Edward Gilbert

CA Newspaper Hall of Fame (CalPoly SLO)

Date	Party	Office	Votes	Result
08-01-1849	Nonpartisan	Delegate	0	Win
11-13-1849	Nonpartisan	CD-AL	5100	Win

Candidate Biography:

Born: 1822 in Cherry Valley, New York
Military Service: ARMY (Mexican-American War)
Killed: August 2, 1852 near Sacramento, CA

1849: Delegate, First California Constitutional Convention (representing San Francisco District)
1849-1852: Co-Founder and Senior Editor, The Alta California (newspaper)

• During the 1849 Constitutional Convention, Gilbert opposed the creation of the elected office of Comptroller because he felt it was important to keep the number of elected offices to a minimum.
• Gilbert challenged Denver to duel after Denver criticized an article that Gilbert had written in the Alta California calling the gift of financial assistance to members of the Donner Party a ruse to raise the political popularity of Governor John Bigler. The terms of the duel called for rifles at short range to be fought at "The Oaks", a location twelve miles from Sacramento. In the first round, Denver fired into the air, while Gilbert aimed at him but missed. Denver attempted to call off a second round of the duel, but Gilbert refused and Denver shot and killed him.
• Gilbert was entered into the California Newspaper Hall of Fame (located at CalPoly San Luis Obispo).
• PLACENAME: Gilbert Street in San Francisco was named for Gilbert. There is currently (May 2019) a proposal to rename Gilbert Street as Jeff Adachi Way to honor Jeff Adachi, San Francisco Public Defender (2003-2019). 
• Interred at the Laurel Hill Mound in Cypress Lawn Cemetery (Colma)

Source: History of Political Conventions in California, 1849-1892 by Winfield J. Davis
Source: Governmental Roster, 1889. State and County Governments of California by W. C. Hendricks
Source: "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present" (U.S. Library of Congress) [http://bioguide.congress.gov/]