James Budd
Encyclopedia
James Herbert Budd was an American
lawyer
and Democratic politician
. Involved in federal and state politics, Budd was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2nd California district
from 1883 to 1885, and later elected as the 19th Governor of California
from 1895 until 1899.
. When Budd was seven years old, he and his family emigrated to the West
, settling in Stockton, California
in 1858. Making Stockton his adoptive city, Budd attended local grammar and high schools before attending the University of California, Berkeley
, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi
fraternity, graduating in 1873. Following his graduation, Budd returned to Stockton to study law, being admitted to the California Bar the following year. His public career in the courts began after being appointed the San Joaquin County
deputy district attorney.
During the 1884 elections
, the Democratic Party
nominated Budd as its candidate for the 2nd California district
in the U.S. House of Representatives. His campaign for the House was based on fighting railroad corruption, going as far as to refuse any travel on railroads altogether during the campaign, earning Budd the nickname "Buckboard
Jim." Budd successfully won the election, becoming the first Democrat to win the district since the Civil War
.
Once in the U.S. Congress, Budd was influential in gaining enough congressional support for appropriating federal money to fund the dredging of the Stockton Channel, assisting shipping into the Port of Stockton
along the San Joaquin River
. Budd served a single term in the U.S. House, refusing the Democratic
nomination for the 1886 elections.
For the 1894 state general elections, Budd was nominated by the state Democratic convention as the party's nominee for the governorship. During the campaign, Budd targeted the growing influence of the Southern Pacific Railroad
and rail monopolies in general, proposing that the "only solution to the railroad question was that the [state] government own a line" with slight nationalization
, as well as reducing railroad fares by 25%. Budd also advocated a property assessment ceiling cap of 45 cents per $100 dollars in order to save state expenditures with the looming Long Depression
.
During the often bitter campaign for the governorship, Budd faced serious allegations brought forth by Republican-sympathizing newspapers that he had raped a teenage maid, Nancy Neff, in 1876. The papers alleged that Neff had become pregnant, giving birth to a child that shortly died afterwards. After giving birth, Neff was alleged to have contracted smallpox
and sent by Budd to a hospice
to die, but not before Budd had forced her to relinquish all her property to him. Budd fully denied all the allegations, branding his betrayal of Neff as an "infamous falsehood" imagined by Republican party machines. Budd did not deny he knew Neff, yet claimed instead that he had always acted as a brother to Neff and in no way harmed her.
Despite the serious charges, Budd's campaign remained largely successful. He gained favorable attention during the campaign by personally quieting a runaway team of horses, as well as helping extinguish a fire in Willows
.
In the final results, Budd edged out Republican challenger Morris M. Estee
by 0.4%, or roughly 1,200 votes. The strong third place showing of Jonathan V. Webster of the People's Party
at 18% helped tip the vote balance into Budd's favor. It was the first gubernatorial election where the Australian ballot was used in California
.
Due in part to his narrow electoral victory, Republicans alleged Budd had engaged in voter fraud. The California State Assembly
investigated these claims through a special committee. The Assembly committee's findings concluded that no evidence of vote wrongdoing could be found.
Budd became the 19th Governor of California
on January 11, 1895. In the early stage of his governorship, Budd encouraged improvements to the Australian ballot, consolidating or eliminating superfluous state departments and positions to save revenue, and amend the Constitution of California in order to create stricter qualification requirements for State Railroad Commission members. Budd desired a Railroad Commission substantially less influenced by the Southern Pacific
and other rail monopolies.
During his governorship, Budd successfully pushed legislation through the California State Legislature
in 1895 to create the Bureau of Highways, an agency to construct and manage maintenance to the state's growing road network. The Bureau of Highways would later evolve into the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
. The following year, Budd authorized the purchase of the Lake Tahoe
Wagon Road, making it the first state highway.
Budd's push for future legislation, however, was slowed down by the Legislature
, which was controlled by an increasingly hostile Republican majority. Although Budd was able to reduce state expenditures gradually, including closing down the State Printing Office, his reform program for increased railroad oversight was halted by the opposition, limiting his ability to make any long-term political reforms.
With his health failing, Budd decided not to seek re-election in 1898. Budd would be the last Democrat to occupy the Governor's Office until Culbert Olson
in 1939.
as a member of the Regents of the University of California
.
Budd died at the age of 57 on July 30, 1908 in Stockton
.
in Stockton are named after the governor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and Democratic politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. Involved in federal and state politics, Budd was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2nd California district
California's 2nd congressional district
California's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. The district contains much of the far northern part of the state, north of Sacramento. It is the largest district by area in California...
from 1883 to 1885, and later elected as the 19th Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
from 1895 until 1899.
Biography
Budd was born on May 18, 1851 in Janesville, WisconsinJanesville, Wisconsin
Janesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.-History:...
. When Budd was seven years old, he and his family emigrated to the West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, settling in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
in 1858. Making Stockton his adoptive city, Budd attended local grammar and high schools before attending the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi
Zeta Psi
The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
fraternity, graduating in 1873. Following his graduation, Budd returned to Stockton to study law, being admitted to the California Bar the following year. His public career in the courts began after being appointed the San Joaquin County
San Joaquin County, California
San Joaquin County is a county located in Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, just east of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 685,306. The county seat is Stockton.-History:...
deputy district attorney.
During the 1884 elections
United States House election, 1884
The U.S. House election, 1884 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1884 which coincided with the election of President Grover Cleveland....
, the Democratic Party
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...
nominated Budd as its candidate for the 2nd California district
California's 2nd congressional district
California's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. The district contains much of the far northern part of the state, north of Sacramento. It is the largest district by area in California...
in the U.S. House of Representatives. His campaign for the House was based on fighting railroad corruption, going as far as to refuse any travel on railroads altogether during the campaign, earning Budd the nickname "Buckboard
Buckboard
A buckboard is a four-wheeled wagon of simple construction meant to be drawn by a horse or other large animal. The "buckboard" is the front-most board on the wagon that could act as both a footrest for the driver and protection for the driver from the horse's rear hooves in case of a "buck". The...
Jim." Budd successfully won the election, becoming the first Democrat to win the district since the 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...
.
Once in the U.S. Congress, Budd was influential in gaining enough congressional support for appropriating federal money to fund the dredging of the Stockton Channel, assisting shipping into the Port of Stockton
Port of Stockton
The Port of Stockton is a major inland deepwater port in Stockton, California located on the San Joaquin River before it joins the Sacramento River to empty into Suisun Bay, eighty miles inland. The port sits on about , and occupies an island in the San Joaquin Delta, and a portion of a...
along the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
. Budd served a single term in the U.S. House, refusing 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...
nomination for the 1886 elections.
For the 1894 state general elections, Budd was nominated by the state Democratic convention as the party's nominee for the governorship. During the campaign, Budd targeted the growing influence of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
and rail monopolies in general, proposing that the "only solution to the railroad question was that the [state] government own a line" with slight nationalization
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
, as well as reducing railroad fares by 25%. Budd also advocated a property assessment ceiling cap of 45 cents per $100 dollars in order to save state expenditures with the looming Long Depression
Long Depression
The Long Depression was a worldwide economic crisis, felt most heavily in Europe and the United States, which had been experiencing strong economic growth fueled by the Second Industrial Revolution in the decade following the American Civil War. At the time, the episode was labeled the Great...
.
During the often bitter campaign for the governorship, Budd faced serious allegations brought forth by Republican-sympathizing newspapers that he had raped a teenage maid, Nancy Neff, in 1876. The papers alleged that Neff had become pregnant, giving birth to a child that shortly died afterwards. After giving birth, Neff was alleged to have contracted smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
and sent by Budd to a hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
to die, but not before Budd had forced her to relinquish all her property to him. Budd fully denied all the allegations, branding his betrayal of Neff as an "infamous falsehood" imagined by Republican party machines. Budd did not deny he knew Neff, yet claimed instead that he had always acted as a brother to Neff and in no way harmed her.
Despite the serious charges, Budd's campaign remained largely successful. He gained favorable attention during the campaign by personally quieting a runaway team of horses, as well as helping extinguish a fire in Willows
Willows, California
Willows is the county seat of Glenn County, California. As the county seat, the city is a home to regional government offices, including the California Highway Patrol, California Department of Motor Vehicles and the United States Bureau of Reclamation...
.
In the final results, Budd edged out Republican challenger Morris M. Estee
Morris M. Estee
Morris M. Estee was an American Republican lawyer and politician from California.Estee spent his young adult life in Sacramento from 1857 to 1859. His business card read: M.M.Estee, Attorney and Counselor at Law, Office: No 88 J Street, bet, Third and Fourth, Sacramento...
by 0.4%, or roughly 1,200 votes. The strong third place showing of Jonathan V. Webster of the People's Party
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
at 18% helped tip the vote balance into Budd's favor. It was the first gubernatorial election where the Australian ballot was used in California
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...
.
Due in part to his narrow electoral victory, Republicans alleged Budd had engaged in voter fraud. The California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
investigated these claims through a special committee. The Assembly committee's findings concluded that no evidence of vote wrongdoing could be found.
Governorship
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
on January 11, 1895. In the early stage of his governorship, Budd encouraged improvements to the Australian ballot, consolidating or eliminating superfluous state departments and positions to save revenue, and amend the Constitution of California in order to create stricter qualification requirements for State Railroad Commission members. Budd desired a Railroad Commission substantially less influenced by the Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
and other rail monopolies.
During his governorship, Budd successfully pushed legislation through the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
in 1895 to create the Bureau of Highways, an agency to construct and manage maintenance to the state's growing road network. The Bureau of Highways would later evolve into the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
. The following year, Budd authorized the purchase of the Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
Wagon Road, making it the first state highway.
Budd's push for future legislation, however, was slowed down by the Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
, which was controlled by an increasingly hostile Republican majority. Although Budd was able to reduce state expenditures gradually, including closing down the State Printing Office, his reform program for increased railroad oversight was halted by the opposition, limiting his ability to make any long-term political reforms.
With his health failing, Budd decided not to seek re-election in 1898. Budd would be the last Democrat to occupy the Governor's Office until Culbert Olson
Culbert Olson
Culbert Levy Olson was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, Olson was involved in Utah and California politics and was elected as the 29th Governor of California from 1939 to 1943.-Personal background:...
in 1939.
Post governorship
Following the end of his first and only term, Budd relocated to San Francisco, opening a law practice in the city. He served as an attorney to the Board of State Harbor Commissioners. In 1900, Budd was appointed by Governor Henry GageHenry Gage
Henry Tifft Gage was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Republican, Gage was elected to a single term as the 20th Governor of California from 1899 to 1903. Gage was also the U.S. Minister to Portugal for several months in 1910.-Biography:Gage was born on Christmas Day, 1852 in Geneva,...
as a member of the Regents of the University of California
Regents of the University of California
The Regents of the University of California make up the governing board of the University of California. The Board has 26 full members:* The majority are appointed by the Governor of California for 12-year terms....
.
Budd died at the age of 57 on July 30, 1908 in Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
.
Legacy
The Budd Center and Budd Shops at San Joaquin Delta CollegeSan Joaquin Delta College
San Joaquin Delta College is a community college in Stockton, California. It is the successor of the Stockton Junior College which was formed in 1935.Part of Disney's 1973 film The World's Greatest Athlete was shot here.-Description:...
in Stockton are named after the governor.
External links
- James Budd Biography and Inauguration Speech The Governors' Gallery from the California State LibraryCalifornia State LibraryThe California State Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. It was founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. Today, it is the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature. The California State Library...