John B. Felton

John Brooks Felton (June 9, 1827 – May 2, 1877) was an American jurist and politician who served as the 14th mayor of Oakland, California.

Early life John Brooks Felton was born on June 9, 1827, in Saugus, Massachusetts. Felton was the son of an almshouse superintendent in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and brother of Cornelius Conway Felton, a classics scholar at Harvard University and Samuel Morse Felton, Sr., a railroad executive. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Cambridge University in 1853. Felton was a legal advisor to Levi Parsons of the San Francisco Dock and Wharf Company during Parsons' attempt to have the "Bulkhead Bill" passed.

Felton campaigned unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1867 and 1874.

Felton was the first President of the Board of Trustees of Toland Medical College (now University of California, San Francisco) and was tasked with obtaining the school's charter, which he failed to do. He was a regent of the University of California from its inception in 1868 until his death.

Personal life He married Kate S. Baldwin in 1862. Together, they had two daughters.

Legacy The town of Felton, CA, is named after John Brooks Felton.