A Nice Interim

This year saw a remarkably calm end of the year in the Legislature. Compared to other years, the final week of the 2013 legislative year included some moderately late nights, but nothing too crazy.

Assemblyman Jonathan J. Hollibaugh died one day after the end of the 1953 Regular Session. After packing his belongings into his car in front of the Senator Hotel (where he had been staying for the session), Hollibaugh collapsed while trying to close the car’s trunk. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

During the last week of the 1870 session,  a rude comment made by an Assembly attache to Assemblyman Michael Hayes developed into a full-on bar fight. Assemblyman Charles McMillen (who was at the bar with Hayes) pulled a knife on the attache. A newspaper account notes that the Barkeeper was cut while trying to disarm Assemblyman McMillen. The fight happened at the Golden Eagle Saloon (where legislators started fights all the time).

It was in the first week after the end of the 1861 Legislative Session that Assemblyman Daniel Showalter killed Assemblyman Charles W. Piercy in a duel. The two had disagreed on who the best candidate was in that year’s U.S. Senate election, and the argument continued until a challenge was issued.

Thank goodness for quiet interim breaks.