William I. Ferguson
Know Nothing
| Date | Party | Office | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09-05-1855 | Know Nothing | SD-09 | 3437 | Win |
| 11-04-1856 | Democratic | SD-09 | 0 | Win |
| 09-02-1857 | Democratic | SD-09 | 0 | Win |
Candidate Biography:
Born: May 9, 1825 in Monongahela City, Pennsylvania
Killed: September 14, 1858 in San Francisco, CA
1840s: City Attorney, Springfield [Illinois] (Several terms)
1848: [Democratic] Candidate for Presidential Elector [Illinois] (Lost)
1850: [Democratic] Candidate for the Illinois State Legislature (Lost)
1856: Changed party affiliation from Know Nothing to Democratic.
- DUEL: In 1858, Ferguson fought a duel with George Pen Johnston on Angel Island following a "convivial altercation" at a saloon in San Francisco on August 19th. The duel, with pistols, lasted four rounds, until Ferguson's thigh bone was broken. His doctors advised him that his only chance for survival was a quick amputation of the damaged leg. He refused to allow the surgery for more than a week (saying that he would not trade his leg "for all California"), by which time it was too late, and he died a few weeks later. [Source: sfgenealogy.com]
- Ferguson was one of very few people to lie in state at the State Capitol. The most recent was Congressman Robert Matsui in 2005.
- SIMILAR NAMES: In 1857 and 1859, the State Senate had a William I. Ferguson from Sacramento County and a William T. Ferguson from Sierra County.
Source: History of Political Conventions in California, 1849-1892 by Winfield J. Davis (1893)