Eugene Schmitz
| Eugene Schmitz | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 26th Mayor of San Francisco | |
|
In office January 8, 1902 – July 8, 1907 |
|
| Preceded by | James D. Phelan |
| Succeeded by | Charles Boxton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 22, 1864 San Francisco, California |
| Died | November 20, 1928 (aged 64) San Francisco, California |
| Political party | Union Labor Party |
| Profession | Musician, Politician |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Eugene Edward "Handsome Gene" Schmitz (August 22, 1864 in San Francisco, California – November 20, 1928 in San Francisco, California) was an American musician and politician, the 26th mayor of San Francisco (1902-7), who was in office during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and became notorious for his conviction by a jury on charges of corruption.
Born in San Francisco, Schmitz was the son of an Irish mother and a German father. He played the violin and conducted the orchestra at the Columbia Theatre on Powell Street in San Francisco, and was president of the Musicians' Union when city boss Abe Ruef chose him to run for mayor of his hometown on the ticket of the Union Labor Party. Schmitz was elected in 1902, giving protection to criminals including houses of prostitution for protection money while remaining popular with the working class, then, despite a reform candidate backed by a fusion party, reelected in 1905. He was still mayor when the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire destroyed a prodigious amount of the city. On the day of the earthquake, Wednesday, April 18, 1906, he invited a cross-section of the city's most prominent businessmen, politicians and civic leaders, but none of the members of the Board of Supervisors, to form the Committee of Fifty to help him manage the crisis.
On June 13, 1907 Schmitz was found guilty of extortion, and the office of mayor was declared vacant while he was sent to jail to await sentence. Shortly thereafter he was sentenced to five years at San Quentin State Prison, the maximum sentence the law allowed. He immediately appealed; while awaiting the outcome, he was kept in a cell in San Francisco County Jail.
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