James D. Phelan
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James Duval Phelan (April 20, 1861–August 7, 1930) was an American politician and banker.
Phelan was born in San Francisco, California in 1861, the son of an Irish immigrant who became wealthy during the California Gold Rush as a trader, merchant and banker. Phelan graduated from St. Ignatius College in that city in 1881. He studied law at the University of California, Berkeley and then became a banker. He was elected Mayor of San Francisco and served from 1897 until 1902.
Phelan was president of Relief and Red Cross Funds after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Democrat, Phelan ran for the U.S. Senate against Republican, Joseph R. Knowland and Progressive, Francis J. Heney. He was then elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1915 to March 3, 1921. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920, defeated by Republican, Samuel M. Shortridge. His defeat may have been the result of his overly conservative campaign direction: One of his reelection campaign posters contained the headline "Keep California White" (this poster is displayed at Japanese American National Museum). During his time in the Senate he was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Railroads during the 64th Congress and of the U.S. Senate Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands during the 65th Congress.
After his time in the Senate, Phelan returned to banking, and collected art. He died at his country estate Villa Montalvo in Saratoga, California in 1930. After his death, the estate was gifted to the people of California. Some of his momentos and correspondence are on display in the library at Villa Montalvo.
Phelan is buried in the family mausoleum in Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, San Mateo County, California.
Phelan Avenue in San Francisco is named for him. This is a short street in the southern part of the city; the main entrance of City College of San Francisco faces Phelan Avenue.
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| Preceded by George Perkins |
U.S. Senator (Class 3) from California 1915–1921 |
Succeeded by Samuel M. Shortridge |
| Preceded by Adolph Sutro |
Mayor of San Francisco 1897–1902 |
Succeeded by Eugene E. Schmitz |
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
