Well, here's a wonderful piece of state history courtesy of
the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert: For readers who are tempted to
romanticize state politics back in those days, we leave you with the story of Milton Latham.
Governor
in early 1860, Latham promised in his
inaugural address to tackle the state debt. It was close to an
eye-popping $3.9 million. Million with an M.
Then
Latham persuaded the Legislature to appoint
him to a vacant U.S. Senate seat. The senator, you see, had died in a duel.
All
in all, Latham was governor for five days. It's still the record.
And the next governor inherited the state debt.
So
much for the good old days.
-- Jim
Sweeney
A Pro Southern Democrat to boot. Might want to try the Internet to garner all the facts.
I look forward to reading your piece exploring the connections to today's current PD endorsed crop of Democratic politicians.