The public career of Edward Fitzgerald Beale, 1845-1893 Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Thompson, Gerald Eugene, 1947- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 11/10/2021 03:42:29 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/565401 THE PUBLIC CAREER OF EDWARD FITZGERALD BEALE, 1845-1893 by Gerald Eugene Thompson A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 7 8 Copyright 1978 Gerald Eugene Thompson © 1978 GERALD EUGENE THOMPSON ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Gerald Eugene Th o m p s o n ________________________ entitled THE PUBLIC CAREER OF EDWARD FITZGERALD BEALE, 1845-1893 be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of P h i l o s o p h y ______________________ Dissertation Director Date As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read this dissertation and agree that it may be presented for final defense. Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent on the candidate’s adequate performance and defense thereof at the final oral examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted' in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permissionf provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: i & u d U A , £ PREFACE Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822-93) was a major figure in the history of the American West. Few Americans have gained distinction in so many different fields— naval officer, explorer, bureaucrat, rancher, politician, and promoter. During his lifetime, Beale was regarded as '-Mr. California,w- and numbered among his friends such pre­ eminent men as Robert F. Stockton, Kit Carson, Thomas Hart Benton, Bayard Taylor, U, S. Grant, and many others. A study of Beale's life offers important insights into many of the events and personalities which dominated post-1845 America, A colorful and interesting man, Beale successfully pursued a personal El Dorado of adventure, status, and wealth. In so doing, he mirrored the dreams of countless Americans of his day. Despite his achievements and importance, Beale has been largely forgotten. He is remembered, if at all, as a quixotic man who pre­ sided over a strange experiment to introduce camels into the Southwest. The intended purpose of this biography is to portray him as a human being—^-complex, with qualities of greatness and weakness--and to fix his position more precisely within the historical landscape. Beale^s accomplishments can be readily cataloged. He emerged from the Mexican War as the most prominent American hero of the fighting in California, In 1848, on his own initiative, Beale carried the first samples of gold from the new El Dorado to the East Coast. There, his avid promotion of California helped spark one of the iii greatest mass migrations of the nineteenth century* In 1852, as a disciple of Thomas Hart Benton, Beale gained the • appointment to serve as California's first Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and helped charter a new, humanitarian policy toward Native Americans. Following his controversial removal from office, Beale next plunged into San Francisco politics and led the Law and Order forces in opposition to the revolutionary tactics of the Vigilantes. His family connections with. President James Buchanan earned Beale another government post in 1857 as superintendent of a transcontinental wagon road project. For two and one-half years, he explored and constructed a road across the Southwest, and experimented with the use of camels. On the eve of the Civil War, Beale joined the Republican Party. In 1861 Lincoln appointed him as Surveyor General of California, an important position which Beale neglected. Lincoln dismissed him from office, but not before Beale had used his position to secure title to Rancho El Tejon, one of the largest ranches in the American West. His financial future was bright. After 1864, Beale began to divide his time between California and Pennsylvania. He dabbled in Pennsylvania politics, and gained the distinction of being one of the first politicians to urge that Negroes be granted the right to vote. To increase his status and power, Beale purchased the Decatur House in 1872 and moved to Washington, D. C. For the next two decades, his home served as social center of the nation's capital, while Beale rose to an important position within the Republican Party, Soon, Beale became President Grant's closest personal friend. In addition to his social activities, Beale V maintained a lifelong interest for Business affairs, and during the 1870s and 1880s he spearheaded the movement for an interoceanic canal across Central America. By the time of his death in 1893, Beale was a recognized figure on the national scene. Almost anyone who ever met Beale described him as a remarkable man— rwitty, intelligent, and energetic. Despite his many interests, he still found time for service as a diplomat and for a happy family life. He was a handsome man, slightly below medium stature with a thin, wiry build. An abundance of nervous energy seemed to keep him constantly in motion. Beale was generally sensitive, occasionally violent, and frequently outspoken. His frankness probably prevented him from ever holding a high elective post. Throughout his life, two primary forces motivated Beale: a desire for adventure; and a drive to achieve wealth and status. The Far West afforded the opportunity to fulfill all these ambitions, as Beale endeavored to profit from every government position he held. But Beale’s career did not fit the classic mold of the self-made man. Almost invariably, he sought and leaned heavily on family connections, political friendships, and simple luck for advancement. In this regard, Beale was perhaps typical of many American success stories in the nineteenth century. This study of Edward F. Beale was suggested by Professor Harwood P. Hinton, editor of Arizona and the West. In the course of researching this dissertation, I have consulted over three hundred libraries, archives, and historical societies. Three types of primary historical material proved most valuable: Beale's private papers (Decatur House Papers 1; National Archives1 materials; and newspapers. The Decatur House Papers, located in the Library of Congress are very' important and revealing. As a public servant, Beale generated a large Body of correspondence, all of which is located in the National Archives. Finally, the tedious process of combing local newspapers divulged crucial information which could not have been obtained elsewhere. Other Beale material surfaced in a surprising number of collections in various repositories around the country. Legal records also proved important, particularly in following Beale’s investments and business activities. A large number of individuals and institutions have earned my thanks and gratitude for the help they provided during the course of this dissertation. Professor Harwood P. Hinton directed this study and provided key research suggestions, constant encouragement, and sound editorial advice. I am very grateful to him. Professors Paul A* Carter and Roger L. Nichols both read the manuscript and made many helpful criticisms. Among the other individuals to whom I owe a "thank you" are Henry P. Walker, Paul W. Gates, Harland Boyd, Richard Bailey, Andrew Rolle, W, N, Davis, David Williams, Lee Scott Theisen, Gerald Stanley, ! Mary Lee Spence, Jack Smith, and Nina Caspari. I would also like to thank the staffs of the following institutions: California State Archives, California Historical Society, Society of California Pioneers, California State Library, Bakersfield Public Library, Los Angeles County Archives and Records, UCLA Special Collections, San Diego Historical Society, Delaware County Historical Society, Historical Society of Dauphin County, Arizona Historical Society, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Cornell University Special Collections, Harvard University Special Collec­ tions , Princeton University Special Collections, Eleutherian Mills Historical Library, Huntington Library, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives• The Interlibrary Loan Department of The University of Arizona deserves my special thanks, I also wish to thank my mother and father for their tolerance over many years. To Margaret, my wife, I wish to express my loving gratitude for her continued patience and encouragement. At times during the last four years, she felt as though Edward Beale had joined our family, for X was totally occupied with reconstructing Beale’s eventful life and career. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ......................... ix CHAPTER 1. A MIDSHIPMAN lS L