William Stephens - Governorship

Governorship

Nearly immediately, Stephens faced controversy regarding the Preparedness Day Bombing, a terrorist attack that had occurred on July 22, 1916 in San Francisco during the city's Preparedness Day parade. The attack was blamed on left wing radicals, in particular union leader and former Industrial Workers of the World member Thomas Mooney, and his alleged accomplice, Warren Billings. Both Mooney and Billings were convicted by trial, though the trial was later accused of being conducted in an enraged lynch mob atmosphere. Governor Stephens supported both of their convictions. However, international sympathy for Mooney quickly spread, making him one of the United States' most famous political prisoners. National and international pressure was pressed onto Stephens; among those who pressured the governor included President Woodrow Wilson, who telegraphed Stephens to personally ask the governor to review the state's legal case against Mooney. Stephens bowed to pressure, but only slightly, commuting Mooney's death sentence to life imprisonment.

Despite the slight clemency sparing Mooney’s life, several militant labor radicals continued to pressure Stephens, resulting in threats, and eventually, actions of violence. On the evening of December 17, 1917, an assassination attempt was made on Stephens when dynamite exploded at the foot of the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento. Although Stephens was uninjured in the attack, the explosion caused considerable damage to the kitchen. Radicals from the IWW were later blamed for the attack. In an unrelated threat, labor radicals also threatened to destroy both the California State Capitol and the Governor's Mansion if a $50,000 ransom was not met.

The threats from labor radicals, as well as pressure from the ongoing First World War, were responded by Stephens with the successful passage and signing of the California Criminal Syndicalism Act, targeting radical labor unionists and their advocacy for violent confrontation with state authorities."William Stephens". California State Library. 2007. http://www.californiagovernors.ca.gov/h/biography/governor_24.html. Retrieved 2007-09-03. Despite numerous threats on his life and state property, Stephens refused to bow to pressure to pardon Thomas Mooney for the remainder of his administration; it was not until the Democratic governorship of labor-sympathetic Culbert Olson in 1939 that Mooney would be pardoned.

A Progressive like his predecessor Hiram Johnson, Stephens chose not to expand on the reforms made by Johnson. Instead, Stephens sought to keep the electoral and bureaucratic reforms already put in place.

In the 1918 state general elections, Stephens won renomination for the Republican Party, campaigning on a platform to solidify Progressive reforms within the state government. He easily won the election, trouncing former Democrat and Independent candidate Theodore A. Bell by a 20% margin of the vote. Other candidates included Republican Mayor of San Francisco James Rolph, who appeared as a write-in candidate at 3%, and Henry H. Roser of the Socialist Party of America with 4.2%.

After his successful election to the governorship to a full four-year term, Stephens grew increasingly concerned over the needs of returning veterans from the World War. Stephens argued that the state government had a mandate to provide benefits for returning veterans, such as government-sponsored retraining and allocation of funds to help reemployment. Through his advocacy, a veteran assistance program was established. During the same time period, Stephens also supported state and federal moves towards the prohibition of alcohol.

Like his predecessor Hiram Johnson, Stephens remained highly suspicious of Asian immigration to California, especially from the Japanese Empire, which he viewed as an increasingly belligerent nation. In 1919, Stephens openly advocated to the California State Legislature the creation of stricter exclusion laws to restrict Japanese immigrants. He declared that the influx of Japanese was a threat not only to California but to the United States. Through the remainder of his governorship, Stephens sought the aid of other governors and public officials to restrict Japanese immigration. In part, some of his efforts were realized by the federal Immigration Act of 1924.

Despite threats on his life, Stephens remained publicly visible throughout his governorship. He was part of the general welcoming committee when Edward, Prince of Wales, arrived aboard the HMS Renown in San Diego Bay in 1920, during the future British monarch's first visit to California. Stephens was also present for the launch of the USS California. His daughter, (Barbara) Mrs. Randolph T. Zane, ceremonially launched the battleship.

During his governorship, Stephens realized his lifelong dream by entering the California Bar to become a certified lawyer.

In the final months of his governorship, Stephens vetoed bills sponsored by the Legislature that would deregulate state utilities, vowing to keep the Progressive reforms put in place by Hiram Johnson.

In the 1922 general elections, Stephens sought renomination of the Republican Party’s choice for governor. However, Republican ranks had decidedly grown more conservative since 1918. He failed to win the Republican gubernatorial primary election, losing to California State Treasurer Friend Richardson.