Timothy Guy Phelps (December 20, 1824 – June 11, 1899) was an American politician, businessman and government official. He was the first president of the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

from 1865 until 1868 and saw the railroad build its first tracks south of

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Biography

Early years

Phelps was born in Oxford, New York, and completed preparatory schooling there and then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1845 where he worked in mercantile for a short time, then returned to

Chenango County Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thistle ...

to study law. As soon as word of the mid-century gold finds in California reached New York, Phelps took a boat to the west coast. He arrived in San Francisco, California, via

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, on December 14, 1849 and he moved to

Tuolumne County, California Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises the ...

where he tried his hand at

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

. Failing to find a fortune in gold, he moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

to resume a career in the mercantile, starting a merchant house in August 1850.

Career

Phelps's business losses were substantial in the great fire of May 1851, but Phelps rebuilt and soon recovered his loss. It was during this period of recovery that he purchased of land in what is now

San Mateo County, California San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwoo ...

. He used the land for farming and soon decided to make the area, now the city of San Carlos, his home. Living in San Carlos, in 1851 Phelps became involved in the local

vigilance committee A vigilance committee was a group formed of private citizens to administer law and order or exercise power through violence in places where they considered governmental structures or actions inadequate. A form of vigilantism and often a more stru ...

in an effort to uphold the law. Following a failed state assembly bid in 1854, when he ran with Col. E.D. Baker, Phelps 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. The A ...

in 1855 and served until 1857 as the first Republican from

and San Mateo Counties. During his term, he served on the first

Grand Jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

on August 1, 1856. He introduced "An Act to reorganize and establish the County of San Mateo" in March 1857. He then was served in the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

from 1858 to 1861. During the 1859 Republican California state convention, his name was advanced as a potential nominee for governor, but he withdrew in favor of

Leland Stanford Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American industrialist and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented California in the United States Se ...

. In a subsequent 1861 Republican state convention, he ran for the Republican nomination for governor, but was defeated by Stanford, 197 votes to 104. Following the 1861 convention, he was elected to the

37th United States Congress The 37th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1861, ...

where he served from March 4, 1861 until March 3, 1863. When the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad was built in the 1860s, the right of way from Redwood City to Belmont was granted from Phelps's land. His next job was in real estate until 1870 when he became the customs collector for the port of San Francisco (until 1872). In 1875, he won the Republican nomination for

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...

, but he was defeated by the Democratic candidate William Irwin, in part aided by disgruntled Republicans who ran John Bidwell as an independent candidate. In 1888, Phelps ran for Congress again, but was defeated by the Democrat

Thomas J. Clunie Thomas Jefferson Clunie (March 25, 1852 – June 30, 1903) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from California from 1889 to 1891. Biography Clunie was born in St. John's, Newfoundland on March 25, ...

. He also served as a

regent of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sy ...

at Berkeley from 1878 until his death.

Personal life

He married Sophronia J. Jewell (born Nov 13, 1824), of

Guilford, New York Guilford is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county. The population was 2,922 at the 2010 census. History The land was purchased from the Oneida people in 1785. The town was first s ...

on September 13, 1853. Sophronia died on and Phelps was remarried to Josephine A. McLean in 1870. He died at age 74 on June 11, 1899 near

San Carlos, California San Carlos (Spanish for "St. Charles") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population is 30,722 per the 2020 census. History Native Americans Prior to the Spanish arrival in 1769, the land of San Carlos was occupi ...

after he was struck by two boys on a tandem bicycle. The cyclists turned themselves in after learning of his death, and charges against them were dropped on June 20, 1899 after they related their account of the accident.

References

* Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Phelps, Timothy Guy
Retrieved January 13, 2005.

Retrieved January 13, 2005.

External links

*
Join California Timothy G. Phelps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, Timothy Guy 1824 births 1899 deaths American railway entrepreneurs 19th-century American railroad executives American vigilantes Southern Pacific Railroad people People of California in the American Civil War People from San Carlos, California Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in California University of California regents Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the California State Assembly Republican Party California state senators Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park