Frank F. Merriam
| Frank Merriam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 28th Governor of California | |
|
In office June 2, 1934 – January 2, 1939 |
|
| Lieutenant | George J. Hatfield |
| Preceded by | James Rolph |
| Succeeded by | Culbert Olson |
| 31st Lieutenant Governor of California | |
|
In office January 5, 1931 – June 2, 1934 |
|
| Governor | James Rolph |
| Preceded by | H. L. Carnahan |
| Succeeded by | George J. Hatfield |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 70th district | |
|
In office 1917–1927 |
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| 17th State Auditor of Iowa | |
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In office 1899–1903 |
|
| Preceded by | Cornelius G. McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Beryl F. Carroll |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1896–1898 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frank Finley Merriam December 22, 1865 Hopkinton, Iowa |
| Died | April 25, 1955 (aged 89) Long Beach, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Elnora Hitchcock, Mary Ella "Nellie" Day, Jessie Millisack Lipsey |
| Profession | Journalist, Politician |
Frank Finley Merriam (December 22, 1865 – April 25, 1955) was an American politician who served as the 28th governor of California from June 2, 1934 until January 2, 1939. Assuming the governorship at the height of the Great Depression following the death of Governor James Rolph, Merriam famously defeated the 'muck-raking' author of The Jungle, former Socialist Party member, and Democratic candidate Upton Sinclair in the California gubernatorial election in 1934. Merriam also served as the State Auditor of Iowa from 1900 to 1903, and served in both the Iowa and California state legislatures.
Born in 1865 in Hopkinton, Iowa, the eldest of 11 children. His father Henry C. Merriam and his paternal uncle Charles E. Merriam had enlisted, in 1861, in the 12th Iowa Infantry, Company K, and both were captured at the Battle of Shiloh; both served time in Libby Prison, and both returned to Iowa. Frank Merriam spent nearly half of his life in his home state and the Midwest.
After graduating from Lenox College at Hopkinton in 1888, Merriam served as the principal of the Hopkinton schools for two years and superintendent of schools at Postville for one year. He was a school superintendent in Wisner, Nebraska He next became the editor of the Hopkinton Leader, a newspaper.
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