Washington Montgomery Bartlett (February 29, 1824 – September 12, 1887) was Mayor of San Francisco, California from 1883–1887 and was California's first and to date only Jewish governor.

Bartlett was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1824. He was a life-long bachelor and a printer by trade, and was not particularly religious. During his lifetime Bartlett was a San Francisco newspaper publisher, San Francisco County Clerk, lawyer, state senator, mayor, and finally a governor.

His term for governor started and ended in 1887 when he died in office of natural causes only nine months in to his term. He is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.

His inaugural address after being elected as governor was presented on January 8, 1887; a copy of the address can be found here

Note: Washington M. Bartlett should not be confused with Lt. Washington Allon Bartlett who was appointed alcalde of Yerba Buena on August 14, 1846 -- and who changed the name of Yerba Buena to San Francisco by decree on January 30, 1847. Washington A. Bartlett was from a prominent Protestant family in New York City, including Josiah Bartlett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

External links

• Washington Bartlett biography from the California State Library