Frank Merriam

Frank Merriam was born in Hopkinton, Iowa, on 22nd December, 1865. A member of the Republican Party, Merriam was a journalist before being elected to the legislature in Iowa.

In 1910 Merriam moved to California, and served as Assemblyman, Senator before being elected as Governor of California in 1933. He took up the post in 1934 and during his period of office the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge were both opened.

Merriam also controversially refused to pardon Tom Mooney and Warren Billings, who had been wrongly imprisoned for the bombing which occurred in San Francisco in 1916.

Merriam was defeated by Culbert Olson, the first member of the Democratic Party to hold this office for forty-four years.

Frank Merriam died in Long Beach, California on 25th April, 1955.