Ulysses S. Webb

Biography Ulysses Sigel Webb was born on September 29, 1864, in Flemington, West Virginia. He was named after Ulysses S. Grant. His father, Cyrus Webb, was a farmer Webb's ancestors were among the earliest settlers in Virginia. and was elected to a full term later that year. Webb served as attorney general for 37 years, from 1902 to 1939 (9 terms), and is one of the longest-serving statewide officials in American history. He began a lengthy series of lawsuits to prove the state held title, in trust for the people of California, to tide and submerged lands, for public access and use for navigation, shipping and commerce. It particularly sought to reduce the prominence of Japanese Americans in California's agriculture. wrote a memo to Johnson on the topic criticizing Davis's view. Webb published it in pamphlet form to have it spread to top immigration officials. Fellow CJIC member Valentine S. McClatchy asked the San Francisco naturalization official Paul Armstrong to forward a Mexican naturalization application to Webb as a test case. Armstrong instead sent the case to the United States Naturalization Commissioner, who argued that the matter was already settled.

On September 18, 1934, Judge C.N. Andrews ruled that residence requirements were a violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Webb appealed to the Court of Appeals and the state Supreme Court, both of which also ruled that residence requirements violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

In 1891, California's legislature had banned all forms of gambling, including poker. However, in 1911, Webb exempted draw poker from the ban. He argued that it was "a game of science rather than a game of chance".

California governor Gray Davis apologized in 2003 for Webb's zealous progressive-promoted sterilization program under the state's eugenics policy.

Personal life

During October 1895, Webb married Grace Goodwin, the daughter of Judge J. D. and Martha Goodwin of Quincy. The Webbs had three children, Hester, Sigel Goodwin and Grace. Webb belonged to the Masonic,