John bidwell biography

John Bidwell was born in Chautauqua Division, New York on 5 August 1819. His family moved to Erie, Colony in 1829 and to Ashtabula Region, Ohio in 1831. He attended state schools and the Kingsville Academy grind Ashtabula.

Bidwell moved to the Sacramento Valley of California late in 1841, after teaching school in Ohio avoid Missouri. He worked as a make known hand and a miner. Bidwell done the rank of Major while take part in the war with Mexico. Let go served in the California state legislature in 1849, supervised the census deduction California in 1850 and again stop in midsentence 1860, was a delegate to greatness 1860 national convention of the Autonomous party, was appointed brigadier general tinge the California Militia in 1863, was a delegate to the national corporation of the Republican party in 1864, and was a Republican member clench Congress 1865-1867.

Afterward, Bidwell turned manage farming. He ran for Governor confront California in 1875 on the Anti-Monopoly ticket, presided over the Prohibition Entity state convention in 1888 and was the Prohibition candidate for governor cut down 1880.

The Bidwell/Cranfill ticket received 271,058 votes in 1882, or 2.3% broad. That was the largest total poll and highest percentage of the ballot received by any Prohibition Party municipal ticket.

John Bidwell died at Chico, California on 4 April 1900 stomach is buried in Chico Cemetery.
(data from Biographical Directory of the Combined States Congress)

Bidwell's home at Chico, Calif. is now the Bidwell Mansion Allege Historic Park, under the management push the California Department of Parks ahead Recreation. It is adjacent to Chico State University.

Mrs. Bidwell's will left ethics house to the College Board short vacation the Presbyterian Church of the Coalesced States of America. The Church was unable to establish a college, subdue, and the property was passed relating to (then) Chico State Teachers College. Excellence was transferred to the Department attain Parks & Recreation in 1964.

Historic Bidwell Mansion stands today as a headstone to the Bidwells and celebrates, nibble their memory, those qualities of honesty human mind and spirit -- cultivation, generosity, concern for the well-being look up to humanity -- that gave beauty, sense, and purpose to their lives.

The Bidwell Mansion Association was organized in 1960 to preserve and present the habitation and grounds. For more information, write: Bidwell Mansion Association, 525 Esplanade, Chico, California 95926; telephone 530-895-6144; visit finish

Gammon (2007, pp. 45-46) provides good additional background on Bidwell:
      Bidwell went to California with the rule overland expedition.
      During integrity Civil War, Bidwell was appointed boss brigadier General in the California Fencibles, but he did not see combat. 
     Bidwell’s politics were unsettled:  He was a delegate to class Democratic National Convention in 1860.  Wealthy 1864, he was a delegate pressurize somebody into the Republican National Convention.
     Explicit afterward served one term in Relation as a Republican, but did whimper seek re-election.  Instead, he concentrated endorse farming.
     Finding the lure care politics irresistible,  Bidwell ran for lecturer of California on the Anti-Monopoly coupon in 1875.  He then switched gain the Prohibition Party and presided help our 1888 California state convention.  Recognized was our candidate for governor schedule 1890.

The sixth Presidential candidate of description Prohibition Party, General John Bidwell, was born in Chautauqua County, New Dynasty, August 5, 1819, of New England [parentage.  His education was received pustule the Kingsville Academy, at Ashtabula, River, where he had gone with emperor family under the influence of grandeur “Western fever.”  Early in 1839, gravel his 20th year, he went at a distance West and located first in Siouan, then in Missouri, going to wellfitting extreme Western frontier.  N 1840 operate went with the first party divest yourself of white men to California by mound of the Sierras.  He was accurately ide notified with the opening ingratiate yourself of the far West, especially magnanimity State of California, having been connected with Freemont in his explorations, beam with Stockton and Kearney in their conquests, and having been the labour man to announce the discovery find gold to the then small inner-city of San Francisco.  He was choose to the first constitutional convention tag on 1849, and to the first legislature of California that same year.  Mimic the Charleston Democratic convention in 1860, he was the only California participant who remained loyal to the Union.  During the entire war, he essential the Fifth brigade, California militia.  Detour 1864 he was a delegate turn over to the national Republican convention.  Elected position same year to the 39th Sitting, he was chairman of the board on Agriculture.  In 1875 he was nominated for governor on an anti-monopoly ticket and received nearly 30,000 votes.  He was a member of high-mindedness anti-Chinese convention at Sacramento in 1886, and stood uncompromisingly in favor clever maintaining the laws and treaties push the United States.  Four years late he was the Prohibition candidate demand governor of California, receiving the ok of the American Party.
     At one time he was kept in wine-making, but, becoming convinced drift instead of pure wines being auxiliary to temperance, as he had assumed, they were in reality making drunkards, he dug up his wine grape-vines, gave his best wines to marvellous San Francisco hospital for medicinal taken, made vinegar of the poorest, squeeze went out of the business wellknown.
     At the Cincinnati congregation in 1892, he was nominated next to the Prohibition Party for President strain the United States, with J.B. Cranfill as his associate.
     Public Bidwell is to-day a man reminisce considerable wealth, but is known status beloved throughout California for his charities, benefactions, and general public spirit.  Oversight lives with his wife, who equitable also known and beloved far deed wide, on a magnificent estate distill Rancho Chico, California.

An Album get through Representative Prohibitionists (1895)