Bidwell, John

(born Aug. 5, 1819, Chautauqua county, N.Y., U.S.—died April 4, 1900, near Sacramento, Calif.) U.S. political leader. He was a member of the first group to travel by wagon train to California from Independence, Mo. Reluctant to join the Bear Flag revolt of Americans in California against Mexico, he nonetheless helped draw up the Bear Flag Republic's resolution of independence in July 1846. He fought under John C. Frémont in the Mexican War and assisted in the recapture of Los Angeles in 1847. At the end of the war he returned to Sutter's Fort, where he was the first to find gold on the Feather River. Later he became a leading agriculturalist and played a prominent role in state politics. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1864 and later ran for governor three times, though he was never elected. In 1892 he became the presidential candidate of the Prohibition Party.

Bidwell, John (1819–1900) pioneer, public official; born in Chatauqua County, N.Y. He moved to Missouri (1839) and then to California (1841). He worked at John Sutter's fort and was active in the short-lived Bear Flag Republic (1846). He found gold on the Feather River and became California's leading rancher. He was in the U.S. House of Representatives (Unionist, Calif.; 1865–67) and was the Prohibition Party candidate for the presidency in 1892.