Henry Harrison Markham (November 16, 1840October 9, 1923) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He was the 18th

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 ...

(1891–1895), and represented

California's 6th congressional district California's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is represented by Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Ami Bera. Currently, the 6th district is entirely in Sacramento County, Calif ...

during the

49th United States Congress The 49th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 188 ...

(1885–1887). Earlier in life, he served as a Union Army officer in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Early life

Markham was born in

Wilmington, New York Wilmington is a town in northern Essex County, New York, United States located within the Adirondack Park. The population was 1,253 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the town of Wilmington, Vermont. Wilmington is on the county's nort ...

, on November 16, 1840. He attended the common schools of his hometown and Wheeler's Academy in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He moved to Wisconsin in 1861.

Career

During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Markham enlisted as a private in Company G,

32nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 32nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 32nd Wisconsin Infantry was organized at Camp Bragg in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and mustered into servi ...

; he was promoted to second lieutenant. Markham was part of General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

's March to the Sea in 1864. He was wounded at the Battle of Rivers' Bridge in 1865, and discharged. After the war Markham returned to Wisconsin and settled in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, where he studied law and passed the bar in 1867. He practiced law in Milwaukee in the state and federal courts. In 1879, Markham moved to

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

and continued the practice of law. Markham was elected as a Republican to the 49th Congress in 1884, but declined to seek renomination in 1886. He was elected governor of California in

1890 Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...

and inaugurated in January 1891. During his term, California's economy suffered badly from the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States. It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later. The Panic of 1896 followed. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of ...

. Hoping to boost economic recovery, Markham strongly backed the

California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894 The California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, commonly referred to as the "Midwinter Exposition" or the "Midwinter Fair", was a World's Fair that officially operated from January 27 to July 5 in San Francisco, California, San Francis ...

, held in

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 ...

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 ...

; it was a resounding success. Markham declined to seek a second term as governor in 1894. In Pasadena Markham was on the school board and was one of the founders of the Pasadena public library. He was also part of the Calico Union Mining Company. During his run for governor he was referred to as "the dashing colonel from Pasadena," and he was a longtime member of the

Pasadena Republican Club Pasadena Republican Club (PRC) is the oldest, continuously active Republican Party (United States), Republican political club in America, founded on March 29, 1884, . Every two years for the last years the Pasadena Republican Club has operated t ...

Personal life

On May 17, 1876, Markham married Mary A. Dana in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to th ...

. He purchased a 23-acre ranch in

, and he and his family moved there in 1879. They had five daughters: Marie, Alice, Gertrude, Genevieve, and Hildreth. On October 9, 1923, Markham died in his Pasadena home at age 82. He was interred at Mountain View Cemetery in

Altadena Altadena () is an unincorporated area, and census-designated place in the San Gabriel Valley and the Verdugos regions of Los Angeles County, California. Directly north of Pasadena, it is located approximately from Downtown Los Angeles. Its po ...

.(Note: The house, located at 703 S. Pasadena Ave., was demolished in 1939.)

References

* *Treasure from the Painted Hills: A History of Calico, California, 1882–1907, page 18, By Douglas W. Steeples, David O. Whitten

External links

* *
Caltrans houses added to national listing for Markham Place Historic District at pasadenastarnews.com (2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markham, Henry Harrison 1840 births 1923 deaths Governors of California People from Essex County, New York Politicians from Pasadena, California Lawyers from Pasadena, California People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Republican Party governors of California Wisconsin Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Altadena, California)