Representative John King Luttrell

John King Luttrell (June 27, 1831 – October 4, 1893) was an American miner, lawyer, and Democratic politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from California from 1873 to 1879. His congressional service took place during a significant period in American history in the years following the Civil War and Reconstruction, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his California constituents in the House of Representatives.

Luttrell was born near Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 27, 1831. He attended the common schools in his youth. In 1844 he moved with his parents to a farm in Alabama, and the following year, in 1845, the family relocated again to Missouri, settling on a farm near St. Joseph. These early moves across the expanding American frontier exposed him to agricultural life and the developing communities of the West. In 1852 he moved to California, where he engaged in mining, an occupation that brought him into the economic and social currents of the Gold Rush era. During this period he also began the study of law, laying the groundwork for his later legal and political career.

After arriving in California, Luttrell settled in Yolo County and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He moved frequently within the state as he pursued opportunities in farming, mining, and law. In 1853 he relocated to Prairie City, later known as Folsom, and in 1854 he moved to El Dorado County. He subsequently lived in Watsonville in Santa Cruz County and later in Alameda County. He was admitted to the bar in 1856 and commenced the practice of law in Oakland that same year. Also in 1856 and 1857 he served as a justice of the peace in Brooklyn, a community that later became part of the city of Oakland. In 1858 he moved to Siskiyou County, where he purchased a ranch near Fort Jones and continued to engage in agricultural pursuits, mining, and the practice of law, combining his professional training with the economic activities of the region.

Luttrell’s public career in California began in state and local offices. He served as sergeant at arms of the California State Assembly in 1865 and 1866, a position that placed him within the workings of the state legislature during the immediate post–Civil War period. He later became a member of the California State Assembly, serving in 1871 and 1872. His legislative experience at the state level helped establish his reputation within the Democratic Party and prepared him for national office. By the early 1870s he had also become associated with Sonoma County, where he would later live on a ranch for an extended period.

In 1872 Luttrell was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-third Congress and subsequently reelected to the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1879. During these three consecutive terms as a Representative from California, he contributed to the legislative process in the U.S. House of Representatives and participated in the democratic governance of the nation during a time of economic expansion, debates over reconstruction policies, and the continued development of the American West. He declined to be a candidate for reelection at the conclusion of his third term, thus ending his service in Congress in 1879.

After leaving Congress, Luttrell resumed the practice of law and returned to farming and mining, continuing the blend of professional and agricultural pursuits that had characterized much of his earlier life. In the 1870s he had moved to Sonoma County, where he lived on a ranch for about ten years; this property is now part of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. He remained active in public affairs, serving as a member of the board of state prison directors from 1887 to 1889, a role that involved oversight of California’s penal institutions and reflected ongoing public concern with prison administration and reform.

In 1893 Luttrell was appointed United States Commissioner of Fisheries and special agent of the United States Treasury for Alaska, positions that extended his public service to the federal executive branch and to the distant territory of Alaska. While serving in these capacities, he died in Sitka, Alaska, on October 4, 1893, at the age of 62. His body was returned to California, and he was interred in Fort Jones Cemetery in Fort Jones, Siskiyou County, reflecting his long-standing ties to that region of the state.