Andrew Jackson Bryant, known as A.J. Bryant, (1831–1888) was the seventeenth mayor of San Francisco, California, serving from December 1875 to December 1879 during a lengthy economic depression that struck San Francisco and the rest of the country. Bryant was a strong advocate for an eight-hour work day as well as legislation to halt the immigration of Chinese laborers into the state. A prominent insurance man and a sportsman, he drowned in the San Francisco Bay after falling from a ferryboat.

Youth and early life

As per his obituary, Bryant was born in Effingham, New Hampshire on October 30, 1831. As a young man, he sailed around the tip of South America to San Francisco, where he arrived in

1850 Events January–March * January 29 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the United States Congress. * January 31 – The University of Rochester is founded in Rochester, New York. * January – Sacramento, Ca ...

and went directly to the Gold Country of California. After a "year's hard work," however, he returned to San Francisco "for medical treatment," and then went to

Benicia, California Benicia ( , ) is a city in Solano County, California, located on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the List of capitals in the United S ...

, where in 1854–55 was the

city marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

and in 1856 he was a

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...

."A Fatal Plunge: Life of the Deceased," ''San Francisco Chronicle,'' May 12, 1888, page 8
/ref>William F. Heintz, ''San Francisco's Mayors,'' Gilbert Richards Publications (1975), 120 pp In 1856 the California Legislature met in Benicia, and when it disbanded, Bryant moved to

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 ...

, the new

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital city, capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals *List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population *List of national capitals by area *List of ...

, where he opened a general merchandising business with George W. Chesley and George L. Bradley, which lasted four years. He then "sold out, going into the wholesale liquor business with a Mr. Morrison." He moved back to San Francisco and worked in such enterprises as an insurance agency and an express business.

Family

Bryant was married twice, having six children by his first wife, his oldest daughter later becoming the wife of Mayor

William Russell Grace William Russell Grace (May 10, 1832 – March 21, 1904) was an American politician, the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City, and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company. Early life Grace was born in Ireland in Riverstown near the Cove ...

of New York City. His second marriage was in 1870. In 1877 another daughter, Mary J., married George Avery.

Career

In San Francisco he became active in the Democratic Party, and in

1866 Events January * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...

President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

commissioned him a

naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

"with all the honors and benefits to be derived therefrom." William Heintz, his biographer, said that Bryant "kept this position until 1870 without ever sailing beyond the

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...

." In 1871 Bryant was a member of the Finance Committee of the State Investment Insurance Company. He continued his career in insurance while he was serving as

mayor of San Francisco The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the Government of San Francisco, San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either appro ...

(below), and since 1882 he was president of the California Electric Lighting Company. He was known as a "prominent figure in insurance circles."

Memberships

Although Bryant was a Democrat, during the Civil War in the United States, he aligned with the Republican Party, and in 1871 he helped organize and was presiding officer of the avid C.Broderick Union Republican Club of the State of California, named in honor of the California State Senator who was killed in a duel with California Chief Justice David S. Terry. The founding resolution noted that Broderick had sought to form an organization "whose main principle was opposition to the extension of slavery." The next year,

1872 Events January * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. *January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...

, Bryant was active in beginning a California branch of the Liberal Republican movement, or Central Greeley Club, that would support

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congres ...

for president instead of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

. By 1873, Bryant was president of the Pacific Jockey Club, which presented horse races at a track in the city. He was president of the Occidental Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and was a trustee of

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

in Oakland. In 1875, he helped organize the Underwriters' Fire Patrol of San Francisco, whose object was "to discover and prevent fires and save property from conflagration." Bryant was one of the organizers of the California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in 1876.

Death

Bryant died on May 11, 1888, after he fell off a

ferryboat A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

in the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

bound for

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

. At first, it was thought that the former mayor might have died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, and three full columns in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' were devoted to that theory:

The first conjecture was that the manner of the tragic death of the well-known citizen was the evidence of suicide. Subsequent developments only helped strengthen the opinion and remove all doubt that the untimely termination of the ex-Mayor's career was the act of a desperate man, goaded by financial and physical troubles.

''The New York Times'' reported that:

A.J. Bryant, ex-Mayor of San Francisco, committed suicide this morning by jumping from the ferry steamer Encinal just after the boat had started on the 9:15 trip to Oakland. Mr. Bryant was very nervous and trembling when he bought his ticket, and the gate-keeper appears to be the last man who talked with him.

coroner's jury A coroner's jury is a body convened to assist a coroner in an inquest, that is, in determining the identity of a deceased person and the cause of death. The laws on its role and function vary by jurisdiction. United Kingdom In England and Wa ...

, however, ruled on May 15, 1888, that the death was accidental, a decision based primarily on the testimony of "the boy Joseph Leikena," who said:

When the boat was three or four blocks out from the wharf, I saw a man walking up and down on the upper deck. He was the only person I saw there. He walked close to the railing, staggered and fell overboard, and when he struck the water he struggled as though trying to swim. He went over the side of the vessel at the stern and did not jump overboard.

Political career

San Francisco

Bryant's support for an

eight-hour working day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses of working time. The modern movement originated in ...

and his calling for legislation to halt the "influx" of Chinese laborers to California attracted the attention of Democratic leaders, and he secured the nomination for

San Francisco mayor The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by t ...

1875 Events January * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the year (Third C ...

. Some attacked him as being opposed to "Democracy," as the Democratic Party was sometimes called in those days. One newspaper responded: "The charge that he is unorthodox in his Democracy is absurd. . . . If . . . he cooperated with the Republican Party, he only did what hundreds of thousands of Democrats did; which if they had not done, the Union would have been destroyed." It added: "He will break up that devilish den of Chinese that now corrupt and poison the very heart of San Francisco." He was elected to a two-year term mayor of San Francisco in September 1875 to replace James Otis. The votes were 9,792 for Bryant; 9,486 for Charles Clayton, former county supervisor; and 4,106 for Andrew Hallidie, the builder of San Francisco's first cable car. He was reelected in 1877, over his opponent, Monroe Ashbury."The Governorship," ''Daily Journal of Commerce,'' August 24, 1886, quoted in ''Overland Monthly,'' September 1886, page 23
/ref> In his first message to the Board of Supervisors in 1875, Bryant stated:

The Chinese dens are a disgrace to our city. I recommend that one of our vacant squares or lots in the outskirts of the city be appropriated, and that a cheap, rough building be erected of two wards, one for women and the other for men, designed expressly for this class. . . . have them fed while in prison upon the same character of cheap food to which they have become accustomed, and made to work upon our public squares. . . . In one year the dens of gambling and lewdness that now offend decency on our public streets will be driven out of sight, ndour jails will be relieved of these pests. . . ."The Mayor's Message," ''San Francisco Chronicle,'' December 7, 1875, page 3
/ref>

In May 1876 he announced he had appointed a committee of three men to travel to Washington to "lay the Chinese question before Congress." The next month he moved at a meeting of the Police Commission that all Chinese special police officers be dismissed because they "were doing nothing in the way of preventing crime." In the same message he noted that "punishing petty criminals by long terms of imprisonment seems to punish only the tax-payer with their support" and that "shorter terms of imprisonment, with severer punishment while under control, are required," such as "work in the chain-gang, solitary confinement and stricter discipline." He called it a "gross injustice to send children of tender years" to the city's Industrial School "who, guiltless of crime, but for the misfortune of being orphans or having worthless parents. are there confined and treated as criminals, forced to associate with depravity, and when released resent forth penniless and branded with a badge of disgrace." He urged establishment of separate "wards" for these children. In running for mayor, Bryant "emphatically condemned the purchase of the Spring Valley Water Company by the city, declaring it not worth half the price being asked." After he was sworn into office, he appointed two supervisors to work with the company in setting the rates. In the depths of the Long Depression of 1873–79, by June

1877 Events January * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...

an estimated thirty thousand San Franciscans were unemployed, and workers' camps sprang up on the sandlots south of the new City Hall at Macallister and Larkin streets. Bryant and others "went so far as to lay the blame for the depression directly on Chinatown's doorstep." Mobs threatened the peace of the city, and on July 26, Bryant was compelled to call upon the Army and upon organized gangs of

vigilantes Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

to help restore order. Bryant's response was called a "debacle" in that he "refused to use city government to do anything to ameliorate economic conditions, citing both lack of authority and lack of money," But he and the supervisors "cooperated to suppress the workingmen's protests and their party," the Workingman's Party of California. In 1878, Bryant called together and was elected chairman of a relief committee designed to accept and forward donations to

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

communities that were then in the grip of a yellow fever epidemic. Bryant was caught up in a scandal over the widening of Dupont Street in Chinatown when it was claimed that he had bought property along the street for which he would have been recompensed as a result of the widening. An April 1879 lawsuit by W.M. Lent, C.F. Fargo and others claimed that Bryant "was not a disinterested Commissioner in the matter . . . but was, in fact, acting in all said matters as a judge in his own case." The famous detective Harry N. Morse investigated the Dupont Street frauds and exposed Bryant's corruption, as detailed in John Boessenecker's book Lawman: The Life and Times of Harry Morse. The mayor hosted former President

when the general made a lengthy visit to

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 ...

after his around-the world trip in 1879. Grant went for a ride in

Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond District, San Francisco, Richmond and Sunset District, San Francisco, Sunset districts on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, California, United States. It is the Lis ...

with Bryant in September and dined at his house in October.

State

Bryant's name was placed in nomination for

California governor The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, th ...

at a Democratic state convention, but he withdrew it after the third ballot.

Post-mayoralty

Bryant was the defendant in a July 1885 criminal complaint filed by G.W. O'Donnell, the son of Coroner C.C. O'Donnell, in which the younger O'Donnell claimed he had heard Bryant threaten the life of the coroner. Bryant testified he passed near the morgue and "happened to see the body of a woman partially uncovered and exposed to the gaze of the passers-by" and exclaimed, "Anybody who would run a morgue that way ought to have every bone in his body broken, and I will break them for him." A judge found Bryant innocent of the charge. Bryant was chairman of a committee charged with erecting a monument to General Grant in Golden Gate Park. He was also chairman of an 1887 committee "to make preparations for an extensive and proper exhibit of interior products at the fair to be given this fall by the

Mechanics' Institute Mechanics' institutes, also known as mechanics' institutions, sometimes simply known as institutes, and also called schools of arts (especially in the Australian colonies), were educational establishments originally formed to provide adult edu ...

." Other officers were W.T. Garrett, vice president, and William T. Stout, secretary."The Mechanics' Fair," ''San Francisco Chronicle,'' June 1, 1887, page 6
/ref>

References

Access to the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' links may require the use of a library card.

External links

Politicalgraveyard.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Andrew Jackson 1831 births 1888 deaths Mayors of San Francisco Law enforcement in California People from Carroll County, New Hampshire Democratic Party mayors in California California Republicans 19th-century mayors of places in California Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park Deaths by drowning in California