Herschel L. Carnahan (August 31, 1879 – March 31, 1941) was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of California, 1928–1931, serving under Governor C. C. Young. He was a Republican. He was born in Aledo,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and attended Monmouth College. Carnahan came to California in May 1896 at age 18, seeking treatment for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, living at first with an uncle on a ranch at

Alessandro Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ...

, in Riverside County. Carnahan worked as an elementary school teacher later that year, and went on to work as a both a teacher and a school principal in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. He was also active in the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. Carnahan later studied law at a local law office, was admitted to the bar in 1904 at the age of the 25 and began practicing in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. Later relocating his law practice to Los Angeles, Carnahan was appointed the first commissioner of the State Corporation Department by Republican Governor Hiram Johnson in 1914. There, Carnahan enforced California's so-called blue sky law, passed in 1913 in an effort to protect small investors from promoters who pitched fraudulent investments promising everything, including the "blue sky" above. Carnahan served as commissioner until 1918. In 1927, Carnahan was appointed a receiver in the

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

of the Julian Petroleum Company. Nicknamed Julian Pete, the company collapsed after it was revealed to have overissued its stock, defrauding investors of more than $150 million. Carnahan continued to serve as receiver through his term as lieutenant governor and worked on the bankruptcy until the receivership was closed out in 1941. Carnahan was appointed lieutenant governor in 1928 by Governor C.C. Young after

Buron Fitts Buron Rogers Fitts (March 22, 1895 – March 29, 1973) was the 29th lieutenant governor of California, from 1927 to 1928, and Los Angeles County district attorney thereafter until 1940. Early life Born in Belcherville, Texas, Fitts received h ...

, elected lieutenant governor under Young, resigned to become District Attorney of Los Angeles County. Following his term as lieutenant governor, Carnahan returned to his law practice in Los Angeles. After a series of health issues, including the reemergence of his tuberculosis, Carnahan killed himself in April 1941, dying at the Georgia Street Receiving Hospital in Los Angeles. He was interred at the mausoleum at Evergreen Cemetery in

. Carnahan was married to Hattie Helmer, a native of

Ottawa, Canada Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of ...

References

External links

H. L. Carnahan
biography at JoinCalifornia.com * Los Angeles County Biographies

at ancestry.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Carnahan, H. L. Lieutenant Governors of California Suicides by firearm in California Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Riverside, California) American politicians who died by suicide 1879 births 1941 deaths People from Aledo, Illinois People from Riverside, California California Republicans Monmouth College alumni