Charles Norton Felton (January 1, 1832September 13, 1914) was an American banker and politician who served as a

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

(1885 to 1889) and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

(1891 to 1893) from California in the late

19th century The 19th century began on 1 January 1801 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 (MCM). It was the 9th century of the 2nd millennium. It was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was Abolitionism, ...

, in addition to co-founding the progenitor of the

Chevron Corporation Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation predominantly specializing in oil and gas. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California (shortened t ...

Biography

Charles Felton was born on January 1, 1832, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. The Feltons were of English descent. He attended and received his education from Syracuse Academy before studying law and being admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

; however, he never entered practice.

Early career

Felton moved to California in 1849 and entered the

mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...

business and subsequently banking. In 1853, he became

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 common ...

Yuba County, California Yuba County (; Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a county located in north-central Central Valley, California, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 81,575. Yuba County is included in the Yuba City metropolitan statistical area, ...

. Felton served as a

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations on behalf of a government. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns or work for a revenue agency. Tax collec ...

before being appointed as treasurer of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...

at San Francisco. From 1868 to 1877, he served as Assistant Treasurer of the United States. Felton also served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

from 1880 to 1882.

Congress

In 1884, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Republican for the 49th Congress. He subsequently won reelection to his seat in 1886 for the 50th Congress. He did not seek election to a third term in the U.S. House in 1888 after serving from March 1885 to March 1889.

U.S. Senate

Felton was elected to the United States Senate in

1891 Events January * January 1 ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new African territories. * January 4 – The Earl of Zetland issues a ...

to represent California to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

George Hearst George Hearst (September 3, 1820 – February 28, 1891) was an American businessman, politician, and patriarch of the Hearst family, Hearst business dynasty. After growing up on a small farm in Missouri, he founded many mining operations a ...

, serving from March 19, 1891, to March 3, 1893. He did not seek reelection.

Later career and death

Upon retiring from the U.S. Senate, Felton served as a state prison director from 1903 to 1907. He died at his home in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...

, on September 13, 1914.

Electoral history

References

External links

Join California Charles N. Felton
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Felton, Charles Norton 1832 births 1914 deaths American people of English descent Republican Party United States senators from California People from Menlo Park, California Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the California State Legislature