Anthony Caminetti | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byC. M. Bellc. 1891–1894 | |
| United States Commissioner General of Immigration | |
| In office June 10, 1913 – March 4, 1921 | |
| President | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | Daniel F. Keefe |
| Succeeded by | William Walter Husband |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1891 – March 4, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | Marion Biggs |
| Succeeded by | Grove L. Johnson |
| Member of theCalifornia Senate | |
| In office January 7, 1907 – June 10, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | William Chapman Ralston Jr. |
| Succeeded by | James Wilson Struckenbruck |
| Constituency | 10th district |
| In office January 3, 1887 – January 5, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | George E. Whitney |
| Succeeded by | Edward Converse Voorheis |
| Constituency | 14th district |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly | |
| In office January 4, 1897 – January 1, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | James H. Tibbits |
| Succeeded by | Frederick L. Stewart |
| Constituency | 15th district |
| In office January 8, 1883 – January 5, 1885 | |
| Preceded by | James H. Tibbits |
| Succeeded by | Frederick L. Stewart |
| Constituency | 16th district |
| District Attorney ofAmador County | |
| In office 1878–1882 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1854-07-30)July 30, 1854 Jackson, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 17, 1923(1923-11-17) (aged 69) Jackson, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Protestant Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ellen Martin |
| Children | 2, includingFarley Drew |
Anthony Caminetti (July 30, 1854 – November 17, 1923) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as aUnited States representative fromCalifornia from 1891 to 1895.
Born inJackson, California, Caminetti was the son of Italian emigrants.[1] He attended the public schools of his native county, the grammar schools inSan Francisco, and theUniversity of California, Berkeley. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1877 and commenced practice in Jackson. He was thedistrict attorney of Amador County from 1878 until 1882.[2]
He married Ellen Martin, a native of California. She descended from the distinguished Madison family. Her great-grandmother was President Madison's own cousin. Her great-grandfather, George Holland, was a First Lieutenant in the Continental army, and was with Washington at Valley Forge. His oath of allegiance is on file at the Department of State, being one of the few documents preserved from the destructive hands of the English in the war of 1812.
When her husband was unable to be present at the Democratic Convention in Sacramento, Ellen Martin went before the Convention and made his speech of acceptance for him. In commenting on this one of the newspapers of California said: "People who think that women have no influence in politics ought to have attended the Democratic Convention in Sacramento yesterday. Mrs. Caminetti presided and dictated the course of the proceedings with grace and precision of purpose unexpected from the gentler sex." Her work in Washington during a session of the Fifty-third Congress, against a bill that she opposed, elicited a complimentary editorial from a San Francisco paper. Ellen Martin was prominently connected with educational work in California, and was a member of the Board of Education of her county.[3]
Caminetti served in theCalifornia State Assembly from 1883 to 1885,[2] and theState Senate from 1887 to 1891.[4] In 1886 his sonFarley Drew was born.
He was elected as aDemocrat to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third United States Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895). While in Congress, he proposed a bill in 1892 that would have eliminatedYosemite National Park, prompting a campaign by theSierra Club PresidentJohn Muir to kill the bill.[5]
He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1894 for reelection to the Fifty-fourth Congress.
He was a delegate to theDemocratic National Convention in 1896 and again a member of the State Assembly from 1897 until 1901. In April 1897, he was appointed code commissioner (meaning he was supposed to analyze uncodified California statutory law in theCalifornia Statutes and attempt to codify general provisions in theCalifornia Codes) and served in that capacity until July 31, 1899.[2]
He was a member of the State Senate from 1907 to 1913. In 1907, during his second time in the State Senate, Caminetti brought about the enactment of the Upward Extension Act, the firststate law in the United States to formally authorize the creation ofjunior colleges.[6] This eventually resulted in the creation of theCalifornia Community Colleges.[6]
He served as United States Commissioner General of Immigration from 1913 to 1921.[7]
In 1913, his son,Farley Drew Caminetti, was arrested under theMann Act when he took his mistress toReno, Nevada across thestate line.[8]
As immigration chief he argued that the U.S. Congress should end all immigration of Chinese, Japanese, and Malays because they represented the "Asiatic menace." In 1915 he was assigned to the National Employment Bureau. In 1917, he was appointed a member of theWar Industries Board and after the war was sent toEurope to investigate conditions there.[2]
He engaged in the practice of law inJackson, California until his death in 1923.[7] He was buried in the Protestant Cemetery.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Anthony Caminetti | 18,644 | 49.0 | |
| Republican | George G. Blanchard | 18,485 | 48.6 | |
| Prohibition | J. S. Witherell | 912 | 2.4 | |
| Total votes | 38,041 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Anthony Caminetti (incumbent) | 20,741 | 53.3 | |
| Republican | John F. Davis | 16,781 | 43.1 | |
| Prohibition | Chauncey H. Dunn | 1,307 | 3.4 | |
| Independent | J. H. White | 122 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 38,951 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Grove L. Johnson | 19,302 | 43.0 | |||
| Democratic | Anthony Caminetti (incumbent) | 15,732 | 35.1 | |||
| Populist | Burdell Cornell | 8,946 | 20.0 | |||
| Prohibition | Elam Briggs | 866 | 1.9 | |||
| Total votes | 44,846 | 100.0 | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Anthony Caminetti, well known in California politics for many years and former Federal Commissioner of Immigration, died at his home here tonight shortly after 6 o'clock. At his bedside at the time were his two sons, Farley Drew and Anthony B. Caminetti, Jr., and four grandchildren.
Farley Drew Caminetti, son of the Commissioner General of Immigration, was found guilty late to-day on one count of the indictment charging him with violation of the Mann White Slave act.
| California Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles B. Swift, Chapman Warkins | California State Assemblyman, 16th District (Amador County seat) 1883-1885 (with Robert Stewart) | Succeeded by George H. Colby |
| Preceded by James H. Tibbits | California State Assemblyman, 15th District 1897-1901 | Succeeded by Frederick L. Stewart |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 2nd congressional district 1891–1895 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Commissioner General of Immigration 1909 – 1913 | Succeeded by William W. Husband |
