Today marks the 192nd anniversary of the birth of David C. Broderick (born February 4, 1820 in Washington, DC). Broderick, a member of the Whig Party, was elected to the California State Senate a month at age 29 birthday and was became a U.S. Senator at 36. He served almost three years before being killed in a duel with Supreme Court Justice David Terry in September 1859. The duel, easily the most notorious in state history, played a significant part in the establishment of California’s “Wild West” reputation.
Saturday also marks the 146th anniversary of the death of Assemblyman Daniel Showalter, a participant in California’s second most famous duel. This fight, held in 1861, pitted two Democratic legislators against eachother at the home of Assembly Speaker Charles Fairfax. Showalter (died February 4, 1866) fled to Mexico after the fall of the Confederacy and was later fatally injured in a bar fight in Mazatlan.
Finally, it’s also State Senator Tim Leslie‘s 70th birthday. According to our research, Leslie has never fought in a duel.