John McDougall
Encyclopedia
John McDougall was the first lieutenant governor of California
from 1849 to 1851, and later the second governor of California
from January 9, 1851 until January 8, 1852.
ca. 1818 to John McDougall
, an Ohio state representative from 1813–1815, and Margaret Stockton. The family produced four other sons: William Creighton McDougall, married to abolitionist Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall
; Dr. Charles McDougal, surgeon in the US Army; Admiral David McDougal
, commander of the USS Wyoming
during the Battle of Shimonoseki; and George P. McDougall, California and Colorado pioneer.
The family later moved to Indianapolis.
In 1846 McDougall joined the Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a lieutenant in the 1st Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment and served in the Mexican-American War. He was soon elected as captain of company H. He later re-enlisted in the 5th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
In 1848, after the Mexican-American War, McDougall moved to California
, arriving in 1849 aboard the SS California
with his wife Jane and their daughter Sue. He worked as a miner and then a merchant during the gold rush
. Shortly after his arrival, he entered into the new territory's politics, attending the first constitutional convention in Monterey
in 1849. McDougall was one of the original signers of the Constitution of California. During the convention, McDougall was nominated for lieutenant governor
, whereupon he remarked, “I reckon I'll take that. I don't believe anyone else will have it.” After defeating five other contenders for the office, McDougall was sworn in as the state's first lieutenant governor in December 1849, along with Peter Burnett, the state's first governor.
and press, Burnett resigned from the governorship in early January 1851. McDougall assumed the post on January 9. He was relatively inexperienced with any political office. In one of his first acts, McDougall signed legislation sponsored by state senator and former Mexican general Mariano Vallejo on February 4 to remove the capitol from its cramped quarters in San Jose
forty miles north to Vallejo
.
In the first weeks of his governorship, McDougall was pressured by miners and residents in Mariposa County to intervene in a growing conflict later known as the Mariposa War
, with the local Miwok
, Chowchilla
, and Yokut tribes opposing encroachment on their land. In late January, he authorized the creation of the 200-man Mariposa Battalion
, a state militia unit, to tackle natives he believed were in open rebellion against the state government. In the ensuing conflict, which left over forty dead, the Mariposa Battalion became the first Whites to see Yosemite, while the local tribes ceased violent reprisals on the miner and trader population.
While McDougall continued with the earlier policies of the Burnett administration in taking violent action against California Native Americans
and supporting exclusion laws prohibiting African-Americans from entering California, he favoured Chinese immigration to meet the state's labor shortage and settle undeveloped lands. Declaring in his address to the State Legislature on January 7, 1852, that the Chinese "were one of the most worthy classes of our newly adopted citizens, to whom the climate and the character of California were peculiarly suited."
McDougall's popularity peaked in the early days of his administration. Known for his earthy personality, McDougall's demeanor connected well with Sierra Nevada miners and Mexican-American War veterans. However, recurring drinking, gambling with assembly
and senate
members, and frequent quarrels over minor bureaucratic matters hurt his political career. McDougall's political mannerisms were also a source of popular amusement. McDougall issued so many proclamations beginning, “I, John McDougall,” that the Governor was soon known throughout the state as “I John”.
Towards the end of 1851, McDougall quarreled with the growing vigilante movement
in San Francisco. In a gubernatorial proclamation, he openly condemned the movement's lynching of two criminals that year, citing its complete disregard of the city's municipal authorities. State law enforcement was stll in its infancy, however, and his proclamation was ignored. Bureaucratic frustration with San Francisco's vigilante movement would return again during the administration of Governor J. Neely Johnson
five years later.
During the 1851 state general elections, the Democratic Party refused to renominate McDougall as the party's choice for governor. Instead, state Democrats nominated Assembly Speaker John Bigler
as their party's nominee.
in the early 1860s. Just four days after leaving the state's highest office, McDougall was involved in a pistol duel with A.C. Russell, editor of the San Francisco Picayune. Russell's hand was injured in the duel. After attempting to start yet another duel with another individual who had insulted the ex-governor, McDougall was arrested by the San Francisco Police
. As governor, McDougall had opposed state legislation that would have outlawed dueling, remarking duelers were not fit to live and would eventually kill each other off.
Never taken as a serious political candidate again, McDougall fell out of public view after 1852. The former governor increasingly turned to alcohol
as he sank into deep depression
. According to some accounts, McDougall attempted suicide
on several occasions.
McDougall died in San Francisco on March 30, 1866, at the age of 48. Along with J. Neely Johnson
, McDougall is one of the youngest governors to die after leaving office. He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery
in San Francisco, sharing a plot with his brother David McDougal
. When this cemetery was removed from San Francisco, his remains were moved to the Laurel Hill Mound of the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California
.
Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms...
from 1849 to 1851, and later the second 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 January 9, 1851 until January 8, 1852.
Biography
McDougall was born in Ross County, OhioRoss County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
ca. 1818 to John McDougall
John McDougall
John McDougall was the first lieutenant governor of California from 1849 to 1851, and later the second governor of California from January 9, 1851 until January 8, 1852.-Biography:...
, an Ohio state representative from 1813–1815, and Margaret Stockton. The family produced four other sons: William Creighton McDougall, married to abolitionist Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall
Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall
Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall was an abolitionist, poet, novelist, editor, botanist, spiritualist medium, and advocate of women's, voters', and workers' rights...
; Dr. Charles McDougal, surgeon in the US Army; Admiral David McDougal
David McDougal
David Stockton McDougal was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War most noted for his leadership during a naval battle off of Japan.-Biography:...
, commander of the USS Wyoming
USS Wyoming
One ship of the United States Navy has been named USS Wyoming in honor of the Wyoming Valley in eastern Pennsylvania that runs along the Susquehanna River...
during the Battle of Shimonoseki; and George P. McDougall, California and Colorado pioneer.
The family later moved to Indianapolis.
In 1846 McDougall joined the Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a lieutenant in the 1st Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment and served in the Mexican-American War. He was soon elected as captain of company H. He later re-enlisted in the 5th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
In 1848, after the Mexican-American War, McDougall moved to 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...
, arriving in 1849 aboard the SS California
SS California
SS California may refer to:, a United States mail steamer built by William Henry Webb in 1848 for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company which operated between the Isthmus of Panama and the US Pacific Coast, finally being wrecked near Pacasmayo, Peru in 1895., a British passenger cargo vessel built by...
with his wife Jane and their daughter Sue. He worked as a miner and then a merchant 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...
. Shortly after his arrival, he entered into the new territory's politics, attending the first constitutional convention in Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
in 1849. McDougall was one of the original signers of the Constitution of California. During the convention, McDougall was nominated for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms...
, whereupon he remarked, “I reckon I'll take that. I don't believe anyone else will have it.” After defeating five other contenders for the office, McDougall was sworn in as the state's first lieutenant governor in December 1849, along with Peter Burnett, the state's first governor.
Governorship
Due to widespread discontent with his administration by the California State LegislatureCalifornia 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...
and press, Burnett resigned from the governorship in early January 1851. McDougall assumed the post on January 9. He was relatively inexperienced with any political office. In one of his first acts, McDougall signed legislation sponsored by state senator and former Mexican general Mariano Vallejo on February 4 to remove the capitol from its cramped quarters in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
forty miles north to Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
.
In the first weeks of his governorship, McDougall was pressured by miners and residents in Mariposa County to intervene in a growing conflict later known as the Mariposa War
Mariposa War
The Mariposa War was a conflict between Native Americans and miners in California that took place in the early 1850s.The Mariposa War was sparked by the 1849 California Gold Rush, the discovery of the gold forged a California Trail which forked off southward from the Oregon Trail...
, with the local Miwok
Miwok
Miwok can refer to any one of four linguistically related groups of Native Americans, native to Northern California, who spoke one of the Miwokan languages in the Utian family...
, Chowchilla
Chowchilla, California
Chowchilla is a city in Madera County, California, United States. Chowchilla is located northwest of Madera, at an elevation of 240 feet . It is a principal city of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,720 at the 2010 census, up from 11,127 at the 2000...
, and Yokut tribes opposing encroachment on their land. In late January, he authorized the creation of the 200-man Mariposa Battalion
Mariposa Battalion
Mariposa Battalion was a California State Militia unit formed in 1851 to fight the Yosemites and Chowchillas in the Mariposa War.After a force under Mariposa County Sheriff James Burney was found unequal to the task of defeating the Indians, Burney made an appeal to Governor John McDougal for help...
, a state militia unit, to tackle natives he believed were in open rebellion against the state government. In the ensuing conflict, which left over forty dead, the Mariposa Battalion became the first Whites to see Yosemite, while the local tribes ceased violent reprisals on the miner and trader population.
While McDougall continued with the earlier policies of the Burnett administration in taking violent action against California Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and supporting exclusion laws prohibiting African-Americans from entering California, he favoured Chinese immigration to meet the state's labor shortage and settle undeveloped lands. Declaring in his address to the State Legislature on January 7, 1852, that the Chinese "were one of the most worthy classes of our newly adopted citizens, to whom the climate and the character of California were peculiarly suited."
McDougall's popularity peaked in the early days of his administration. Known for his earthy personality, McDougall's demeanor connected well with Sierra Nevada miners and Mexican-American War veterans. However, recurring drinking, gambling with 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...
and senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
members, and frequent quarrels over minor bureaucratic matters hurt his political career. McDougall's political mannerisms were also a source of popular amusement. McDougall issued so many proclamations beginning, “I, John McDougall,” that the Governor was soon known throughout the state as “I John”.
Towards the end of 1851, McDougall quarreled with the growing vigilante 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...
in San Francisco. In a gubernatorial proclamation, he openly condemned the movement's lynching of two criminals that year, citing its complete disregard of the city's municipal authorities. State law enforcement was stll in its infancy, however, and his proclamation was ignored. Bureaucratic frustration with San Francisco's vigilante movement would return again during the administration of Governor J. Neely Johnson
J. Neely Johnson
John Neely Johnson was an American lawyer and politician. He was elected as the fourth governor of California from 1856 to 1858, and later appointed justice to the Nevada Supreme Court from 1867 to 1871...
five years later.
During the 1851 state general elections, the Democratic Party refused to renominate McDougall as the party's choice for governor. Instead, state Democrats nominated Assembly Speaker John Bigler
John Bigler
John Bigler was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third Governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office successfully, as well as the first to win re-election...
as their party's nominee.
Post-political career
McDougall left office on January 8, 1852, after completing the single two-year term left vacant by previous Governor Burnett. At the time, California governors served two-year terms, a limit that would not change until the governorship of Leland StanfordLeland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American tycoon, industrialist, robber baron, politician and founder of Stanford University.-Early years:...
in the early 1860s. Just four days after leaving the state's highest office, McDougall was involved in a pistol duel with A.C. Russell, editor of the San Francisco Picayune. Russell's hand was injured in the duel. After attempting to start yet another duel with another individual who had insulted the ex-governor, McDougall was arrested by the San Francisco Police
San Francisco Police Department
The San Francisco Police Department, also known as the SFPD and San Francisco Department Of Police, is the police department of the City and County of San Francisco, California...
. As governor, McDougall had opposed state legislation that would have outlawed dueling, remarking duelers were not fit to live and would eventually kill each other off.
Never taken as a serious political candidate again, McDougall fell out of public view after 1852. The former governor increasingly turned to alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
as he sank into deep depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. According to some accounts, McDougall attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on several occasions.
McDougall died in San Francisco on March 30, 1866, at the age of 48. Along with J. Neely Johnson
J. Neely Johnson
John Neely Johnson was an American lawyer and politician. He was elected as the fourth governor of California from 1856 to 1858, and later appointed justice to the Nevada Supreme Court from 1867 to 1871...
, McDougall is one of the youngest governors to die after leaving office. He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, one of only a few cemeteries to receive the distinction....
in San Francisco, sharing a plot with his brother David McDougal
David McDougal
David Stockton McDougal was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War most noted for his leadership during a naval battle off of Japan.-Biography:...
. When this cemetery was removed from San Francisco, his remains were moved to the Laurel Hill Mound of the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
.
External links
- John McDougall biography at 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...