Senator Charles Norton Felton

Charles Norton Felton (January 1, 1832 – September 13, 1914) was an American banker and Republican politician who served as a Congressman from California from 1885 to 1889 and as a United States Senator from California from 1891 to 1893. Over the course of his public career he held a series of important federal and state offices and played a role in the development of financial institutions that later formed part of the progenitor of the Chevron Corporation. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, and as a member of both the House of Representatives and the Senate he participated in the legislative and democratic processes and represented the interests of his California constituents.

Felton was born on January 1, 1832, in Buffalo, New York, into a family of English descent. He received his early education at Syracuse Academy in Syracuse, New York. After completing his studies there, he read law and was admitted to the bar, but despite qualifying as an attorney he chose not to enter into legal practice. Instead, he turned his attention to business and public service, paths that would define his subsequent career in California and in the federal government.

In 1849, during the era of the California Gold Rush, Felton moved to California, where he entered the mercantile business and subsequently became involved in banking. His aptitude for administration and finance soon led him into local public office. In 1853 he was elected sheriff of Yuba County, California, a position that placed him at the center of law enforcement and local governance in a rapidly growing region. He later served as a tax collector, further deepening his experience in public finance and revenue administration.

Felton’s financial and administrative skills brought him to the attention of federal authorities, and he was appointed treasurer of the United States Mint at San Francisco, a key institution in the processing of gold and silver during the post–Gold Rush period. From 1868 to 1877 he served as Assistant Treasurer of the United States, a senior federal financial post that involved oversight of government funds and operations in the Pacific region. Returning to state-level politics, he was elected to the California State Assembly, serving from 1880 to 1882. In addition to his public offices, Felton was active in banking and corporate affairs and was associated with enterprises that evolved into the progenitor of the Chevron Corporation, reflecting his broader role in the economic development of California.

Felton entered national legislative service when he was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives in 1884 for the Forty-ninth Congress. He took his seat on March 4, 1885, and was reelected in 1886 to serve in the Fiftieth Congress, holding office continuously from March 1885 to March 1889. During his three terms in Congress—two in the House and later one in the Senate—he contributed to the legislative process at a time of significant economic and political change in the United States. He did not seek election to a third term in the House in 1888, choosing instead to conclude his service there at the end of his second term.

In 1891 Felton was elected to the United States Senate from California as a member of the Republican Party to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator George Hearst. He served in the Senate from March 19, 1891, to March 3, 1893. As a senator, Felton participated in debates and votes on issues affecting both California and the nation during the closing years of the Gilded Age. Although his tenure in the upper chamber was relatively brief, he continued the work he had begun in the House, representing California’s interests in areas such as finance, infrastructure, and economic development. He did not seek reelection to the Senate after his term expired in 1893.

Following his retirement from the United States Senate, Felton remained active in public affairs in California. From 1903 to 1907 he served as a state prison director, overseeing aspects of the administration and management of the state’s correctional institutions. This role extended his long record of public service beyond elective office and reflected his continuing engagement with issues of governance and public order in the state.

Charles Norton Felton spent his later years in Menlo Park, California. He died at his home there on September 13, 1914. His remains were interred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California. His career, spanning local law enforcement, federal financial administration, state legislative service, and membership in both houses of Congress, marked him as a significant figure in California’s political and economic history in the latter half of the nineteenth century.