Sac History Happenings: In History's Spotlight: Frank Merriam

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

October 23, 2011

In History's Spotlight: Frank Merriam

Born: Dec. 22, 1865
Died: April 25, 1955

Known for: Frank Merriam was governor of California during the later years of the Depression.

Background: An Iowa native, he served in his home state's legislature and as state auditor. He moved to California at age 45 and served in the Assembly and Senate before becoming lieutenant governor. He ascended to the top spot when Gov. James Rolph died near the end of his term in June 1934. Two years earlier, California had gone Democratic in supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt for president. But Republicans managed to elect Merriam as governor in a 1934 race that pitted him against socialist Upton Sinclair, a controversial Democratic nominee, and retain control of state government. As governor, Merriam waged a war against corrupt lobbyists and appointed a committee to investigate them.

A highlight: Merriam was California's ninth consecutive Republican governor, a streak that lasted from 1899 to 1938. He was defeated by Democrat Culbert Olson. Merriam was also the first governor to marry in office.

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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