George Pardee

George Cooper Pardee (July 25, 1857 – September 1, 1941) was an American

Like his father, Enoch, Pardee also developed an early interest in politics. By the early 1890s, Pardee had become an active member of the

In the 1902 general elections, Pardee faced a four-way race between the Democrats' Lane, Socialist Gideon Brower and Prohibitionist Theodore Kanouse. Pardee barely edged over Lane, winning the governorship with a plurality of 0.9%. Less than 3,000 votes separated the two leading candidates.

San Francisco Bubonic Plague

Pardee took office on January 7, 1903.

San Francisco was the heart of trade and commerce.[8] Due to plague rumors, San Francisco commercial circles were alarmed by the advances of the Northwestern Railway and Northern Pacific Railways success. During this time, Northwestern Railway and Northern Pacific Railways wanted to divert commerce towards the western states.^[9] A preliminary meeting was held on January 18, 1903, a day before the conference call. Other state health officials that attended were hostile to Gardner, believing that California health officials were interested more in railroad business. Gardner acknowledged the presence of plague and promised to provide statements from Pardee and San Francisco Mayor Eugene Schmitz, promising to undertake a sanitary campaign and eradication. Pardee promised to fulfill all the conditions the officials wanted. But the officials did not take his promise into consideration and voted to change the location troop transport from San Francisco.^[10] On the day of the conference call, Wyman discussed inspection results, revealing no detection of plague. But he also did acknowledge it was not fully eradicated. Many health officials were not happy with this answer and proposed two plans. The first plan pertained to the federal support system, which Wyman objected to. The second plan suggested placing embargoes on California borders, where railroads entered, if health officials were not actively participating in plague eradication. This conference concluded the presence of bubonic plague in California and blamed Governor Henry Gage and his state health board for his negligence in acknowledging and eradicating plague. Wyman, after the conference, firmly stated that acknowledging plague would not affect trade. In hopes to avoid a quarantine, Gardner urged Pardee to recognize bubonic plague in San Francisco.^[7]

Pardee had won the governor election by a narrow margin. He feared that acknowledging the plague would divide the already split Republican Party.^[11] Shortly after his inauguration, Pardee and Glennan met privately. He readily supported the U.S. Public Health Service and agreed to remove state inspectors in Chinatown. Pardee also complied to the resolutions established at the conference.^[12] But he continued to avoid directly addressing the presence of plague. He stated any disease regardless of plague required sanitary control. Wyman believed Pardee's stance did not reassure the country health officials and urged Glennan to address the issue again with Pardee and Mayor Schmitz.^[10] He believed that acknowledging the presence of plague would ease health officials and foreign countries' fear. Pardee continued to elude the topic of plague but continued to work with the government. On the other hand, Schmitz continued to deny plague existence.^[12] The unrest caused by the government and San Francisco Health Board lead to Mexico and Australia to ban San Francisco goods. This ban encouraged more cooperation with Seattle and Vancouver. San Francisco businesses established the Mercantile Joint Committee to promote sanitary and preventive measures, in an effort to prove that plague did not exist. The Mercantile Joint Committee were concerned that officially admitting plague would result in a quarantine, leading to decreased trade and commerce. Merchants continued to ignore Wyman, who was still adamant about officially acknowledging plague. Finally, Glennan stated that if there was no official address regarding plague, the U.S Public Health Service would withdraw from San Francisco.^[13] This forced the Mercantile Joint Committee to formally admit that there had been ninety three plague cases over the span of 3 years. They also asked for the support from Schmitz and Pardee to officially admit that there was no current risk or danger from plague. Schmitz was the first to sign this document. Pardee, who was resistant to this, eventually signed it. With this in place, Wyman reported that there were no new outbreaks of plague since December 1902 and Chinatown had met satisfactory sanitary conditions to business leaders. This news encouraged Mexico and other foreign countries to lift the embargoes.^[13] Under Pardee's orders, new officials were appointed for the State Health Board. His administration was now focused on being transparent and would acknowledge all plague cases. Pardee welcomed health officials to visit California and provide input regarding sanitation and sanitary conditions. On September 8, the first California State, County, and Municipal Sanitary Conference was held in San Francisco. This first meeting was able to create a community where sanitary information and preventative measures could be shared.^[6] By the end of 1904, the plague had been brought under control.^[3] Nearly 200 deaths were attributed to the outbreak.

Conservation and education

Sierra Nevada

.

Pardee's progressive ideas regarding conservation and distrust of corporate monopolies quickly placed him as an ally of President Theodore Roosevelt. Both the governor and President Roosevelt enjoyed a good working relationship during their respective terms of office on the state and federal levels. On a visit to California in 1903, Pardee was asked by Roosevelt if he would be his running mate as Vice President for the 1904 presidential election. Pardee declined, instead continuing to take an active role in state politics.^[14] Both Pardee and Roosevelt remained political allies for the next decade.

Since 1901, proposals for a state agricultural school had undergone discussion within the

vetoed the bill, explaining that he was not hostile to the idea of an agricultural school, but wanted a less vague proposal.^[15]

The Legislature drafted a more detailed bill, the University Farm Bill, in 1905. In it, the bill specified that a future state agricultural school would need a location already irrigated, with provisions for ideal soil and climatic conditions, as well as water and land rights. Pardee agreed, and signed the bill into law. For the next year, an agricultural commission sponsored by Pardee investigated more than fifty sites from

UC Davis

.

The state of California's forests also came under Pardee's agenda. Shortly after the beginning of his administration, Pardee, with the help of

National Forest Service.^[17] Pardee's own Board of Forestry would later evolve into the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

.

1906 San Francisco earthquake

Main article: 1906 San Francisco earthquake

In the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, a magnitude 7.7 to 8.3 earthquake struck along the

San Mateo County. While cities as spread as Santa Rosa, San Jose and Palo Alto

suffered considerable damage, San Francisco remained hardest hit, with resulting fires destroying much of the central core of the city.

As telegraphed reports slowly filtered into the Governor's Office in Sacramento, Pardee mobilized the

U.S. Army, under the command Brigadier General Frederick Funston, were already patrolling the streets.^[18]

Pardee sought to take command of the situation himself, traveling to his native

telegraph lines.^[18]

In addition, Pardee also visited other afflicted cities, such as San Jose and Santa Rosa, to tour and coordinate their own disaster responses.

Downfall

Despite having been heavily praised by the public for his handling of the state bureaucracy during the

California Supreme Court in 1906, ruling in Oakland's favor.^[19] Pardee also encouraged creation of new railroad companies to break the Southern Pacific's monopolies.^[20]

party machine boss Abe Ruef, sought to strip Pardee of the nomination. Southern Pacific interests within the Republicans believed Pardee as too independent and troublesome. Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle on September 1, 1906, Pardee commented that "[I]t is evident that the Railroad machine and [Abe] Ruef did not want me to be governor again, and as they were in control of the convention, what kick have I coming?"^[20]

Railroad Republicans, now dominating the Santa Cruz convention due to intense lobbying by Ruef, denied Pardee the nomination. Instead, Republicans and Southern Pacific supporters nominated

U.S. House Representative James Gillett, a pro-railroad supporter. Pardee's loss of the nomination sparked anger amongst many Progressive Republican circles, fueling desires for Progressives to reform the political nomination process or to break away from the Republicans altogether.^[21] In 1912, a party split occurred with the creation of the Bull Moose Party, led by Theodore Roosevelt and California Governor Hiram Johnson

, who himself would lead Progressives to control the legislature and Governor's Office throughout much of the 1910s.

In his farewell address to the

direct primary

law.

Post-governorship

Leaving the governorship in 1907, he returned to serve on many national and state boards, including the National Conservation Commission and the California Board of Forestry.

Pardee remained publicly active, returning to his native Oakland to become a co-founder of the state Bull Moose Party in 1912. In 1920, he was invited to become Commodore of the

East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) was organized. Pardee would administer EBMUD from 1924 until shortly before his death in 1941.^[22]

In 1927, Oakland citizens awarded Pardee as a founding commissioner to the Port of Oakland due to his lengthy battle to remove the Southern Pacific monopoly over the waterfront.

Pardee died in Oakland on September 1, 1941, at the age of 84.

Family

Pardee met his future wife Helen N. Pardee at

Oakland High School

in the 1870s, graduating together in 1875. Helen was a school teacher, photographer, and art collector.

The Pardees had four daughters, Florence, Caroline, Madeline and Helen. Florence Pardee was killed in a car accident in 1910. Caroline Pardee died from the Spanish flu in 1920.^[23] Surviving daughters Madeline and Helen would continue to own and live in the family's Pardee Home until Helen Pardee's death in 1981. The Pardee Home opened as a public museum in 1991.

Legacy

Unlike his predecessor

California Secretary of State's office wrote that between Gage, Pardee and Gillett, "only Pardee can be considered an honest earnest administrator."^[24]

Environmental historian

Sacramento, the governor was the expediter of paper; in every great disaster there needs to be at least one such competent bureaucrat."^[18]

Pardee was also the first governor to reside in the

California Governor's Mansion. The mansion would continue to be lived in by the state executive until the governorship of Ronald Reagan

.

The Pardee Home, located in downtown Oakland, remains a tourist attraction in the center of the city, hosting tours and speaking events.

The

Pardee Reservoir along the Mokelumne River

are named after the governor.

The old Governor's Office within the California State Capitol is refurbished to appear as it did during the time of George Pardee's governorship in 1906.

See also

• National Irrigation Congress

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Governor George C. Pardee". Governor's Office, State of California. 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
2. ^ "The Port and You". Port of Oakland. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Public Health Politics and the San Francisco Plague Epidemic of 1900-1904" (PDF). Mark Skubik, Department of History, San Jose State University. 2002. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
4. ^ "Governor George C. Pardee". Governor's Office, State of California. 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
5. ^ Library, California State. "Governors of California - George Pardee. Inaugural Address". governors.library.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
6. ^
   ISBN 9781421405100
   .
7. ^ ^{a b} Service, United States Public Health and Marine Hospital (1903). Annual Report of the Surgeon-General of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service of the United States for the Fiscal Year ... U.S. Government Printing Office.
8. S2CID 144020496
   .
9. ^ Railroad Crossing.
10. ^ ^{a b} Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1904.
11. ^ F. Staniford, Edward (2017-12-07). "Governor in the middle [microform] : the administration of George C. Pardee, Governor of California, 1903-1907". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
12. ^ ^{a b} "The San Francisco Call from San Francisco, California on January 14, 1903 · Page 5". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
13. ^ ^{a b} United States Public Health and Marine Hospital Service (1904). Annual Report of the Supervising Surgeon General of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital ... New York Public Library. Government Printing Office.
14. ^ ^{a b} "History". Oakland Yacht Club. 2005-02-03. Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
15. ^ "University of California History. Davis: Historical Perspective". University of California. 2004-06-18. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
16. ^ "University of California History. Davis: Historical Perspective". University of California. 2004-06-18. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
17. ^ "CDF, A History". Mark V. Thornton, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 2006-11-26. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
18. ^
    ISBN 0-520-24820-1
    .
19. ^ "The Port and You". Port of Oakland. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
20. ^ ^{a b} "The Direct Primary, A Critical Step for California Progressivism". Steve Brady, San Francisco State University. 1995. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
21. ^ "The Direct Primary, A Critical Step for California Progressivism". Steve Brady, San Francisco State University. 1995. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
22. ^ "History". The Pardee Home Museum. 2003. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
23. ^ Annalee Allen (21 October 2003). "History". The Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
24. California Secretary of State
    . 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01.

External links

• The Pardee Home Museum
• The Pardee Governor's Office
• George Pardee biography from the California State Library
• Guide to the George Pardee Papers at
  The Bancroft Library
• The Political Graveyard: Pardee\
• George Pardee at Find a Grave

Party political offices
Preceded by Henry Gage	Republican nominee for Governor of California 1902	Succeeded by James Gillett
Political offices
Preceded by Melvin C. Chapman	Mayor of Oakland March 13, 1893 – March 10, 1895	Succeeded by John L. Davie
Preceded by Henry Gage	Governor of California 1903–1907	Succeeded by James Gillett