Sherman Otis Houghton

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Sherman Otis Houghton
Samuel B. Axtell
Succeeded byPeter D. Wigginton
Constituency1st district (1871–1873)
4th district (1873–1875)
Personal details
Born(1828-04-10)April 10, 1828
Hynes, California
Resting placeAngelus-Rosedale Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Eliza Poor Donner
​
(m. 1861)​
Mary Martha Donner
​
(m. 1859)​
Collegiate Institute
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/service United States Army
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/warsMexican–American War Civil War

Sherman Otis Houghton (April 10, 1828 – August 31, 1914) was an American politician from California. He also married, in succession, two survivors of the Donner Party.

Biography

Early life and education

Houghton was born in

Collegiate Institute
in New York.

Career

During the

San Francisco, California in 1847 with the rest of his regiment after sailing around Cape Horn. The regiment garrisoned Santa Barbara, before capturing the city of La Paz in Baja California. He was honorably discharged as a lieutenant at Monterey, California, in October 1848.[2]

Houghton then proceeded to

Mayor of San Jose, California from 1855 to 1856.[1] He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1857, and commenced practice in San Jose.[3]

During the

Republican
to the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875) and was the chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures for the Forty-third Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress.

He was appointed commissioner to investigate the affairs of the

Los Angeles
in 1886 and continued the practice of law.

Personal life

In 1859, he married Mary Martha Donner, a survivor of the

Eliza Poor Donner,[3]
with whom he had an additional seven children.

Death

Sherman Houghton died on August 31, 1914, aged 86, in

Hynes, California.[3] He is interred in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery
, Los Angeles.

Legacy

The Donner-Houghton House, an historic building in downtown San Jose, was built by Houghton in 1881. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. A number of proposals have been made to either restore or renovate it. The structure was almost completely destroyed by a fire on the morning of July 19, 2007.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. VII. James T. White & Company. 1897. p. 122. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "HOUGHTON, Sherman Otis - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Death Turns Bright Page in California History". Los Angeles Times. September 1, 1914. pp. 11, 12. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Historic home burns". The Modesto Bee. San Jose. July 21, 2007. p. A5. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

United States Congress. "HOUGHTON, Sherman Otis (id: H000815)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Political offices
Preceded by
Mayor of San Jose

1855–1856 		Succeeded by
Lawrence Archer
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Samuel B. Axtell
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 1st congressional district
1871–1873 		Succeeded by
New district Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 4th congressional district
1873–1875 		Succeeded by
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