assisting prisoners to more quickly reform themselves and return as productive members of society. In 1909, Gillett passed the state's first eugenics
law, making it legal for state officials to sterilize mental patients considered clinically insane, prisoners exhibiting sexual or moral perversions, and anyone with more than three criminal convictions. The law was passed unanimously in the Assembly
, and had one dissenting vote in the Senate
. Some 19,000 people were sterilized between 1909 and 1950, when eugenics became generally disfavored by the medical profession due to its connections with Nazi Germany
.
As automobiles became more common along California's roads, Gillett agreed with the Legislature to pass the State Highway Bond Act of 1909. The act, which created a bond worth $18 million dollars, effectively established the California state highway system
. The system would collectively organize state roads, numbering them sequentially, and provide greater funds for maintenance and expansion.
Gillett's governorship, however, remained continually marred with controversy due to his Republican nomination by party machine business interests. Writing in The Los Angeles Examiner, influential cartoonist George Herriman
continually depicted Governor Gillett as a mule
for Southern Pacific
interests. Indeed while in office, Gillett appealed to the railroads to not levy excessive charges on shipping companies and municipalities, yet still warmly welcomed their economic and political presence in the state. His warm relations with the Southern Pacific led in part to rising Progressive anger within state Republican ranks, culminating in the election of Hiram Johnson
and a large number of like-minded Progressive state legislators in the 1910 elections.
By 1910, Gillett was falling quickly into financial trouble, and decided not to seek re-election. Privately, however, it is believed that his wife, Isabella, did not want Gillett to continue the governorship.
, as an attorney and lobbyist for the San Francisco-based Associated Oil Company
and the Oil Industry Association. Gillett's lobbying in the U.S. Congress helped secure passage of the Oil Leasing Bill in 1920, which pertained to leases in the naval petroleum reserves. Gillett would go on to represent many oil industry companies and individuals in oil lease matters. Throughout the 1920s Gillett completed over twenty years' work in obtaining compensation for the owners and crews of sailing vessels seized by the U.S. federal government in the Bering Sea
between 1886 and 1894.
Gillett retired from the law practice in 1929, only to begin a new practice in 1934 in Oakland
with his son, James Gillett, Jr.
Gillett died April 20, 1937 in Berkeley at the age of 76.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. A Republican
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...
involved in federal and state politics, Gillett was elected both a member of the U.S. House of Representatives
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 from March 4, 1903, to November 4, 1906, and as the 22nd Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
from January 9, 1907, to January 3, 1911.
Biography
James Gillett was born in Viroqua, WisconsinViroqua, Wisconsin
Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,079 at the 2010 census. The city is located within the Town of Viroqua.-History:...
, on September 20, 1860. As a young child, Gillett moved with his parents to Sparta, Wisconsin
Sparta, Wisconsin
Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 9,522 at the 2010 census.-Notable people:*William Hawley Atwell, U.S. District Court Judge in Texas*Larry Baumel, NASCAR...
at the age of five. He would remain in Sparta for nearly fifteen years, attending the local grammar and high school in the town. In 1881, Gillett was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar, beginning a law practice in Sparta shortly afterwards. In the early 1880s, Gillett permanently relocated out of his native Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
for the West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, living briefly in both the Montana Territory
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
and Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
before moving to 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...
, settling in Eureka
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
in 1884.
Once in Eureka, Gillett joined the state militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
as a private in the Eureka Guard Company in 1885. Based primarily in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
, Gillett's unit would be called into active military service only once, assisting Humboldt County
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
sheriffs in protecting a local town jail during the height of Sinophobic
Sinophobia
Sinophobia or anti-Chinese sentiment is the fear of or dislike of China, its people, overseas Chinese, or Chinese Culture...
riots in Eureka. Following the end of his state military service, Gillett quickly resumed his career as a lawyer. In 1890, Gillett became the Eureka City Attorney, holding the position until 1895.
By the mid-1890s, Gillett had become interested in state politics. Running as a Republican
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...
, Gillett was elected to the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
in the 1896 general elections. After serving a single term in the State Senate, Gillett successfully ran for the federal U.S. House of Representatives
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...
in the 1902 House elections. He successfully defended his seat again in the 1904 elections
United States House election, 1904
The U.S. House election, 1904 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1904 which coincided with the re-election of President Theodore Roosevelt....
.
Gillett's success in Washington was noticed by state Republicans and lobbyists for the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, who saw Gillett's politics as supporting their own corporate interests. Attending the state Republican convention in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
in 1906, party machine boss Abe Ruef
Abe Ruef
Abraham Rueff , known as Abe Ruef, was an American lawyer and politician...
sought to replace incumbent Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
George Pardee
George Pardee
George Cooper Pardee was an American doctor of medicine and politician. The 21st Governor of California, holding office from January 7, 1903, to January 9, 1907, Pardee was the second native-born Californian to assume the governorship, after Romualdo Pacheco, and the first governor born in...
with Gillett for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Pardee, a medical physician and staunch Progressive and conservationist
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
politician, openly opposed the Southern Pacific's monopoly over cargo and transportation, believing its business influence harmful to the state's economy and politics. In backroom deals, Southern Pacific lobbyists, including Ruef and Southern Pacific political bureau chief William Herrin, persuaded the attending Republican delegates to refuse Pardee renomination, instead handing the nomination to the railroad-friendly Gillett. In response to their support, Gillett promised the Southern Pacific waterfront patrongage.
The denying of Pardee's renomination caused immediate controversy and outrage. Pardee, due to his efficient bureaucracy and direction of the state government's response to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, remained an enormously popular politician. His replacement by Gillett, a Railroad Republican, caused anger both in the press and within political circles. The San Francisco Call
San Francisco Call
The San Francisco Call was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called The San Francisco Call & Post, the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, and the News-Call Bulletin...
printed a photograph taken at the convention's end of Gillett among top party bosses entitled "the Shame of California." Gillett's nomination by special interests would fuel calls for a direct primary law in the state.
Despite his highly controversial nomination, Gillett would successfully win the governorship in the 1906 general elections, defeating Democrat Theodore A. Bell
Theodore A. Bell
Theodore Arlington Bell was a Democratic politician from California.-Biography:Born in Vallejo, California, he began his political career as District Attorney of Napa County, California between 1895-1903. He served on the 58th congress from 1903 to 1905 representing the 2nd district. In the 1904...
, Socialist
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
Austin Lewis, Prohibitionist
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
James H. Blanchard, and William Langdon
William Langdon
William Henry Langdon was an American banker, lawyer and judge from California.-Biography:Langdon was born in Alameda County to William and Annie Langdon. Langdon attended local public schools, and graduated from the California State Normal School to become a teacher, while also entering the state...
of the Independence League. Langdon's strong third place showing of 14.4% successfully sapped votes away from both the popular contenders Gillett and Bell, yet enough to tip the balance in Gillett's favor.
Following his successful election, Gillett resigned from his U.S. House seat.
Governorship
Inaugurated on January 9, 1907, as the 22nd Governor of CaliforniaGovernor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Gillett's agenda included the construction of more transcontinental railroads between 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...
and the East
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
. In addition, Gillett, like his predecessor Pardee
George Pardee
George Cooper Pardee was an American doctor of medicine and politician. The 21st Governor of California, holding office from January 7, 1903, to January 9, 1907, Pardee was the second native-born Californian to assume the governorship, after Romualdo Pacheco, and the first governor born in...
, encouraged the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
to debate the direct primary, though remained vague on his support for any such law. Gillett also included within his agenda the expansion of harbors, especially in the case of the Port of San Francisco
Port of San Francisco
The Port of San Francisco lies on the western edge of the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate. It has been called one of the three great natural harbors in the world, but it took two long centuries for navigators from Spain and England to find the anchorage originally called Yerba Buena...
following the 1906 firestorm, to keep up with the state's expanding commerce and ongoing population boom. Gillett also pushed bills through the Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
to create state measures assisting federal food safety laws, particularly for the expanding fruit and California wine
California wine
California wine has a long and continuing history, and in the late twentieth century became recognized as producing some of the world's finest wine. While wine is made in all fifty U.S. states, up to 90% of American wine is produced in the state...
industries.
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
guidelines, assisting prisoners to more quickly reform themselves and return as productive members of society. In 1909, Gillett passed the state's first eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
law, making it legal for state officials to sterilize mental patients considered clinically insane, prisoners exhibiting sexual or moral perversions, and anyone with more than three criminal convictions. The law was passed unanimously in the Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
, and had one dissenting vote in the Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
. Some 19,000 people were sterilized between 1909 and 1950, when eugenics became generally disfavored by the medical profession due to its connections with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
As automobiles became more common along California's roads, Gillett agreed with the Legislature to pass the State Highway Bond Act of 1909. The act, which created a bond worth $18 million dollars, effectively established the California state highway system
State highways in California
Each state highway in the U.S. State of California is maintained by the California Department of Transportation and is assigned a Route number in the Streets and Highways Code . Most of these are numbered in a statewide system, and are known as State Route X...
. The system would collectively organize state roads, numbering them sequentially, and provide greater funds for maintenance and expansion.
Gillett's governorship, however, remained continually marred with controversy due to his Republican nomination by party machine business interests. Writing in The Los Angeles Examiner, influential cartoonist George Herriman
George Herriman
George Joseph Herriman was an American cartoonist, best known for his classic comic strip Krazy Kat.-Early life:...
continually depicted Governor Gillett as a mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
for Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
interests. Indeed while in office, Gillett appealed to the railroads to not levy excessive charges on shipping companies and municipalities, yet still warmly welcomed their economic and political presence in the state. His warm relations with the Southern Pacific led in part to rising Progressive anger within state Republican ranks, culminating in the election of Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson
Hiram Warren Johnson was a leading American progressive and later isolationist politician from California; he served as the 23rd Governor from 1911 to 1917, and as a United States Senator from 1917 to 1945.-Early life:...
and a large number of like-minded Progressive state legislators in the 1910 elections.
By 1910, Gillett was falling quickly into financial trouble, and decided not to seek re-election. Privately, however, it is believed that his wife, Isabella, did not want Gillett to continue the governorship.
Post governorship
Following his departure from the Governor's Office, Gillett opened a law practice in San Francisco. From 1916 to 1920, Gillett worked in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, as an attorney and lobbyist for the San Francisco-based Associated Oil Company
Dabney Oil Syndicate
The Dabney Oil Syndicate refers to a number of petroleum-drilling enterprises in California involving Joseph B. Dabney and his associates.Joseph Benjamin Dabney, born 1858 in Madison County, Iowa, was in California at the turn of the 20th century when interest was being awakened in the...
and the Oil Industry Association. Gillett's lobbying in the U.S. Congress helped secure passage of the Oil Leasing Bill in 1920, which pertained to leases in the naval petroleum reserves. Gillett would go on to represent many oil industry companies and individuals in oil lease matters. Throughout the 1920s Gillett completed over twenty years' work in obtaining compensation for the owners and crews of sailing vessels seized by the U.S. federal government in the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
between 1886 and 1894.
Gillett retired from the law practice in 1929, only to begin a new practice in 1934 in Oakland
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...
with his son, James Gillett, Jr.
Gillett died April 20, 1937 in Berkeley at the age of 76.
External links
- James Gillet biography from the California State LibraryCalifornia State LibraryThe California State Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. It was founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. Today, it is the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature. The California State Library...