__NOTOC__ Amos Parmalee Catlin (25 January 1823 – 5 November 1900) was a California State Legislator and was instrumental in

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

becoming the capital of the State of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Biography

Catlin was born in

Red Hook, New York Red Hook is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 9,953 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 11,319 in 2010. The name is supposedly derived from the red foliage on trees on a small strip of land on the H ...

, to Mr. and Mrs. Pierce Catlin. His early education was in a private school in

Litchfield County, Connecticut Litchfield County is a County (United States), county in northwestern Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield Count ...

, and the Kingston Academy in

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston, ...

. As a student, in 1841, he studied law in the office of Forsyth & Lindermau in

Kingston, New York Kingston is the only Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in, and the county seat of, Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany, New York, Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grou ...

. In 1844, he was admitted to the bar of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

. For four years, Catlin practiced law in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.White, James T. (Ed.). ''The National cyclopaedia of American biography''. James T. White & Company. 1898. Page 87. Amos P Catlin 2

On January 8, 1849, Catlin traveled by ship from

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. From there, he went to Mormon Island near

Folsom, California Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 80,454 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 72,203 residents at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. History The Nisenan tribe of Ind ...

. While living there, Catlin mined and practiced law. In 1850, he moved to Sacramento and began to practice law there. While living in Sacramento, Catlin witnessed the

Squatters' Riot The Squatters' riot was an uprising and conflict that took place between squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwi ...

. Soon after, he returned to Mormon Island and resumed mining in the claims he had acquired previously in 1849. His practice in Mormon Island also resumed and he was hired to settle the affairs of the Connecticut Mining and Trading Company, which held interest in the famous store of

Samuel Brannan Samuel S. Brannan (March 2, 1819 – May 5, 1889) was an American settler, businessman, journalist, and prominent Mormon who founded the '' California Star'', the first newspaper in San Francisco, California. He is also considered the first to ...

. During his return to Mormon Island, William L. Goggin, agent for the Department of the Post Office on the west coast, asked Catlin for a name for the new

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

being set up on Mormon Island. Catlin offered the name "Natoma", meaning clear water in the local native dialect. Catlin had already established the Natoma Mining Company to do his mining work. Once the post office was established in that area of

Sacramento County Sacramento County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, which has been the state capital of California since 1854. Sacrament ...

, it became the Natoma Township.Shuck, Oscar T. (Ed.). ''History of the Bench and Bar of California''. The Commercial Printing House. 1901. Pages 499–505. In 1860, Catlin married Ruth Anne Coningham Donaldson. They had seven children, including John Conyngham Catlin, who practiced law for more than thirty years and became mayor of

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 a ...

from 1932-1934. California State Capitol front 1999

During his political career, Catlin was a member of the Whig Party, the

Know Nothing Party The American Party, known as the Native American Party before 1855 and colloquially referred to as the Know Nothings, or the Know Nothing Party, was an Old Stock nativist political movement in the United States in the 1850s. Members of the m ...

and the Republican Party. In 1852, after a failed attempt at getting an Assembly seat, Catlin was elected to the State Senate. During his tenure as State Senator, he authored the law that made Sacramento the permanent seat of government in the State of

. In 1857, he was elected to the State Assembly for

. In 1872, Catlin was appointed to be one of three members of the

State Board of Equalization The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The authorities of the Board attempt to ensure that counties fairly assess ...

. He served in that capacity until 1876, when the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the judiciary of California, courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly ...

declared most of the powers granted to the Board were unconstitutional and it was abolished. In 1875, Catlin was proposed as a candidate for

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...

, but lost the nomination to

John Bidwell John Bidwell (August 5, 1819 – April 4, 1900), known in Spanish as Don Juan Bidwell, was an American pioneer, politician, and soldier. Bidwell is known as the founder of the city of Chico, California. Born in New York, he emigrated at the age ...

. In 1890, Catlin was elected as a judge in the Superior Court of Sacramento County. He served until 1897 and then went back to his private practice.

Death

Catlin died November 5, 1900, in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. Catlin is interred, along with his wife who died in 1878, in the

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery (or Old City Cemetery), located at 1000 Broadway, at 10th Street, is the oldest existing cemetery in Sacramento, California. It was designed to resemble a Victorian garden and sections that are not locat ...

References

External links

Guide to the Amos Parmelee Catlin correspondence, 1848-1881

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catlin, Amos Parmalee 1823 births 1900 deaths People from Red Hook, New York Politicians from Sacramento, California Burials at Sacramento City Cemetery Lawyers from Sacramento, California California state court judges California state senators Members of the California State Assembly 19th-century California state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the California State Legislature