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5/28/2020 MvL: current label in display case:
HAND-COLORED PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS
A pair of portraits showing Governor Henry Huntly Haight and his wife Anna Bissell. He served as the Governor of California from December 5, 1867, to December 8, 1871. His Alameda estate stood near the corner of Santa Clara Avenue and 4th Street. The property was subdivided after his death and the home demolished around 1907.
Henry Huntly Haight (May 20, 1825 - September 2, 1878) was a lawyer and American politician. He was elected the tenth governor of California in 1867. Born in Rochester, New York, Haight was the second of twelve children and the third generation of lawyers in his family. He attended Yale and joined his father's law practice in St. Louis, Missouri. Haight continued west when gold was discovered in California.
In 1859, Haight became chair of the state Republican Party. He led Lincoln's campaign in California, although in 1861, he told a friend he regretted supporting Lincoln. In 1863, shortly after President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, Haight announced he joined the Democratic Party. In 1867, California Democrats nominated Haight for Governor.
Upon winning the election by a huge margin, Haight took the stage in Sacramento to give his inaugural address. Haight spent the majority of his speech condemning Congress' Reconstruction policy and denouncing the right to vote for non-white citizens. During his term in office he is credited with signing legislation to create the University of California (UC) and ending subsidies to railroads. However, Haight never transmitted to the state legislature the 14th Amendment to extend citizenship to all.
Losing in the next gubernatorial election to Newton Booth, Haight returned with his family to his estate in the West End of Alameda. He later served on the City of Alameda's Board of Trustees, and the UC Board of Regents. Henry Huntly Haight died on September 2, 1878, after falling ill at his law office in San Francisco. He is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland.
In the late 1800s Henry Haight Elementary School and a street in Alameda were named after the former governor. Haight's racist views of of the 19th century came to light in 2017 and a petition was circulated to rename the school. The Haight Renaming Committee was formed and suggestions for a new name were solicited. On April 23, 2019, the Alameda Board of Education voted to change the name "Haight Elementary School" to "Love Elementary School." Alameda is home to a diverse population that represents an array of cultures and beliefs. The message today is that everyone belongs here.