San Francisco County
Biographies
WILLIAM
BAUSMAN
One of the most interesting, talented and colorful men of early San Francisco was William Bausman, eminent newspaper man, writer and dramatist, whose death occurred September 19, 1893. He was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, May 12, 1820, and he received his education in various schools of his native state. He graduated from William and Mary’s College, and in 1852 made his way to Sacramento, California. He was appointed as one of the party to survey the boundary line between the United States and Mexico, and in 1855 he came to San Francisco, where soon afterwards he bought an interest in the Daily Sun and became editor-in-chief. He served as secretary of the California state senate for a period, and was likewise private secretary to the Hon. J. Neely Johnson, governor of the state. At another time in his career, with Ben F. Washington, he edited the San Francisco Transcript. He was editor of the Marysville Appeal, and later was an associate editor of the San Francisco Call.
Mr. Bausman was a writer of note, and his productions assumed the form of prose, poetry and drama. He was an author of great versatility. One of his best known creations was a drama portraying California life in the early ‘50s, and this play was produced at the Metropolitan theater in San Francisco on the night of February 14, 1872, under the management of E. G. Bert, and thereafter had a run of sixteen successive performances, which may be termed a box-office success in those days. The theme of the play and the characters were built upon Mr. Bausman’s own keen observation of California life, and were considered as truly authentic. It is interesting to note at this point the cast of characters, as many of the names are familiar ones to old residents of San Francisco and to those who are conversant with pioneer history. The cast follows: Errant (James M. Hardie); Missouri Bill (John Woodward); Coates (Pierpont Thayer); Manuel Garcia (Harry Colton); Uncle Charley (J. H. Vinson); Mr. Milton (J. H. McCabe); Jeff (Miss Maggie Moore); Trippletopper (Willie Simms); Dr. Amherst (R. Belmour); Tim O’Donnell (T. E. Jackson); Mike (E. Kelley); Preston (J. Crowell); Mr. Jones (L. Haven); Steve Ripples (George Hinckley); Benkletongue (Orville Wilson); Mate of the Steamer (J. Walters); Carlotta (Miss Henrietta Osborne); Mrs. Grubbs (Mrs. Frank Rae); and Maggie (Miss Ada Deaves). In 1859, Mr. Bausman wrote and published in book form a poem entitled The Protégé. He had a very vigorous and lucid literary style, and his writings were very popular during the days of his productiveness. He was a republican in politics, and was one of the original founders of the Bohemian Club in San Francisco.
In Sacramento, Mr Bausman was married to Hannah Turner, who was born in Massachusetts and came across the plains in a covered wagon in 1851. To their union, seven children were born, among them Mrs. E. B. Partridge of San Francisco, widow of Edward Briggs Partridge, who is mentioned elsewhere in this publication.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 3 Pages 185-186.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S SAN
FRANCISCO BIOGRAPIES