American statesman, born in Chautauqua County, NY, in 1819. In 1829 his parents removed to Pennsylvania, and in 1831 again removed to Ashtabula County, OH, where he was educated,at Kingsville Academy. During the winter of 1838–39 he taught school in Darke County, and subsequently for two years in Missouri. In 1841 he emigrated to California, being one of the first to make the journey overland, which at that time occupied six months. On the Pacific Coast he had charge of General Sutter’s Feather River possessions. He served in the Mexican War until its close, rising from second lieutenant to major. He was among the first to discover gold on Feather River in 1848. In 1849 he was a member of the state constitutional convention, and during the same year became a member of the senate of the new state. He was one of a committee appointed to convey a block of gold-bearing quartz from California to Washington in 1850. Since then he has been brigadier-general of the state militia. In 1864 he was elected to Congress, and served until March 1867. He was a delegate to the national convention of his party in 1866. In 1875 he was a candidate for governor of California, but was defeated. In 1892 he became the nominee of the Prohibition party for President of the United States, receiving 268,361 votes from the people, but not securing any votes in the electoral college.
