James Rolph | |
|---|---|
 Rolph in 1928 | |
| 27thGovernor of California | |
| In office January 6, 1931 – June 2, 1934 | |
| Lieutenant | Frank Merriam |
| Preceded by | C. C. Young |
| Succeeded by | Frank Merriam |
| Chair of theNational Governors Association | |
| In office July 26, 1933 – June 2, 1934 | |
| Preceded by | John Garland Pollard |
| Succeeded by | Paul V. McNutt |
| 30thMayor of San Francisco | |
| In office January 8, 1912 – January 6, 1931 | |
| Preceded by | P. H. McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Angelo Rossi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1869-08-23)August 23, 1869 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 2, 1934(1934-06-02) (aged 64) |
| Resting place | Greenlawn Memorial Park, Colma, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Annie Marshall Reid |
| Children | 3 |
James "Sunny Jim"Rolph Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was an American politician. A member of theRepublican Party, he was elected to a single term as the 27thgovernor of California from January 6, 1931, until his death on June 2, 1934, at the height of theGreat Depression. Previously, Rolph had been the 30thmayor of San Francisco from January 8, 1912, until hisresignation in 1931 to become governor.[1] Rolph remains the longest-serving mayor in San Francisco history.
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Rolph was born in San Francisco, the son of Margaret (née Nicol) and James Rolph.[2][3][4] He had four brothers, includingThomas Rolph, and two sisters.[5] After attending school in theMission District, he went to work as an office boy in a commission house. He married Annie Marshall Reid (1872–1956) and had at least one son: James Rolph III (1904–1980).
Rolph entered the shipping business in 1900 by forming a partnership with George Hind. Over the next decade, he served 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 until1911 to run for mayor—a position that he would hold for nineteen years. As mayor, he was known as "Sunny Jim", and his theme song was "There Are Smiles That Make You Happy". In 1915, he appeared as himself in an early documentary film titledMabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco, which starredFatty Arbuckle andMabel Normand and was directed by Arbuckle. In 1924, Rolph appeared as himself in aSlim Summerville comedy short film,Hello, 'Frisco.
Rolph knew of the power in San Francisco of theRoman Catholic Church. Italians, Irish, French and Germans made up the majority of the population of the city. He established a deep friendship with ArchbishopEdward Joseph Hanna.
In addition to his mayoral duties and overseeing his shipping interests, he directed the Ship Owners and Merchants Tugboat Company and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He also was vice-president of thePanama–Pacific International Exposition and president of theMerchants' Exchange. He resigned in 1931 to assume the office of governor of California.
Rolph received considerable criticism for publicly praising the citizens ofSan Jose following the November 1933lynching of the confessed kidnapper-murderers ofBrooke Hart, a local department store heir, while promising topardon anyone involved, thereby earning the nickname "Governor Lynch."[6]: 98 Four days before the lynching, he had announced he would not call on theNational Guard to prevent the lynching, which was already being discussed locally.[6]: 149
After violence erupted during theSan Joaquin cotton strike in October 1933, Governor Rolph appointed a fact-finding committee to investigate the deaths of several strikers. When the committee met inVisalia on October 19, 1933,Caroline Decker, a labor activist who had taken part in other California agricultural actions, took testimony from the strikers who testified about the growers' assaults on striking workers.
After suffering several heart attacks, Rolph died inSanta Clara County on June 2, 1934, aged 64, three years into his term. He was the second California governor to die in office, the first beingWashington Bartlett in 1887. Rolph is buried atGreenlawn Memorial Park inColma, California.[7] He was succeeded as governor by Lieutenant GovernorFrank Merriam.
On September 7, 1934, the California Toll Bridge Authority passed a resolution "that...the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge be dedicated as a lasting memorial to the memory of James Rolph Jr."[8][9]
A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago ranked Rolph as the twenty-third-best American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.[10]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Notes on p. 126 that the Bay Bridge is "unofficially dedicated to James R. Rolph."
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of San Francisco 1912–1931 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of California 1931–1934 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Governors Association 1933–1934 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of California 1930 | Succeeded by |
| Under Spain (1769–1822) |  | |
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| Under Mexico (1822–1846) | ||
| Under U.S. military (1846–1850) | ||
| U.S. state (since 1850) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
