[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 44 (Friday, April 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E557]]
      CELEBRATING SAN MATEO COUNTY'S SESQUICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2006

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise to 
celebrate the sesquicentennial anniversary of San Mateo County, 
California, a county which I proudly represent, along with my good 
friend Anna Eshoo in the United States House of Representatives.
  Much of the history of San Mateo County can be derived from its 
unique founding. The county was not one of the original counties 
created when California was granted Statehood in 1850, but instead came 
about as a political compromise. Originally part of San Francisco 
County, a group of progressively minded citizens, fed up with 
corruption in San Francisco, decided that it would be easier to clean 
up one government rather than two and proposed merging the San 
Francisco County and City governments. However, those opposed to this 
plan were also politically strong and at the end the day a compromise 
was agreed upon--that the San Francisco governments would be 
consolidated but it would become two counties.
  The newly constituted San Mateo County was created from the most 
rural areas of San Francisco County and had a population of about 2500 
people. While the progressives of San Francisco anticipated seizing 
control of this more remote area to establish a clean ethical 
government, their efforts were defeated by rampant ballot box stuffing 
and election fraud in 1856. In an interesting turn of event, two of the 
Judges who certified the election, John Johnson and Charles Clark, were 
themselves elected as two of the new county's first supervisors. This 
group of criminals were run out of town shortly after being elected 
when a vigilante mob of 800 San Franciscans rose up to take revenge on 
James Casey for his shooting of newspaper editor James King of William. 
After hanging Casey for shooting the popular editor, the mob turned 
south and his cronies who had infiltrated the County government fled 
San Mateo.
  Mr. Speaker, although this is the 150th anniversary of San Mateo 
County, the human story of the land dates back much further and was 
home to numerous and varied cultures. Recent archeology indicates that 
man lived on the Peninsula as far back as 6500 years ago. When the 
first European settlers from Spain came in 1769, about 2000 native 
Californians called the Peninsula home. These Spanish conquistadors 
quickly colonized the area bringing their Catholic faith with them.
  Before the Gold Rush of 1848, a number of Americans and other 
foreigners inhabited the southern hills of San Mateo working in a 
fledgling logging industry or at the port that was quickly expanding in 
Redwood City. Despite the fact that these industries continued to grow 
with the discovery of Gold in northern California, the County remained 
a lightly populated and mostly rural community for the remainder of the 
19th Century.
  It was this rural nature of San Mateo County that made it a place 
where certain activities could take place that were not permissible in 
San Francisco. Although San Francisco has always possessed a reputation 
as an ``open city,'' but for many years it was common knowledge that if 
you were unable to get away with something in San Francisco all you had 
to do was cross over the county line. Examples of such activities 
included gambling, prostitution and dueling. Although outlawed 
everywhere in California, dueling continued to exist in San Mateo 
County and Daly City was the location of a duel that resulted in the 
death of United States Senator David Broderick. By the turn of the 
century prize fighting and horse racing, now illegal in San Francisco, 
were also commonly occurring in San Mateo County and the historic Bay 
Meadows Race Track was opened in 1934. During the era of Prohibition 
the prolific bootlegging operations run out of the County prompted one 
gangster to declare San Mateo the most corrupt county in California.
  Mr. Speaker, despite the examples of lawlessness, San Mateo County 
remained a sleepy suburb of bustling San Francisco until America 
entered World War II. Like so many other towns and areas of the 
country, the need for components for the war machine revved up San 
Mateo County's economic engine as factories sprang up to produce 
necessary electronic parts. Coupled with the growth of firms such as 
EIMAC, Varian, Dalmo Victor and Ampex, was the expansion of hotels, 
warehouses and other supporting business. Perhaps the best example of 
the increasing stature of San Mateo County can be seen in the fact that 
the airport in South San Francisco, once dubbed a ``mud hole'' was 
handling one-tenth of all air traffic in the United States by 1946.
  Industrial growth brought an increase in population and by the end of 
World War II the rural nature of San Mateo County passed into oblivion. 
This once quiet community is now home to some of the largest companies 
in the world, and a magnet for the computer software and 
biotechnological industry. Mr. Speaker, even though San Mateo County is 
now a major population and business hub, it continues to remain 
committed to the values of open space that were present when the then 
rural County was founded 150 years ago. I am proud to have contributed 
to the County's commitment to environmental conservation by expanding 
the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to include extraordinary 
landscapes such as Rancho Corral de Tierra, Mori Point and Sweeney 
Ridge. By designating these beautiful tracts of land as part of our 
national park and protecting them from development, we are able to 
maintain a connection to the rural heritage of San Mateo.
  Mr. Speaker, San Mateo County's history during the past 150 years has 
certainly been colorful and storied and serves as an important bridge 
to a limitless and bright future. I urge all of my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing this significant milestone, the celebration of the 
150th Anniversary of San Mateo County in California.

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