James “Sunny Jim” Rolph was one of the most enigmatic, gregarious and colorful characters in San Francisco history. Not only did he become the City’s longest serving mayor (19 years), but he was instrumental in creating some of the most important and lasting public services.
Rolph was born in San Francisco on August 23, 1869 and grew up at the corner of 21st and Guerrero in the Mission District[1]. After graduating from Trinity Academy in 1888, Rolph was hired as an office runner for the shipping company DeWitt Kittle & Co. He held various positions within the company until 1900 when he opened his own shipping company with partner and friend George Hind. That same year he married Annie Marshall Reid and they would have three children. Three years later Rolph established Mission Bank and became its president while concurrently serving as president of Mission Savings Bank. He also founded Rolph Shipbuilding Company and by 1905 he was an incredibly wealthy man. He moved his family into a mansion in the Mission at the corner of San Jose and 25th. It was a huge estate with a garden where Rolph could be seen picking a flower for his lapel, raising the American flag on a pole at the corner of the property, or playing with his prized cocker spaniels.
After the 1906 Earthquake and Fires[2] Rolph delivered water and supplies to displaced residents in the Mission with his horse and wagon. A stable behind his home was converted into headquarters for the Mission Relief Association of the Red Cross. The disaster prompted Rolph to enter politics. In 1911, at the age of 42, Rolph ran for mayor as a nonpartisan candidate (though he was a registered Republican). He was endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic parties and won. There was still no City Hall[3] at the time that he entered office. Rolph’s first order of business was to spearhead the Panama-Pacific International Exposition[4]. This expo was an important step in showing the world that the City had recovered from the earthquake and fires. On opening day, Rolph led 150,000 people up Van Ness and down Lombard to the fairgrounds in the Marina. The event drew in millions of visitors, the proceeds of which were used to build today’s Civic Center.
Rolph was one of the few people born with the ability to be all things to all people. He charmed the Italian, Irish, French and German citizens who made up the majority of the City’s population, but he also allowed gambling and prostitution, albeit under the strict supervision of the police. Rolph acquired the nickname “Sunny Jim”, due in part to the fact that he was always seen smiling, shaking hands and accessible to the public. Impeccably dressed and sporting a boutonniere, he had an incredible memory for remembering people’s names and faces. He was a member of almost every City organization and was seen officiating every building dedication, City event and parade. He was famous for picking up pedestrians on his way to City Hall in his chauffeur-driven limousine and having them dropped off at their destination.
While in office Rolph served as director of both the Ship Owners and Merchants Tugboat Company as well as the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He was also president of the Merchants’ Exchange, where he met and became friends with my great-grandfather William CTS Filmer[5]. Rolph’s two greatest achievements while in office was the establishment of the Municipal Railway (MUNI)[6], the Hetch Hetchy water and power system, and the San Francisco Airport[6A]. But his social calendar was so full that Rolph left the running of majority of day-to-day affairs to his advisors and political supporters.
In 1916, to rally the City into supporting the US entry into World War I[7], Rolph led the Preparedness Day Parade[8], the largest parade in City history. Most San Franciscans were against the war, believing that supporters like Rolph were seeking the opportunity to financially benefit from involvement. Half an hour after Rolph left the beginning of the parade route, a bomb exploded at Market and Steuart, killing 10 and wounding 40. This act of violence deeply affected Rolph, who suffered a nervous breakdown and spent time in a local sanatorium. After he was discharged he bought a ranch in Santa Clara County west of Stanford University where he could escape the City to rest. But as predicted by his opponents, Rolph’s wealth continued to grow during the war as he supplied coal and ships to Allied countries.
In 1918 Rolph ran for California governor. He tried the same tactic he had used to win his mayoral bid: he ran on both tickets. It backfired in that he infuriated the head of the Democratic Party, future president Woodrow Wilson. In retaliation, a contract for three ships which were being built for the federal government was rescinded, and Rolph was enjoined from selling these ships to foreign countries. He was forced to liquidate his shipping company and mortgage all of his holdings to stay financially afloat. Despite these financial woes, Rolph organized a huge celebration for returning soldiers at the end of the war.
By this time Rolph, with his popularity at an all-time high, came to believe that the rules imposed on or by the City did not apply to him. During the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic[9], the Board of Supervisors mandated that everyone wear a mask. Rolph openly refused to wear one, and was fined 50 cents after being photographed at a boxing match maskless. In 1920, the federal government issued a ban on the sale of alcohol. Known as Prohibition, Rolph openly opposed this law and influenced the Board of Supervisors into passing legislation that forbade San Francisco police from enforcing the “dry law”. Five months after Prohibition came into effect, the Democratic National Convention was held in the City, and Rolph furnished each delegate with a bottle of whiskey. Speakeasies sprang up across the City in the back rooms of dance halls, cafes and hotels. The East Coast mafia came to San Francisco’s North Beach and controlled the flow of bootlegged alcohol into the City. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Rolph worked to force the mafia out of town.
Rolph was known to be a heavy drinker himself and, in fact, it began to effect his mayoral duties towards the end of his tenure. He would often arrive to events intoxicated. He began an affair with silent movie siren Anita Page, buying her a one bedroom house at 3620 21st Street in Dolores Heights, though he would eventually move onto this property with his family. In 1930 Rolph once again ran for governor, and won. He remodeled the Dolores Heights home, nicknamed “They Mayor’s Mansion”, into a 4,700 square foot Tudor Revival home with stone hallways, pressed-tin tiled ceilings, a Tiffany chandelier, and a leather floor.
Rolph was sworn in as governor on January 6, 1931. It was the beginning of the Depression[10], and Rolph was immediately seen as ineffective in handling the crisis. Additionally, he was accused of granting contracts to friends and supporters. In 1933 Brooke Hart, the heir to a wealthy San Jose merchant, was kidnapped and murdered. City officials begged Rolph to order up the National Guard after the arrest of the two men responsible for the kidnapping and murder led to the formation of a vigilante committee. Rolph refused, and the vigilantes stormed the jail and lynched the suspects. Not only did Rolph condone the action, but he promised to pardon anyone arrested for the lynching. This permanently tarnished his reputation. As his popularity waned, Rolph suffered multiple heart attacks and he spent months in either the hospital or at his ranch in Santa Clara County. Rolph would die three years into his term on June 2, 1934 at age 64. While the state did not mourn his passing, San Francisco could not forget Rolph’s contributions to the City, or his vibrant personality. His body was laid in state in the atrium of City Hall, after-which he was buried at Green Lawn Memorial Park in Colma.
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[1] Mission District: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3831 [2] 1906 Earthquake and Fires: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=2849 [3] City Hall: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4664 [4] 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition: story coming February 20th [5] William CTS Filmer: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4643 [6] MUNI: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4304 [6A] San Francisco Airport: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5052 [7] World War I: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4079 [8] Preparedness Parade Bombing: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3531 [9] Spanish Influenza Pandemic: story coming November 21st [10] The Depression: story coming October 11th
