Lewis Francis Byington (May 24, 1868 – May 7, 1943) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, author, and Democratic Party

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served on the

San Francisco Board of Supervisors The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the board of supervisors, legislative body within the government of San Francisco, government of the San Francisco, City and County of San Francisco in the U.S. state of California. Government and polit ...

(1898–1900) and as

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of San Francisco (1900–1905).''San Francisco and its Municipal Administration 1902'', Hon. Lewis F. Byington, page 46

Early life and education

Byington was born on May 24, 1868, in

Downieville, California Downieville is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Sierra County, California, United States. Downieville is on the North Fork of the Yuba River, at an elevation of . The 2020 United States census reported Downieville's population ...

. He was the son of

Robert Lewis Byington Robert Lewis Byington (January 29, 1820 – June 20, 1886) was an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1877 until 1878 as a member of the Democratic Party. He was also a member of the Sierra County Board of Supe ...

and Catherine Freehill Byington. Byington went to public school in Downieville. He graduated from

Santa Clara College Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

, now the

University of Santa Clara Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

. In 1887, he graduated from the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

Hastings College of the Law The University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (abbreviated as UC Law SF or UC Law) is a Public university, public Law school in the United States, law school in San Francisco, California, United States. It was known as the Univ ...

. He subsequently practiced law 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 ...

Career

Lewis Byington was a member of the California bar. He practiced in the Supreme Court and Federal Courts 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 ...

California legislature

On August 31, 1877, Byington was elected to 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 ...

for the 24 district for Serra and Nevada Counties. Botkin and Byington

San Francisco government

In 1898, Byington was elected to the

. On November 8, 1899, he was elected San Francisco District Attorney, serving from 1900 until 1905. As District Attorney, he prosecuted the murderer

Cordelia Botkin Cordelia Botkin (1854 – March 7, 1910) was an American murderer who sent a box of poisoned candy to her ex-lover's wife. This was the first American prosecution for a crime which took place in two different jurisdictions, as Botkin had sent the ...

. He was re-elected twice. Byington was president of the San Francisco Civil Service Commission under Mayor

James Rolph James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931, until his death on June 2, 19 ...

Private life and affiliations

Byington was unmarried. In retirement, he made his home in San Francisco. He was vice president of the California Historic Landmarks League and served as president of the

Native Sons of the Golden West The Native Sons of the Golden West (NSGW) is a fraternity, fraternal service organization founded in the U.S. state of California in 1875, dedicated to historic preservation and documentation of the state's historic structures and places, the pla ...

(NSGW). On September 15, 1912, Byington acted as chairman of the ceremonies during the dedication of the new NSGW building. He addressed the audience during the dedication, describing the history and challenges of its completion.

Death

On May 7, 1943, Byington died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

Stanford Hospital Stanford University Medical Center is a teaching hospital which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. It serves as a private hospital for the Stanford University School of Medicine. In 2022–23, it was ranked by the U ...

. He was buried at the Holy Cross Mausoleum.

Publications

Byington wrote the following books: * * *

References

External links

*
San Francisco, Its Builders, Past and Present: Pictorial and Biographical
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byington, Lewis 1868 births 1943 deaths Lawyers from San Francisco Santa Clara University alumni University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni People from Downieville, California Members of the California State Assembly District attorneys in California 19th-century members of the California State Legislature