• Home
  • About Us
    • JoinCalifornia
    • Use as a Reference
  • California 175
    • 1849-1850 Events
    • Events Calendar
  • Political History
    • 2021 Senate to Assembly District Table
    • Covering the Capitol
    • Scott Lay’s Sofa Degree
    • Legislative Committee Reports
    • Legislative Staff
    • Term Limits in California
    • Notable No Votes
    • Redistricting
  • Nelson S. Dilworth Collection
    • California’s Military History
  • Leroy F. Greene Collection

One Voter Project

The Online Home of California's Political History

San Francisco (1862)

San Francisco Capitol
550 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
State Capital (1862)

The site of the 1862 San Francisco capital was the Merchants Exchange Building, a building constructed in 1854. The Merchants Exchange Building didn’t survive the 1906 earthquake, and the new Richard Henry Dana Building was constructed in its place. A major source of confusion is the existance of a new Merchants Exchange, which was constructed beginning in 1904, at 465 California Street, six blocks away from the former Capitol.

HISTORY: “When in December 1861, Sacramento became completely flooded and many spoke of temporarily moving the capital to San Francisco, but nothing was done. Then, again, on 10 January 1862, the city was inundated even 20 inches higher than the previous flood. It was said Governor Leland Stanford arrived in a rowboat for his inauguration. This time, the temporary change was not only talked about, it was acted upon. The legislature moved on 24 January 1862 to San Francisco. They conducted their business in the Merchants Exchange Building at Battery and Washington Streets. When the next session convened, it was in Sacramento once again.” The Senate voted 20 to 13 to adjourn to SF on the January 11th. The Assembly passed a similar resolution on the 22nd, the Senate concurred the same day. The rent totalled $4,047.
Source: “Previous Capitals of California” by the California State Library
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/burnham/burnhamcalif.html

Recent News

New 2025 “California Lawmaker” Released

December 14, 2024

The new edition of "California Lawmaker" by JoinCalifornia.com editor Alex … [Read More...]

Legislative Retirement

December 8, 2024

In December 2024, Assemblyman Corey Jackson introduced legislation (ACA 2 of … [Read More...]

Adding Candidates

March 7, 2024

When to add candidates to the election data is always an interesting question. … [Read More...]

First Women to Chair Legislative Committees

January 25, 2024

I was recently asked who the first woman to chair a committee was. As it turns … [Read More...]

What Happened in the 2022 Election

November 13, 2022

[Updated 12/12] That was interesting. An election season that roared by in … [Read More...]

Latest Tweets

  • Just now
  • More Tweets by Alex Vassar

Fun Fact

The longest gap in legislative service was Frederick Lux, who was out of office for 37 years between between his second and third Assembly terms.

California Lawmaker 2021

Now Available on Amazon

Recent Posts

  • Legislator Hometowns December 19, 2024
  • New 2025 “California Lawmaker” Released December 14, 2024
  • Legislative Retirement December 8, 2024
  • Adding Candidates March 7, 2024

Copyright © 2025 · Education Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in