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Lawrence Archer

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Not to be confused with Laurence Archer, British guitarist.
Lawrence Washington Archer
Archer, c. 1890
Mayor of San Jose, California
In office
April 16, 1856 – July 21, 1856[1]
Preceded bySherman Otis Houghton
Succeeded byJohn Marion Murphy Sr.
California State Assembly, District 7
In office
1875–1877
Mayor of San Jose, California
In office
1878–1880
Preceded byGeorge B. McKee
Succeeded byBernard D. Murphy
Personal details
Born(1820-11-11)November 11, 1820
Anderson County, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedFebruary 13, 1910(1910-02-13) (aged 89)
San Jose, California, U.S.
Resting placeOak Hill Memorial Park
PartyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Louise Martin (m. 1848–1869; her death)
Alice Bethell (m. 1870–1910; his death)
RelationsMartin Flavin (grandson)
Children6
OccupationLawyer, judge, politician

Lawrence Washington Archer (November 11, 1820 – February 13, 1910) was an American lawyer, judge, politician, and was an early settler in San Jose, California.[2] He served two terms as the Mayor of San Jose, California; and one term in the California State Assembly for District 7 in 1875.[3] Archer was a Democrat.

Early life and education

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Lawrence Washington Archer was born on November 11, 1820, in Anderson County, South Carolina.[4] His family was from the State of Virginia and of English heritage.[2] Archer's father John was a merchant, and his mother Ann (née Mosley) died when he was 15 years old.[2] He attended the University of Virginia for six months.[2][5] Followed by a study of law in Abbeville, South Carolina,[2] under Armisted Burt.[4]

Career

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Archer passed the Mississippi bar exam in 1841, and practiced law in Yazoo County for two years.[2] In Yazoo County, Archer contracted malaria and moved to St. Joseph, Missouri in 1843 for his health. In St. Joseph, Missouri he was appointed by the governor as a district attorney.[2][6] In 1850, Archer shared a legal office with James Craig in St. Joseph.[7]

Archer arrived in California in 1852, first staying in San Francisco for two months, followed by a move to San Jose in January 1853.[2][4]

Archer served two terms as the Mayor of San Jose: first in 1856, followed by a second term in 1875.[3] In 1868, he was elected as a Santa Clara County Judge, a role he served until he resigned 1871.[2][8]

Archer was a member of the Regents of the University of California (formerly known as the Board of Regents) from 1868 until 1880.[3][9]

He ran on the Democratic ticket for the 1870 United States House of Representatives elections, and the 1871 United States House of Representatives elections in California, against Sherman Otis Houghton, and he lost both times.[2][10]

He served one term in the California State Assembly for District 7 in 1875.[3]

In 1884, Archer was a delegate from California to Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.[11]

Estate

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In 1861, Archer purchased the Lone Oak estate and farm in San Jose, California with 160 acres (65 ha) of land, featuring cherry, prune and apricot fruit orchards.[2][12] The 4 acres (1.6 ha) planted with cherry trees yielded an average annual income of US$3,000 (equivalent to $100,000 in 2024).[4] The estate house he constructed was destroyed in a fire in May 1909, and a new estate house was completed on February 16, 1910, the day before Archer died.[13]

Personal life

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His first marriage was in 1848 to Louise Martin from St. Joseph, Missouri, together they had three children.[2][4] His first wife Louise died in 1869.[2]

His second married was in 1870 to Alice Bethell from Indiana, with whom he had three more children.[2][4] A few his children died in childhood.

Death and legacy

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Archer died at age 89 of apoplexy (stroke) on February 13, 1910, at his home in San Jose, California.[14][6][15][16] He was buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose.[17] His funeral was attended by many members of the Santa Clara County Society of California Pioneers.[17][18]

After Archer's death, his daughter Louise Ann Archer Kelley inherited the Lone Oak estate.[13] The house and 63 acres (25 ha) of land were sold to the City of San Jose in August 1951, to be used as a public park with the condition that Louise Kelley be allowed to live there for the rest of her life.[12][13] Archer's former estate was used to form Kelley Park in San Jose.[12]

He was the namesake of Archer Street (now known as Fountain Alley) in San Jose.

References

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  1. ^ "Mr. Archer". The Sacramento Age. July 26, 1856. p. 2. Retrieved December 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Shuck, Oscar Tully (1901). "Lawrence Archer". History of the Bench and Bar of California. Commercial Printing House. pp. 528–529.
  3. ^ a b c d "Lawrence Archer". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Foote, H.S., ed. (1888). "Judge Lawrence Archer". Pen Pictures from the "Garden of the World" or Santa Clara County, California Illustrated. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 90–91. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  5. ^ Setty, Cecelia M. (2016). "Judge Lawrence Archer". Golden Nugget Library.
  6. ^ a b "Obituary for Lawrence Archer". St. Joseph Gazette. March 1, 1910. p. 4. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "General James Craig". The History of Buchanan County, Missouri. Union Historical Company. 1881. p. 714.
  8. ^ "Appointments by the Governor". The San Francisco Examiner. May 23, 1868. p. 1. Retrieved December 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "State University: Meeting of the Board of Regents". San Francisco Chronicle. November 12, 1868. p. 3. Retrieved December 3, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Race Details: CA District 1". ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019.
  11. ^ "Index to Politicians: Archer". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "Kelley Park brochure". City of San Jose. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018.
  13. ^ a b c Dobkin, Marjorie; Hill, Ward (May 1994). Kelley House in Kelley Park (PDF) (Report). Jones & Stokes Associates. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2025.
  14. ^ "Judge Archer, Pioneer Jurist, Dies Suddenly". Oakland Tribune (Obituary). February 14, 1910. p. 16. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  15. ^ "Pioneer Judge Is Dead of Apoplexy". The Union. February 15, 1910. p. 6. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Judge Lawrence Archer Succumbs in San Jose". San Francisco Call Bulletin. February 14, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b "Obituary for Lawrence Archer". Santa Cruz Surf and Superior California Farmer. February 18, 1910. p. 5. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Santa Clara Pioneers Hold Memorial Service". San Francisco Chronicle. November 21, 1910. p. 7. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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