James E. Wadham
| James E. Wadham | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 14th Mayor of San Diego | |
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In office May 1, 1911 – May 5, 1913 |
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| Preceded by | Grant Conard |
| Succeeded by | Charles F. O'Neall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1865 Illinois |
| Died | May 26, 1930 San Diego, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
James E. Wadham (c. 1865 – May 26, 1930) was an American Democratic politician from California.
Wadham was born c. 1865 in Illinois, but moved to San Diego, California around 1870. He was a conservative Democratic attorney who ran for mayor of San Diego in 1903 but was defeated. He ran again a few years later and served as mayor of San Diego from 1911 to 1913. He was elected with the help of trade unions.
Wadham died in San Diego 1930 aged 80.
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or "Wobblies") were a militant labor union seeking to organize unskilled workers. San Diegans were uneasy because the Mexican Revolution of 1910 had recently occurred, and the border with Mexico was nearby. San Diego, as did many local governments, passed ordinances against any kind of public demonstration. In 1912, Wobblies came to challenge the San Diego ordinances by getting arrested in significant numbers, and filling the city jail. But private vigilante groups, apparently working in cooperation with the police, took the Wobblies out of town and beat them up.
Vincent Saint John, a leader of the Wobblies, sent a telegram to Wadham which stated, "This fight will be continued until free speech is established in San Diego if it takes 20,000 members and 20 years to do so." That only made the San Diego vigilanties, newspapers, and city and county government dig in their heels and more determined to get rid of the Wobblies at any cost.
Anarchists Emma Goldman and Ben Reitman came to town to lecture, against the advice of mayor Wadham. After they arrived, Wadham went to Reitman and said:
Reitman suggested the police disperse the vigilantes just as they did the Wobblies. Wadham replied:
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