Ephraim Willard Burr
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Willard Burr was a businessman who served as the ninth mayor of San Francisco, California
from 1856 to 1859.
Burr was born on March 7, 1809 in Rhode Island
. As a young man, he worked for a whaling company which sent him west. After losing his crew while docked in San Francisco—many sailors were lured away by the prospect of finding gold during the Gold Rush
—Burr stayed put and opened a grocery store. His family moved to California to be with him. The venture proved so successful that he opened California's first savings union, the San Francisco Accumulating Fund Association.
to enter the streams, causing three deaths—including that of his son.
, who recommended him as the People's Party candidate for mayor. He was elected mayor on November 4, 1856 and took office on November 15 of that year. Burr entered office under a new city charter that significantly weakened his powers; however, this did not stop him from cutting city spending (including spending from the formerly separate county government). Nor did this loss of authority stop Burr from reforming the office of city treasurer
. (He changed the salary from a percentage of the city receipts to a fixed wage to stop graft.)
He also proposed a plan to make the city Board of Supervisors overlords of the city debt, and to make the city attorney the overseer of the city's legal matters, which were previously handled by outside attorneys.
His primary one was the Savings and Loan Society, which he became president of 1857, while he was mayor. He was also president of the San Francisco Fire Insurance Company from 1861 to 1866.
http://dscholar.humboldt.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/2148/398/1/Ilza%20Hakenen%20Thesis.pdf
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
from 1856 to 1859.
Burr was born on March 7, 1809 in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. As a young man, he worked for a whaling company which sent him west. After losing his crew while docked in San Francisco—many sailors were lured away by the prospect of finding gold during the Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
—Burr stayed put and opened a grocery store. His family moved to California to be with him. The venture proved so successful that he opened California's first savings union, the San Francisco Accumulating Fund Association.
Politics
He entered politics in 1855 when he petitioned the common council to curb open-stream pollution caused by local slaugherhouses. Burr stated that the pollution caused choleraCholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
to enter the streams, causing three deaths—including that of his son.
Mayor of San Francisco
Burr was soon noticed by the Vigilante movementSan Francisco Vigilance Movement
The San Francisco Committee of Vigilance was a popular ad hoc organization formed in 1851 and revived in 1856. Their purpose was to rein in rampant crime and government corruption. They were among the most successful organizations in the vigilante tradition of the American Old West.These militias...
, who recommended him as the People's Party candidate for mayor. He was elected mayor on November 4, 1856 and took office on November 15 of that year. Burr entered office under a new city charter that significantly weakened his powers; however, this did not stop him from cutting city spending (including spending from the formerly separate county government). Nor did this loss of authority stop Burr from reforming the office of city treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
. (He changed the salary from a percentage of the city receipts to a fixed wage to stop graft.)
He also proposed a plan to make the city Board of Supervisors overlords of the city debt, and to make the city attorney the overseer of the city's legal matters, which were previously handled by outside attorneys.
Retirement
After leaving office, Burr devoted himself to business interests.His primary one was the Savings and Loan Society, which he became president of 1857, while he was mayor. He was also president of the San Francisco Fire Insurance Company from 1861 to 1866.
Final Appearance
He would make his final public appearance in 1891, when the Board of Supervisors sought to extend Van Ness Avenue to the San Francisco Bay. He wanted to stop the expansion, since the extended route went through his property.Source
- Heintz, William F., San Francisco's Mayors: 1850-1880. From the Gold Rush to the Silver Bonanza. Woodside, CA: Gilbert Roberts Publications, 1975. (Library of Congress Card No. 75-17094)
Other information
What appears to be a well researched thesis paper by a Humbolt State University student provides much more detail into Ephraim Burr's life.http://dscholar.humboldt.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/2148/398/1/Ilza%20Hakenen%20Thesis.pdf