James Rolph
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| James Rolph | |
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| In office January 8, 1912 – January 6, 1931 |
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| Preceded by | P. H. McCarthy |
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| Succeeded by | Angelo Rossi |
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| In office January 6, 1931 – June 2, 1934 |
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| Preceded by | C. C. Young |
| Succeeded by | Frank Merriam |
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| Born | August 23, 1869 San Francisco, California |
| Died | June 2, 1934 Santa Clara County, California |
James Rolph, Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was a American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served one term as the 27th Governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death and had previously been the Mayor of San Francisco from January 8, 1912 until resigning to become Governor.
After attending school in the Mission District, he went to work as an office boy in a commision house. He entered the shipping business in 1900, by forming a partnership with George Hind. He would over the next decade, serve as president of two banks, one of which he helped establish.
Although he was asked to run for mayor in 1909, he chose to wait until 1911 to run for mayor -- a position that he would hold for eighteen years. As mayor, he was known as "Sunny Jim" and his theme song was "There Are Smiles that Make You Happy". In addition to his mayoral duties and oversseing his shipping interests, he also directed the Ship Owners and Merchants Tugboat Company, and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He also was vice-president of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and president of the Merchants' Exchange. He resigned in 1931 to assume the office of Governor of California.
Rolph received considerable criticism for publicly praising the citizens of San Jose following the November 1933 lynching of the confessed murderers of Brooke Hart, while promising to pardon anyone involved, thereby earning the nickname, "Governor Lynch".
After suffering several heart attacks, he died in Santa Clara County on June 2, 1934, three years into his term. He is interred at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.
[edit] Tribute
The official name of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is the James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Bridge, which was opened in 1936 -- two years after his death.
[edit] External links
- Biography from the State of California
- The Political Graveyard
- Biography from the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
| Preceded by P.H. McCarthy |
Mayor of San Francisco 1912–1931 |
Succeeded by Angelo Rossi |
| Preceded by C. C. Young |
Governor of California 1931–1934 |
Succeeded by Frank Merriam |
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| Burnett • McDougall • Bigler • J. Johnson • Weller • Latham • Downey • Stanford • Low • Haight • Booth • Pacheco • Irwin • Perkins • Stoneman • Bartlett • Waterman • Markham • Budd • Gage • Pardee • Gillett • H. Johnson • Stephens • Richardson • Young • Rolph • Merriam • Olson • Warren • Knight • P. Brown • Reagan • J. Brown • Deukmejian • Wilson • Davis • Schwarzenegger |  |
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| Mayors of San Francisco, California |  |
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| Geary • Brenham • Harris • Brenham • Garrison • Webb • Van Ness • Whelan • Burr • Teschemacher • Coon • McCoppin • Selby • Alvord • Otis • Hewston • Bryant • Kalloch • Blake • Bartlett • Pond • Sanderson • Ellert • Sutro • Phelan • Schmitz • Boxton • Taylor • McCarthy • Rolph • Rossi • Lapham • Robinson • Christopher • Shelley • Alioto • Moscone • Feinstein • Agnos • Jordan • Brown • Newsom |
