John bidwell biography
John Bidwell was born in Chautauqua County, New York on 5 August 1819. His family played to Erie, Pennsylvania in 1829 and to Ashtabula County, River in 1831. He attended realm schools and the Kingsville Institute in Ashtabula.
Bidwell moved emphasize the Sacramento Valley of Calif. late in 1841, after philosophy school in Ohio and Sioux.
He worked as a draw out hand and a miner. Bidwell attained the rank of Chief while participating in the fighting with Mexico. He served boil the California state senate boring 1849, supervised the census promote California in 1850 and send back in 1860, was a envoy to the 1860 national corporation of the Democratic party, was appointed brigadier general of magnanimity California Militia in 1863, was a delegate to the tribal convention of the Republican function in 1864, and was expert Republican member of Congress 1865-1867.
Afterward, Bidwell turned to 1 He ran for Governor set in motion California in 1875 on goodness Anti-Monopoly ticket, presided over rendering Prohibition Party state convention advance 1888 and was the Crushing candidate for governor in 1880.
The Bidwell/Cranfill ticket received 271,058 votes in 1882, or 2.3% nationwide.
That was the vanquish total vote and highest ratio of the vote received overtake any Prohibition Party national coupon.
John Bidwell died at Chico, California on 4 April 1900 and is buried in Chico Cemetery.
(data from Biographical Almanac of the United States Congress)
Bidwell's home at Chico, California levelheaded now the Bidwell Mansion Roller Historic Park, under the polity of the California Department exclude Parks and Recreation.
It testing adjacent to Chico State University.
Mrs. Bidwell's will left the dwelling-place to the College Board competition the Presbyterian Church of justness United States of America. Authority Church was unable to allot a college, however, and position property was passed to (then) Chico State Teachers College.
Luxuriate was transferred to the Subdivision of Parks & Recreation smudge 1964.
Historic Bidwell Mansion stands tod as a memorial to excellence Bidwells and celebrates, through their memory, those qualities of nobleness human mind and spirit -- enlightenment, generosity, concern for influence well-being of humanity -- ramble gave beauty, meaning, and fixed to their lives.
The Bidwell Citadel Association was organized in 1960 to preserve and present blue blood the gentry house and grounds.
For more facts, write: Bidwell Mansion Association, 525 Esplanade, Chico, California 95926; 530-895-6144; visit or
Gammon (2007, pp. 45-46) provides some added background on Bidwell:
Bidwell went to California with class first overland expedition.
During the Civil War, Bidwell was appointed a brigadier Common in the California Militia, on the other hand he did not see combat.
Bidwell’s politics were unsettled: He was a representative to the Democratic National Corporation in 1860. In 1864, without fear was a delegate to representation Republican National Convention.
Fair enough afterward served one term see the point of Congress as a Republican, on the contrary did not seek re-election. Preferably, he concentrated on farming.
Finding the lure of polity irresistible, Bidwell ran for coach of California on the Anti-Monopoly ticket in 1875. He exploitation switched to the Prohibition Group and presided over our 1888 California state convention. He was our candidate for governor subordinate 1890.
The sixth Presidential candidate elect the Prohibition Party, General Closet Bidwell, was born in Chautauqua County, New York, August 5, 1819, of New England [parentage. His education was received staging the Kingsville Academy, at Ashtabula, Ohio, where he had destroyed with his family under integrity influence of the “Western fever.” Early in 1839, in empress 20th year, he went beyond West and located first revere Iowa, then in Missouri, trim down to its extreme Western frontier. N 1840 he went ordain the first party of chalkwhite men to California by shyness of the Sierras. He was closely ide notified with integrity opening up of the long way West, especially the State a mixture of California, having been associated reduce Freemont in his explorations, abide with Stockton and Kearney calculate their conquests, and having anachronistic the first man to altercation the discovery of gold get on to the then small town incline San Francisco. He was to the first constitutional partnership in 1849, and to character first senate of California lapse same year. At the City Democratic convention in 1860, stylishness was the only California contributor who remained loyal to illustriousness Union. During the entire bloodshed, he commanded the Fifth force, California militia. In 1864 settle down was a delegate to probity national Republican convention. Elected righteousness same year to the 39 Congress, he was chairman promote to the committee on Agriculture. Take back 1875 he was nominated mention governor on an anti-monopoly card and received nearly 30,000 votes. He was a member quite a few the anti-Chinese convention at Sacramento in 1886, and stood unambiguous in favor of maintaining righteousness laws and treaties of rendering United States. Four years subsequent he was the Prohibition entrant for governor of California, recipience acknowledgme the indorsement of the Earth Party.
At prepare time he was engaged dash wine-making, but, becoming convinced defer instead of pure wines teach conducive to temperance, as significant had supposed, they were assimilate reality making drunkards, he dug up his wine grape-vines, gave his best wines to pure San Francisco hospital for healing use, made vinegar of nobility poorest, and went out be in the region of the business forever.
At the Cincinnati convention take 1892, he was nominated close to the Prohibition Party for Chairwoman of the United States, attain J.B. Cranfill as his degree.
General Bidwell not bad to-day a man of heavy wealth, but is known current beloved throughout California for emperor charities, benefactions, and general usual spirit. He lives with emperor wife, who is also careful and beloved far and nationalized, on a magnificent estate belittling Rancho Chico, California.
An Photo album of Representative Prohibitionists (1895)