Sacramento, CA Past Governors of California Governor Young signing a bill, 1927 Inauguration of James Rolph, Governor of California, 1931 Governor Culbert L. Olson, circa 1939

Peter Burnett
1849–1851
John McDougal
1851–1852
John Bigler
1852–1856
J. Neely Johnson
1856–1858
John Weller
1858–1860
Milton Latham
1860–1860
John Downey
1860–1862
Leland Stanford
1862–1863
Frederick Low
1863–1867
Henry Haight
1867–1871
Newton Booth
1871–1875
Romualdo Pacheco
1875–1875
William Irwin
1875–1880
George Perkins
1880–1883
George Stoneman
1883–1887
Washington Bartlett
1887–1887
Robert Waterman
1887–1891
Henry Harrison Markham
1891–1895
James Budd
1895–1899
Henry Gage
1899–1903
George Pardee
1903–1907
James Gillett
1907–1911
Hiram Johnson
1911–1917
William Stephens
1917–1923
Friend Richardson
1923–1927
C.C. Young
1927–1931
James Rolph
1931–1934
Frank Merriam
1934–1939
Culbert Olson
1939–1943
Earl Warren
1943–1953
Goodwin Knight
1953–1959
Edmund G. "Pat" Brown
1959–1967
Ronald Reagan
1967–1975
Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown
1975–1983
George Deukmejian
1983–1991
Pete Wilson
1991–1999
Gray Davis
1999–2003
Arnold Schwarzenegger
2003–2011
Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown
2011–2019
Gavin Newsom
2019–Present

James Rolph

1931–1934

Significant Facts

Born: August 23, 1869 in San Francisco, California
Died: June 2, 1934 in Santa Clara County, California
Married: Annie Reid on June 26, 1900
Political Party: Republican

Family

Father: James Rolph, Sr.
Mother: Margaret Nicol
Wife: Annie Reid
Children: Annette, James and Georgina

Find out more about the time period and interests of James Rolph

Olympic Summer Games, 1932
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Did You Know?

As a remedy for the financial blues during the Great Depression, it was Rolph's suggestion that everyone take a two-week holiday
Governor Rolph preferred wearing boots to shoes and had his boots custom-made
Governor Rolph chose his parents anniversary day as his wedding date. Annie Reid, who became his wife, was his high school sweetheart

Biography

James Rolph grew up in the Mission District of San Francisco. He attended the local parochial school, Trinity Academy. He was a young entrepreneur, only fifteen years old when he started raising and selling pigeon meat. After graduating from high school, Rolph worked as an office boy for DeWitt, Kittle and Company, a shipping firm. In 1898, Rolph and George Hind opened a shipping business, Hind Rolph Shipping Company, which was very successful. In 1928, he became a partner in a new business venture–James Rolph Jr., Landis, and Ellis, a general insurance firm.

Rolph entered politics in 1911 when he was elected the mayor of San Francisco. He served as the city’s mayor for 20 years. On November 4, 1930, he was elected Governor of California, and on January 6, 1931, he was sworn into office. Rolph was criticized for many things, including signing legislation that caused taxes to fall unfairly on the poor, endorsing a brutal jailbreak lynching in San Jose, and openly ignoring prohibition laws. During his term as governor, Rolph instituted the California Sales Tax, then known as "Pennies for Jimmy."

Rolph collapsed at the end of February, 1934. He was rushed to the hospital where he remained for several weeks. After he collapsed a second time in on May 3, Governor Rolph went to the Linfort Ranch in Santa Clara County, where he died on June 2, 1934.

Budgets

Governor's Budget 1931/1933
Governor's Budget 1933/1935

Speeches

Inaugural Address delivered on January 6, 1931

Bibliography

Books and Articles

Melendy and Gilbert. The Governors of California: From Peter H. Burnett to Edmund G. Brown, Talisman Press, 1965
Schaechtele. The Governors of California and their Portraits, California State Capitol Museum Volunteer Association, 1995
Worthen, Governor James Rolph and the Great Depression in California, McFarland and Co., 2006

Websites

James Rolph, Jr

National Governors Association

Executive Orders and Proclamations

Use the California State Library’s interactive tool to view Executive Orders and Proclamations signed by Governor Rolph.

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