Henry F. Teschemacher
Encyclopedia
Henry Frederick Teschemacher (February 16, 1823 - November 26, 1904) served as the tenth mayor of San Francisco
from October 3, 1859 to June 30, 1863.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and worked for a Boston shipping house around the 1840s. The firm sent him to San Francisco, California in 1846, where he traded goods for furs, tallow, and hides. With the start of the Gold Rush
six years later, he bought a great deal of real estate in what later became San Francisco. He also sketched a drawing of the village of which he would become mayor, called View of Place of Anchorage of Yerba Buena.
Teschemacher soon joined the Vigilance Movement
, serving in the vigilante-led trials of suspected criminals. Through his work with the vigilantes, he became known as a person who stood for law and order and was the choice of the People's Party for mayor in the 1859 election. He managed to win, due to divisions in the Democratic
ranks over slavery
.
His first months in office were relatively calm. He kept tabs on city spending and made few public appearances, save to dedicate the city's first streetcar line. He also doubled the size of his police force.
During his time as mayor, the American Civil War
erupted. San Francisco coped with disrupted trade with the east by buying stock in silver mines and establishing factories that sold goods not only within the city itself but also in Asia
. Thus began San Francisco's path to self-sufficiency.
After leaving office, he became a real estate agent until 1882. Then he retired to Europe, briefly appearing in San Francisco in 1892. He was the artist for a lithograph entitled Life In California, by the Endicott Company. He died in Terretet, Switzerland on November 26, 1904.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
from October 3, 1859 to June 30, 1863.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and worked for a Boston shipping house around the 1840s. The firm sent him to San Francisco, California in 1846, where he traded goods for furs, tallow, and hides. With the start of 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...
six years later, he bought a great deal of real estate in what later became San Francisco. He also sketched a drawing of the village of which he would become mayor, called View of Place of Anchorage of Yerba Buena.
Teschemacher soon joined the Vigilance Movement
San 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...
, serving in the vigilante-led trials of suspected criminals. Through his work with the vigilantes, he became known as a person who stood for law and order and was the choice of the People's Party for mayor in the 1859 election. He managed to win, due to divisions in the Democratic
Democratic 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...
ranks over slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
.
His first months in office were relatively calm. He kept tabs on city spending and made few public appearances, save to dedicate the city's first streetcar line. He also doubled the size of his police force.
During his time as mayor, the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
erupted. San Francisco coped with disrupted trade with the east by buying stock in silver mines and establishing factories that sold goods not only within the city itself but also in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Thus began San Francisco's path to self-sufficiency.
After leaving office, he became a real estate agent until 1882. Then he retired to Europe, briefly appearing in San Francisco in 1892. He was the artist for a lithograph entitled Life In California, by the Endicott Company. He died in Terretet, Switzerland on November 26, 1904.
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)