James Rolph
| James Rolph | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 27th Governor of California | |
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In office January 6, 1931 – June 2, 1934 |
|
| Lieutenant | Frank Merriam |
| Preceded by | C. C. Young |
| Succeeded by | Frank Merriam |
| 30th Mayor of San Francisco | |
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In office January 8, 1912 – January 6, 1931 |
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| Preceded by | P. H. McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Angelo Rossi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Rolph, Jr. August 23, 1869 San Francisco, California |
| Died | June 2, 1934 (aged 64) Santa Clara County, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Marshall Reid |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
James “Sunny Jim” Rolph, Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death on June 2, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression. Previously, Rolph had been the 30th mayor of San Francisco from January 8, 1912 until his resignation to become governor. Rolph remains the longest serving mayor in San Francisco history.
Rolph was born in San Francisco. He had four brothers and two sisters. After attending school in the Mission District, he went to work as an office boy in a commission house. He married Annie Marshall Reid (1872-1956) and had at least one son: James Rolph, III (1904-1980).
Rolph entered the shipping business in 1900, by forming a partnership with George Hind. He would over the next decade serve as president of two banks, one of which he helped establish. Although he was asked to run for mayor in 1909, he chose to wait until 1911 to run for mayor—a position that he would hold for nineteen years. As mayor, he was known as "Sunny Jim" and his theme song was "There Are Smiles That Make You Happy". In 1915 he appeared as himself in an early documentary film titled Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco, which was directed by and starred Fatty Arbuckle. In 1924, Rolph appeared as himself in a Slim Summerville comedy short film, Hello, Frisco.
Rolph knew of the power in San Francisco of the Roman Catholic Church. Italians, Irish, French and Germans made up the majority of the population of the City. He established a deep friendship with Archbishop Edward Joseph Hanna. In turn, Hanna would support Rolph in his 1930 election as governor of California.
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