Royal Tyler Sprague was the 11th Chief Justice of California.

Sprague taught elementary school in Potsdam, New York

Potsdam (town), New York

Potsdam is a town located in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 15,957 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code is 13676. The town is named after the city of Potsdam in Germany...

 and later opened a school in Zanesville, Ohio

Zanesville, Ohio

Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...

. In 1838 he began to study law and was admitted to the bar in Ohio. Upon word of the discovery of gold in California, Sprague became a "Forty-Niner". After arriving in California in September 1849, Sprague worked a claim on Clear Creek on the Sacramento River

Sacramento River

The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...

. He settled in Reading's Springs, now Shasta, California

Shasta, California

Shasta is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California. Shasta sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Shasta's population was 1,771....

, and once again became an attorney. He was elected to the California State 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...

 in 1852.

Sprague returned to Ohio briefly in 1852 to retrieve his wife Frances and their family; they returned to California with him. He had four children: Anna Maria Sprague (1845–1879); Arthur Hale Sprague (1848–1922); Ella Sprague (1853-5); and Frances Royal Sprague (1864–1957).

Sprague was elected to the Supreme Court of California

Supreme Court of California

The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...

 in 1867 (as a Democrat); he was chosen to be Chief Justice in 1872 but died the same year. He is interred in Sacramento Historic City Cemetery

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery

The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery , located at 1000 Broadway, at 10th Street, is the oldest existing cemetery in Sacramento, California. The cemetery is located at the highest point in Sacramento...

.

A collection of his journals is in the collection of the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.