Sac History Happenings: In History's Spotlight: Newton Booth

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

July 17, 2011

In History's Spotlight: Newton Booth

Born: Dec. 30, 1825
Died: July 14, 1892

Known for: Republican Newton Booth was California's 11th governor (1872-1874) and a U.S. senator.

Background: Born in Salem, Ind., Booth arrived in Sacramento in 1850 and started a successful merchandising business with Charles Smith. He retired in 1856 and returned to Indiana but came back in 1860 and was elected a state senator two years later. In 1871, he became governor. Booth helped to form the "Dolly Vardens" party in 1873, and with its support was elected to the U.S. Senate. Since his swearing-in would take place 18 months later, he remained in office as governor after being elected. The controversial move prompted an attempt to amend the state constitution to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.

A highlight: Sacramento's Newton Booth neighborhood -- bordered by 24th Street to the west, 30th Street to the east, X Street to the south and R Street to the north -- is named for the governor. He is buried at the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery

In History's Spotlight profiles of Sacramento newsmakers were published originally in 2007 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of The Sacramento Bee. They were written by Anthony Sorci. Look for them every Sunday in Sac History Happenings.

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California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

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