William Irwin (1827 – March 15, 1886) was an American politician from the Democratic Party who served as the 13th governor of California between 1875 and 1880. He previously served as acting lieutenant governor for nine months in 1875. Born in

Butler County, Ohio Butler County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 390,357. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 during St. Clair' ...

, Irwin graduated in 1848 from Marietta College in Marietta, where he later became an instructor. After moving to California, Irwin worked in various private industries and was eventually 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 ...

as one of two members representing

Siskiyou County Siskiyou County (, ) is a county in the northernmost part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka and its highest point is Mount Shasta. It falls within the Cascadia bioregion ...

. He became the editor of a newspaper and then was elected to 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. D ...

. He served as president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate and as such, became acting lieutenant governor in 1875 when Lieutenant Governor

Romualdo Pacheco José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco (October 31, 1831January 23, 1899) was a Californio statesman and diplomat. A Republican, he is best known as the only Hispanic person to serve as Governor of California since the American Conquest of California, ...

became governor. Irwin was elected governor in his own right that same year. He died in 1886 in

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 17t ...

and was interred in the

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery (or Old City Cemetery), located at 1000 Broadway, at 10th Street, is the oldest existing cemetery in Sacramento, California. It was designed to resemble a Victorian garden and sections that are not locat ...

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. File:William Irwin Grave.jpg, Irwin Gravesite File:William Irwin.jpg, William Irwin

References

External links

William Irwin
at the

California State Library The California State Library is the state library of the State of California, founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. The Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. Today, it is the central ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, William 1827 births 1886 deaths Democratic Party governors of California Lieutenant Governors of California Democratic Party California state senators Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Marietta College alumni People from Siskiyou County, California People from Butler County, Ohio 19th-century American politicians