Elihu Anthony (November 30, 1818 – August 15, 1905) was an American '' alcalde'',

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

, industrialist,

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

, postmaster, and minister. He is considered a founding father of the city of Santa Cruz. He also served as a member of the California State Assembly 6th District, 1880–1881. He was active within the anti-Chinese movement, but paradoxically he had also supported abolitionism.

Early life

Born November 30, 1818, in Greenfield, in

Saratoga County Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popul ...

, New York to Asa and Sarah (née Odell) Anthony, they moved often in his childhood and eventually landed in Indiana. His family were

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

and he was raised as a Quaker. Prior to moving West, Anthony worked in Indiana as a Methodist minister. In 1845, Anthony married Sarah A. Van Anda in at Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Career

The family emigrated in 1847 on the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...

, leaving the main route for California. They took a Northern route of travel and decided to change course and head to California, despite the danger and crossing

Donner Pass Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park about west of Truckee, California. Like the Sierra Nevada themselves, the pass has a steep approach from the east and a gradual appr ...

where one year prior in November 1846, the Donner family had died. They were hungry and struggled but made the journey and first arriving at Sutter's Fort, and later at the Pueblo of San Jose (later known as the city of San Jose, California). His son Bascom F. Anthony was born at the

Mission San José Mission San José may refer to: *Mission San José (California), a Spanish mission in Fremont, California * Mission San Jose, Fremont, California, a neighborhood * Mission San Jose High School, a high school in Fremont, California *Mission San José ...

upon their arrival in September 1847. Anthony helped establish the San Jose First United Methodist Church the same year, founded in 1847. Anthony arrived in Santa Cruz between December 1847 and January 1848 to work as a local

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

preacher. In the early years he bought a 18-acre lot of land, for which he held the title Alcalde. His land spanned what is now the downtown of Santa Cruz (the main area of the lot was near what is now the junction of Mission Street, Water Street and N. Pacific Avenue in downtown, the building no longer exists) and eventually developed the first commercial block in Santa Cruz called the Anthony Block. He built the first business, a blacksmith shop named the Santa Cruz Foundry, and sawmill that later became a general store. He invested in building real estate on a hill called "Anthony's Bluff" since uneven land was less preferred by the local Native Americans. When the

Gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

started in 1848, Anthony started manufacturing the pickaxes and other tools for mining, and since there were a limited amount of ironworkers in California during this time he made a great profit. In 1849 Anthony help build with industrialist Henry Cowell the first wharf, Cowell Wharf which was primarily used for shipping lumber and lime. It was later preceded by six other wharfs in a similar location, currently the only remaining one is the Santa Cruz Wharf. He was an abolitionist and a supporter of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

from 1861 until 1865. Anthony had helped support the African American community of Santa Cruz, which was small and struggling. He had worked to ensured all schools were fully integrated. Starting in 1865, Anthony with Frederick A. Hihn built the first private

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

network in the city of Santa Cruz and serving nearby communities. Anthony had been the president of the local branch of the Workingmen's Club, a group supporting the

Workingmen's Party of California The Workingmen's Party of California (WPC) was an American labor organization, founded in 1877 and led by Denis Kearney, J.G Day, and H. L. Knight. Organizational history As a result of heavy unemployment from the 1873-78 national depression, ...

. The Workingmen's Club introduced the anti-Chinese movement to the masses, because it was related to issues around cheap labor at the time. The

Workingmen's Party of the United States The Workingmen's Party of the United States (WPUS), established in 1876, was one of the first Marxist-influenced political parties in the United States. It is remembered as the forerunner of the Socialist Labor Party of America. Organizational h ...

was the forerunner to the Socialist Labor Party of America. This sentiment led eventually to the

Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplo ...

of 1882. However, by 1885 it was a larger movement called the "Non-Partisan Anti-Chinese Association" headed by Anthony and Duncan McPherson, editor and publisher of the

Santa Cruz Sentinel The ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by Media News Group. Ottaway Community Newspapers, a division of Dow Jones & Company bought the paper in 1982 ...

spread down the coast to local cities and towns.

Death

He died on August 15, 1905, at age 86, and is buried in Santa Cruz Memorial Park Cemetery.

References

External links

* , has images {{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Elihu 1818 births 1905 deaths History of the San Francisco Bay Area Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States Abolitionists from California Methodist evangelists People of the California Gold Rush Workingmen's Party of California people People from Santa Cruz County, California Methodist abolitionists People of Alta California

Early life

Career

Death

See also

References

External links