Francis G. Newlands
Encyclopedia
Francis Griffith Newlands (August 28, 1846 December 24, 1917) was a United States Representative and Senator from Nevada
.
, Mississippi
, on August 28, 1846. He studied at Yale University
and the Columbian College Law School (now the George Washington University Law School), and was admitted to the bar
in 1869.
in 1870 and came to work for William Sharon
, one of the discoverers of the Comstock Lode
in Virginia City
, Nevada
. Newlands later married Sharon's daughter Clara Adelaide Sharon. She died in 1882, eight years after they married. In 1888 he moved to Nevada to serve Sharon's interests, and continued to practice law.
In the late 1880s, Newlands and his partners began the aggressive acquisition of farmland in northwestern Washington, D.C.
and southern Montgomery County, Maryland
, for the purpose of developing a residential streetcar suburb
for Washington, D.C.
. (See Washington streetcars
.) They founded the Chevy Chase Land Company in 1890, and its eventual holdings are now known as Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C.
and Chevy Chase, Maryland
.
Representative
for Nevada between 1893 and 1903. During his service, he wrote the Newlands Resolution
, an act to annex the Republic of Hawai'i
and create the Territory of Hawai'i
. It was approved on July 4, 1898 and signed by President
William McKinley
. Newlands became well known for his support of irrigation
, land reclamation
, and free silver
. Newlands is most famous for the 1902 Newlands Reclamation Act
, which funded irrigation projects throughout much of the American West.
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
is named for him.
Newlands's former mansion in Reno
is one of six properties in Nevada designated as a National Historic Landmark
. Many notable people, including Barbara Hutton
in 1935, stayed at the house while awaiting their divorce
paperwork to be finalized by George Thatcher, a local divorce lawyer
who purchased the home in 1920.
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Early life
Newlands was born in NatchezNatchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, on August 28, 1846. He studied at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and the Columbian College Law School (now the George Washington University Law School), and was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar
An admission to practice law, also called admission to the bar, is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. Becoming a lawyer is a widely varied process around the world. Common to all jurisdictions are requirements of age and competence; some jurisdictions also require citizenship...
in 1869.
Career in the West
Newlands moved to San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
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...
in 1870 and came to work for William Sharon
William Sharon
William Sharon was a United States Senator from Nevada who profited from the Comstock Lode.-Early life:Sharon was born in Smithfield, Ohio, January 9, 1821, the son of William Sharon and Susan Kirk. He attended Ohio University. After studying law in St. Louis, Missouri, he was admitted to the bar...
, one of the discoverers of the Comstock Lode
Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...
in Virginia City
Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Newlands later married Sharon's daughter Clara Adelaide Sharon. She died in 1882, eight years after they married. In 1888 he moved to Nevada to serve Sharon's interests, and continued to practice law.
In the late 1880s, Newlands and his partners began the aggressive acquisition of farmland in northwestern Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. (northwest)
Northwest is the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located north of the National Mall and west of North Capitol Street...
and southern Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, for the purpose of developing a residential streetcar suburb
Streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. (See Washington streetcars
Washington streetcars
For just under 100 years, between 1862 and 1962, streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region.The first streetcars in Washington D.C...
.) They founded the Chevy Chase Land Company in 1890, and its eventual holdings are now known as Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C.
Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C.
Chevy Chase is a neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. It borders Chevy Chase, Maryland, a collection of similarly affluent neighborhoods.-Geography:...
and Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
.
Representative
He served as a DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for Nevada between 1893 and 1903. During his service, he wrote the Newlands Resolution
Newlands Resolution
The Newlands Resolution, was a joint resolution written by and named after United States Congressman Francis G. Newlands. It was an Act of Congress to annex the Republic of Hawaii and create the Territory of Hawaii....
, an act to annex the Republic of Hawai'i
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
and create the Territory of Hawai'i
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
. It was approved on July 4, 1898 and signed by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
. Newlands became well known for his support of irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
, land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
, and free silver
Free Silver
Free Silver was an important United States political policy issue in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Its advocates were in favor of an inflationary monetary policy using the "free coinage of silver" as opposed to the less inflationary Gold Standard; its supporters were called...
. Newlands is most famous for the 1902 Newlands Reclamation Act
Newlands Reclamation Act
The Reclamation Act of 1902 is a United States federal law that funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of 20 states in the American West....
, which funded irrigation projects throughout much of the American West.
Senator
He became a Senator for Nevada in 1903 and served until his death in Washington, D.C., on December 24, 1917. He was a member of the Senate subcommittee which investigated the 1912 sinking of , and in 1916 he was the only Democratic Senator to vote against the nomination of Louis BrandeisLouis Brandeis
Louis Dembitz Brandeis ; November 13, 1856 – October 5, 1941) was an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to 1939.He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to Jewish immigrant parents who raised him in a secular mode...
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Legacy
Newlands was an "avowed racist" who in 1912 mounted his presidential campaign on a platform that called for a constitutional amendment to disenfranchise black men and limit immigration to whites only. Like many suburban towns in the United States during the first half of the 20th century, Chevy Chase - the suburb that he co-founded - excluded individuals based on race and religion. Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial FountainFrancis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain
Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain is a historic fountain, located at located at at Chevy Chase Circle, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Chevy Chase neighborhood.-History:It was designed by Edward Wilton Donn in 1933, and was erected in 1938....
is named for him.
Newlands's former mansion in Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
is one of six properties in Nevada designated as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. Many notable people, including Barbara Hutton
Barbara Hutton
Barbara Woolworth Hutton was an American socialite dubbed by the media as the "Poor Little Rich Girl" because of her troubled life...
in 1935, stayed at the house while awaiting their divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
paperwork to be finalized by George Thatcher, a local divorce lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who purchased the home in 1920.