William J. Gavigan

William J. Gavigan
Gavigan c. 1892
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 12th district
In office
January 3, 1881 – January 8, 1883
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Personal details
Born(1859-09-17)September 17, 1859
DiedFebruary 18, 1925(1925-02-18) (aged 65)
PartyWorkingmen's (before 1881)
Democratic (after 1881)
Alma materCooper Medical College
OccupationPrinter, attorney, physician, politician

William Jamison Gavigan (September 17, 1859 – February 18, 1925)[1][2] was an American printer, attorney, physician and politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1881 to 1883.[3] He was elected on a Workingmen's-Democratic Fusion ticket[4] at just 21 years, one month and 15 days old,[1] making him the youngest person ever elected to the California State Legislature.[5] As of 1926, Gavigan was distinguished as one of only two politicians in California state history to be both a medical doctor and an attorney-at-law, the other being Edward Robeson Taylor.[6]

Works

  • "Applying Prof. Loeb's Discovery That Electricity Is Foundation of Life". Sunday Examiner. Vol. LXXVI, no. 117. San Francisco. April 27, 1902. p. 39.

References

  1. ^ a b Master Hands in the Affairs of the Pacific Coast. San Francisco: Western Historical and Publishing Co. 1892. p. 47. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  2. ^ "Former 'Youngest Solon' of State Dies". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. April 17, 1925. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  3. ^ "William J. Gavigan". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  4. ^ "THE NOMINEES". The Morning Call. San Francisco. November 1, 1880. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  5. ^ "The Knave Page Abroad". Oakland Tribune. Oakland. August 1, 1920. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  6. ^ Drury, Wells (March 1926). "Meetings of the Society". California Historical Society Quarterly. V (1). San Francisco: 95. Retrieved November 23, 2025.

Sources

  • Media related to William J. Gavigan at Wikimedia Commons
  • JoinCalifornia - William J. Gavigan
  • The Workingmen’s Party & The Denis Kearney Agitation