Senator Broderick, who lived for graft and died for freedom
Senator David C. Broderick
Senator Broderick, the only U. S. Senator to be killed in a duel while in office, was a true representative of his constituents in all their blood- and gold-thirsty glory.
As almost all of them he was born outside of California in 1820 and arrived in San Francisco in 1849. He started by organizing the fire department (staffed by volunteers, whose positions were a sign of their peers' respect). In 1850 he was elected a State Senator and then president of the Senate in 1851, becoming a leader of the Free-Soil Democrats1That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.. In the same year he became acting Lieutenant Governor of San Francisco. Broderick ran San Francisco in imitation of the Tammany Hall and displayed an unparalleled talent for corruption which led to the formation of the First Vigilante Committee.
The kindest thing that can be said on this subject is that Senator Broderick stayed bought - when one Jenkins, a common thief of the Sydney Ducks gang, was taken by the Vigilance Committee, David Broderick could have stayed in bed. Instead he rose in the middle of the night, gathered an anti-lynching mob, and led them to a hand-to-hand fight against the Vigilantes1That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.. I invite you to consider the size of a bribe you would have to offer to get the current Mayor of San Francisco to wake up at 4 am and join a violent fight for your life.
In 1857 Broderick advanced to the U. S. Senate, a result of years of anti-slavery advocacy and careful negotiation which also gained him full control of California's federal patronage appointments. Broderick's erstwhile friend, California Supreme Court Justice David Terry, ran his own re-election bid to the court on a pro-slavery platform and lost. He blamed Broderick. One thing led to another, tempers flared, Terry called Broderick a follower of Frederick Douglass, Broderick called Terry a miserable wretch. Terry challenged Broderick to a duel4To preserve the dignity of the court, Terry resigned what remained of his term before the duel.
They met on Sept. 13, 1859 in what is now Daly City. This was not Broderick's first duel, but it was fought with Terry's pistols - Broderick was not familiar with these and did not know of their hair trigger. He accidentally discharged his pistol into the ground and was forced to stand unarmed while Terry shot him squarely in the chest. On his deathbed Broderick claimed to have been killed because of his opposition "to the extension of slavery and a corrupt administration", however, almost everyone believes it was solely about slavery.
The anti-slavery politicians took Broderick up as a martyr, declaring his death a thinly-veiled assassination. His portrait was displayed at the next Republican convention3I believe this may have been the only time Republicans displayed a portrait of a Democratic senator at their convention. Outraged Californians outlawed duels and voted strongly for Lincoln in the next election. Broderick's legacy of graft and civil rights commitment lives in the hearts of the Democratic politicians all over America.5Thus distinguishing them from Republicans, who are no longer concerned with civil rights
1That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.
2Vigilantes won. It turns out that an anti-lynching mob pulling a man's legs while his neck is in the noose has much the same effect as the lynching mob dropping him down from the gallows.Vigilantes won. It turns out that an anti-lynching mob pulling a man's legs while his neck is in the noose has much the same effect as the lynching mob dropping him down from the gallows.
3I believe this may have been the only time Republicans displayed a portrait of a Democratic senator at their conventionI believe this may have been the only time Republicans displayed a portrait of a Democratic senator at their convention
4To preserve the dignity of the court, Terry resigned what remained of his term before the duelTo preserve the dignity of the court, Terry resigned what remained of his term before the duel
5Thus distinguishing them from Republicans, who are no longer concerned with civil rightsThus distinguishing them from Republicans, who are no longer concerned with civil rights
As almost all of them he was born outside of California in 1820 and arrived in San Francisco in 1849. He started by organizing the fire department (staffed by volunteers, whose positions were a sign of their peers' respect). In 1850 he was elected a State Senator and then president of the Senate in 1851, becoming a leader of the Free-Soil Democrats1That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.. In the same year he became acting Lieutenant Governor of San Francisco. Broderick ran San Francisco in imitation of the Tammany Hall and displayed an unparalleled talent for corruption which led to the formation of the First Vigilante Committee.
The kindest thing that can be said on this subject is that Senator Broderick stayed bought - when one Jenkins, a common thief of the Sydney Ducks gang, was taken by the Vigilance Committee, David Broderick could have stayed in bed. Instead he rose in the middle of the night, gathered an anti-lynching mob, and led them to a hand-to-hand fight against the Vigilantes1That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.. I invite you to consider the size of a bribe you would have to offer to get the current Mayor of San Francisco to wake up at 4 am and join a violent fight for your life.
In 1857 Broderick advanced to the U. S. Senate, a result of years of anti-slavery advocacy and careful negotiation which also gained him full control of California's federal patronage appointments. Broderick's erstwhile friend, California Supreme Court Justice David Terry, ran his own re-election bid to the court on a pro-slavery platform and lost. He blamed Broderick. One thing led to another, tempers flared, Terry called Broderick a follower of Frederick Douglass, Broderick called Terry a miserable wretch. Terry challenged Broderick to a duel4To preserve the dignity of the court, Terry resigned what remained of his term before the duel.
They met on Sept. 13, 1859 in what is now Daly City. This was not Broderick's first duel, but it was fought with Terry's pistols - Broderick was not familiar with these and did not know of their hair trigger. He accidentally discharged his pistol into the ground and was forced to stand unarmed while Terry shot him squarely in the chest. On his deathbed Broderick claimed to have been killed because of his opposition "to the extension of slavery and a corrupt administration", however, almost everyone believes it was solely about slavery.
The anti-slavery politicians took Broderick up as a martyr, declaring his death a thinly-veiled assassination. His portrait was displayed at the next Republican convention3I believe this may have been the only time Republicans displayed a portrait of a Democratic senator at their convention. Outraged Californians outlawed duels and voted strongly for Lincoln in the next election. Broderick's legacy of graft and civil rights commitment lives in the hearts of the Democratic politicians all over America.5Thus distinguishing them from Republicans, who are no longer concerned with civil rights
1That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.That's the good Democrats, as opposed to the Southern pro-slavery ones.
2Vigilantes won. It turns out that an anti-lynching mob pulling a man's legs while his neck is in the noose has much the same effect as the lynching mob dropping him down from the gallows.Vigilantes won. It turns out that an anti-lynching mob pulling a man's legs while his neck is in the noose has much the same effect as the lynching mob dropping him down from the gallows.
3I believe this may have been the only time Republicans displayed a portrait of a Democratic senator at their conventionI believe this may have been the only time Republicans displayed a portrait of a Democratic senator at their convention
4To preserve the dignity of the court, Terry resigned what remained of his term before the duelTo preserve the dignity of the court, Terry resigned what remained of his term before the duel
5Thus distinguishing them from Republicans, who are no longer concerned with civil rightsThus distinguishing them from Republicans, who are no longer concerned with civil rights
Senator David C. Broderick
