James Otis

Who was James Otis?

James Otis was a politician from San Francisco. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts to the Otis family, which is counted among the Boston Brahmin families. He moved to San Francisco, California for the 1849 California Gold Rush. He then became an importer and exporter in San Francisco. He then became a member of the Board of Supervisors in 1859 and served until 1862. Otis was then elected Mayor of San Francisco in 1873 and was sworn in on December 1, 1873. He died of diphtheria in San Francisco on October 30, 1875 while still serving his term as mayor. He was the only mayor to die in office until George Moscone's assassination in 1978.