Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Jump to content

Frank M. Pixley: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
KasparBot (talk | contribs)
1,549,811 edits
authority control moved to wikidata
(42 intermediate revisions by 26 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
''For the writer see [[Frank S. Pixley]]''
[[Image:Frank Morrison Pixley.jpg|thumb|Frank M. Pixley, founder of ''The Argonaut'']]
⚫
'''Frank Morrison Pixley''' (January 31, 1825 – August 13, 1895) was an American journalist and politician who served briefly as the [[Attorney General of California]].


{{short description|American politician}}
⚫
Pixley was born in [[Westmoreland, New York|Westmoreland]], [[Oneida County, New York]]. He graduated from [[Hamilton College (New York)|Hamilton College]] and studied law in [[Rochester, New York]]. In 1847, he was elected to the [[Supreme Court of Michigan]]. Two years later he travelled to California during the [[California Gold Rush|Gold Rush]], and spent two winters working mines on the [[Yuba River]]. He met and, in 1853, married Amelia Van Reynegom; the Pixleys lived in the [[North Beach, San Francisco, California|North Beach]] area of [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]].


{{Infobox officeholder
⚫
Pixley served as the 8th Attorney General of California, from 1860 to 1861. He fought in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] alongside Union General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] at the [[Battle of Cold Harbor]]. In 1868 he was the [[Republican Party of the United States|Republican]] candidate for [[United States Congress|Congress]] in California's First District, losing to incumbent [[Samuel Beach Axtell]] by more than 3500 votes.
| name = Frank M. Pixley
| image = Frank Morrison Pixley.jpg
⚫
| office = 8th [[Attorney General of California]]
| termstart = 1862
| termend = 1863
| predecessor = [[Thomas H. Williams (California official)|Tom Williams]]
| successor = [[John G. McCullough]]
| party = Republican
| birth_date = {{birth date|1825|1|31}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1895|8|13|1825|1|31}}
| birth_place = New York
| death_place = San Francisco
⚫
}}
⚫
'''Frank Morrison Pixley''' (January 31, 1825 – August 13, 1895) was an American journalist, attorney, and politician. Pixley was the 8th attorney general of [[California]].


==Biography==
⚫
Pixley and Frank Somers founded ''[[The Argonaut]]'' in April, 1877. ''The Argonaut'' was considered one of the most important publications in California and it had a great deal of political influence. He was friends with former Governor of California [[John G. Downey]], and after the death of Downey's wife, introduced him to [[Yda Addis]] a much younger woman who wrote for ''The Argonaut'', resulting in a minor scandal.
⚫
Pixley was born in [[Westmoreland, New York|Westmoreland]], [[Oneida County, New York]]. As a youth, he worked on the family farm and was first educated in the village academy, later at the [[Quaker]] school in [[Skaneateles (town), New York]]. He graduated from [[Hamilton College (New York)|Hamilton College]] and studied law in [[Rochester, New York]], he worked in the law office of Smith, Rochester and Smith. In 1847, he went to [[Michigan]] where he was admitted to practice law and qualified to appear before the state supreme court. Two years later he travelled to California during the [[California Gold Rush|Gold Rush]], and spent two winters working mines on the [[Yuba River]]. He met and, in 1853, married Amelia Van Reynegom, daughter of Captain John and Margaret Van Reynegom, who had arrived to San Francisco in 1849 aboard her parents’ ship the ''Linda''. The Pixleys lived in the [[North Beach, San Francisco, California|North Beach]] area of [[San Francisco]].


In 1858, although California was a Democratic state, Pixley was elected as a Republican to represent San Francisco in the [[California Assembly]]. In 1861, on the same Republican ticket as Governor [[Leland Stanford]], he was elected the 8th [[Attorney General of California]]. His term ended in 1863.
The town of [[Pixley, California|Pixley]], in [[Tulare County, California]], is named after Frank Pixley.

He traveled to Washington D.C. as a [[American Civil War|Civil War]] correspondent. However, he could not obtain a pass from [[Edwin Stanton]] who was the [[Secretary of War]]. At that he persuaded the United States Senator from California, [[John Conness]], to let him use his congressional pass. With that he was able to spend three months in Civil War combat areas, and at one time riding his horse to the front line with the Second Connecticut Regiment. He visited [[Ulysses S. Grant]] in his headquarters. The General commented that Pixley had seen more warfare than many of his fighting men.

⚫
In 1868 he was the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate for [[United States Congress|Congress]] in California's First District, losing to incumbent [[Samuel Beach Axtell]] by more than 3500 votes. He briefly served as the [[United States Attorney]] for the District of California in 1869.
[[File:Frank M. Pixley, editor of the San Francisco Argonaut.jpg|thumb|Pixley in ''The Argonaut'' editorial office, ca. 1892]]
⚫
Pixley joined with Frederic Somers to found ''[[The Argonaut]]'' in April 1877. ''The Argonaut'' was considered one of the most important publications in California and it had a great deal of political influence. He was friends with former Governor of California [[John G. Downey]], and after the death of Downey's wife, introduced him to [[Yda Hillis Addis]], a young woman who wrote for ''The Argonaut''. Their relationship ended when the ex-governor proposed marriage to Addis. When Downey's sisters discovered the betrothal, they shanghaied the older gentleman to his native [[Ireland]].

Pixley opposed immigration of Chinese people and voting rights for them.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/274564|title=Frank Pixley and the Heathen Chinese (A Phylon Document)|author=Stanley, Gerald|year=1979|journal=Phylon|volume=40|issue=3|pages=224–228|via=JSTOR|doi=10.2307/274564|jstor=274564 }}</ref>

In 1882 Governor [[George Clement Perkins]] appointed Pixley to the board of commissioners of San Francisco's [[Golden Gate Park]]. In 1888, Governor [[Robert Waterman (governor)|Robert Waterman]] appointed Pixley a trustee of the state Mining Bureau. In 1889 he was appointed to the board of the [[Yosemite]] Valley and Mariposa Grove Commission.

He died at age 70 in 1895 in San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oag.ca.gov/history/8pixley|title=Frank M. Pixley, 8th Attorney General|date=January 20, 2011|website=State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General}}</ref>

==Pixley, California==
The town of [[Pixley, California|Pixley]], in [[Tulare County, California]], is named after Frank Pixley. The town began as a real estate speculation in 1884. The investors, Darwin C. Allen and William B. Bradbury, knew their project would succeed only if the town was connected to the mainline of the [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]]. They contacted Frank Pixley, a man whom they knew was a friend of [[Leland Stanford]], president of the [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]]. In 1886, Pixley joined with the original investors as a partner in the Pixley Townsite Company. The company purchased additional land in the vicinity. When The Southern Pacific extended its tracks to the Townsite, the town prospered. The terms of sale for the land was 25% down, the rest to be carried back for three years by the owners at 8 percent interest. The partners made a handsome profit.

Special railroad fares were offered to people in other areas of California and as far away as [[Boston]] in order to bring potential customers to see the new lands and the investment possibilities near Pixley.

The first house built in Pixley was for Emma Pixley, the widow of Frank Pixley's brother William. Her three sons and daughter lived in the home. Emma bought a quarter section of an adjoining piece of land where she farmed until they moved back to San Francisco.

Frank Pixley advertised the town named after him in his biweekly journal ''The Argonaut''.<ref>John L. Levinsohn, "Frank Morrison Pixley of the Argonaut," The Book Club of California, San Francisco, 1989</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://caag.state.ca.us/ag/history/8pixley.htm Brief biography with picture]
*[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18950812.2.10 Obituary]


{{s-start}}
⚫
{{Attorneys General of California}}
{{s-legal}}
{{succession box |
before= [[Thomas H. Williams (California official)|Thomas H. Williams]]| |
title= [[Attorney General of California]] |
years= 1862&ndash;1863 |
after= [[John G. McCullough]]}}
{{s-end}}


{{Attorneys General of California}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Pixley, Frank
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
| DATE OF BIRTH = January 31, 1825
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = August 13, 1895
| PLACE OF DEATH =
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pixley, Frank}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pixley, Frank}}
[[Category:California Attorneys General]]
[[Category:California attorneys general]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:American magazine founders]]
[[Category:American magazine founders]]
Line 35: Line 74:
[[Category:1895 deaths]]
[[Category:1895 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Westmoreland, New York]]
[[Category:People from Westmoreland, New York]]
[[Category:19th-century American politicians]]

[[Category:United States Attorneys for the District of California]]
{{california-politician-stub}}
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
{{US-law-bio-stub}}
{{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub}}

Revision as of 22:51, 29 July 2024

For the writer see Frank S. Pixley

Frank M. Pixley
8th Attorney General of California
In office
1862–1863
Preceded byTom Williams
Succeeded byJohn G. McCullough
Personal details
Born(1825-01-31)January 31, 1825
New York
DiedAugust 13, 1895(1895-08-13) (aged 70)
San Francisco
Political partyRepublican

Frank Morrison Pixley (January 31, 1825 – August 13, 1895) was an American journalist, attorney, and politician. Pixley was the 8th attorney general of California.

Biography

Pixley was born in Westmoreland, Oneida County, New York. As a youth, he worked on the family farm and was first educated in the village academy, later at the Quaker school in Skaneateles (town), New York. He graduated from Hamilton College and studied law in Rochester, New York, he worked in the law office of Smith, Rochester and Smith. In 1847, he went to Michigan where he was admitted to practice law and qualified to appear before the state supreme court. Two years later he travelled to California during the Gold Rush, and spent two winters working mines on the Yuba River. He met and, in 1853, married Amelia Van Reynegom, daughter of Captain John and Margaret Van Reynegom, who had arrived to San Francisco in 1849 aboard her parents’ ship the Linda. The Pixleys lived in the North Beach area of San Francisco.

In 1858, although California was a Democratic state, Pixley was elected as a Republican to represent San Francisco in the California Assembly. In 1861, on the same Republican ticket as Governor Leland Stanford, he was elected the 8th Attorney General of California. His term ended in 1863.

He traveled to Washington D.C. as a Civil War correspondent. However, he could not obtain a pass from Edwin Stanton who was the Secretary of War. At that he persuaded the United States Senator from California, John Conness, to let him use his congressional pass. With that he was able to spend three months in Civil War combat areas, and at one time riding his horse to the front line with the Second Connecticut Regiment. He visited Ulysses S. Grant in his headquarters. The General commented that Pixley had seen more warfare than many of his fighting men.

In 1868 he was the Republican candidate for Congress in California's First District, losing to incumbent Samuel Beach Axtell by more than 3500 votes. He briefly served as the United States Attorney for the District of California in 1869.

Pixley in The Argonaut editorial office, ca. 1892

Pixley joined with Frederic Somers to found The Argonaut in April 1877. The Argonaut was considered one of the most important publications in California and it had a great deal of political influence. He was friends with former Governor of California John G. Downey, and after the death of Downey's wife, introduced him to Yda Hillis Addis, a young woman who wrote for The Argonaut. Their relationship ended when the ex-governor proposed marriage to Addis. When Downey's sisters discovered the betrothal, they shanghaied the older gentleman to his native Ireland.

Pixley opposed immigration of Chinese people and voting rights for them.[1]

In 1882 Governor George Clement Perkins appointed Pixley to the board of commissioners of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. In 1888, Governor Robert Waterman appointed Pixley a trustee of the state Mining Bureau. In 1889 he was appointed to the board of the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove Commission.

He died at age 70 in 1895 in San Francisco.[2]

Pixley, California

The town of Pixley, in Tulare County, California, is named after Frank Pixley. The town began as a real estate speculation in 1884. The investors, Darwin C. Allen and William B. Bradbury, knew their project would succeed only if the town was connected to the mainline of the Southern Pacific. They contacted Frank Pixley, a man whom they knew was a friend of Leland Stanford, president of the Southern Pacific. In 1886, Pixley joined with the original investors as a partner in the Pixley Townsite Company. The company purchased additional land in the vicinity. When The Southern Pacific extended its tracks to the Townsite, the town prospered. The terms of sale for the land was 25% down, the rest to be carried back for three years by the owners at 8 percent interest. The partners made a handsome profit.

Special railroad fares were offered to people in other areas of California and as far away as Boston in order to bring potential customers to see the new lands and the investment possibilities near Pixley.

The first house built in Pixley was for Emma Pixley, the widow of Frank Pixley's brother William. Her three sons and daughter lived in the home. Emma bought a quarter section of an adjoining piece of land where she farmed until they moved back to San Francisco.

Frank Pixley advertised the town named after him in his biweekly journal The Argonaut.[3]

References

  1. ^ Stanley, Gerald (1979). "Frank Pixley and the Heathen Chinese (A Phylon Document)". Phylon. 40 (3): 224–228. doi:10.2307/274564. JSTOR 274564 – via JSTOR.
  2. ^ "Frank M. Pixley, 8th Attorney General". State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General. January 20, 2011.
  3. ^ John L. Levinsohn, "Frank Morrison Pixley of the Argonaut," The Book Club of California, San Francisco, 1989
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of California
1862–1863 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_M._Pixley&oldid=1237465200"