Time in The Iowa and California Legislatures
Born in 1865 in Hopkinton, Iowa, Merriam spent nearly half of his life in his home state and the Midwest. After a brief career in education as a school superintendent in Wisner, Nebraska, Merriam was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives as a Republican at the age of 31 in 1896. Two years later, Merriam was elected as Iowa State Auditor, a post he would hold until 1903. In 1910 at the age of 44, Merriam moved to California. Following seven years of living in the state, Merriam was elected to the California State Assembly in 1916, representing the Long Beach area, beginning his rise in California politics.
In 1922, while still serving in the Assembly, Merriam presided over the successful election campaign of former Bull Moose member and Republican candidate for Governor Friend Richardson. Name recognition from Richardson's successful campaign among fellow Republicans helped Merriam be elected by the Republican majority in the Assembly as its Speaker in 1923. During the 1926 general elections, Speaker Merriam ran as a primary candidate for Lieutenant Governor. However, state Republicans instead voted for Buron Fitts as the party's candidate for that office.
Following his departure from the Assembly that year, Merriam took a two-year hiatus from state politics. He returned in the 1928 elections, being elected to the California State Senate. After two years in that body, Merriam won the nomination for Lieutenant Governor and, along with the Republican candidate for governor, San Francisco Mayor James Rolph, was elected to office.
Read more about this topic: Frank Merriam
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