Aaron A. Sargent
Aaron Augustus Sargent (September 28, 1827 – August 14, 1887) was an American journalist, lawyer, politician and diplomat. In 1878, Sargent historically introduced what would later become the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. He was sometimes called the "Senator for the Southern Pacific Railroad".
"Senator Sargent" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Sargent (disambiguation).
Aaron Augustus Sargent
September 28, 1827
Newburyport, Massachusetts, U.S.
August 14, 1887 (aged 59)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Politician, Lawyer
Early life and education[edit]
Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, he attended the common schools and then was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker.[1] In his youth, he worked as a printer in Philadelphia and then, in 1847, moved to Washington, D.C., where he was a secretary to a Congressman.
Death and legacy[edit]
He died in San Francisco in 1887.[2] His original interment at Laurel Hill Cemetery in San Francisco, which closed by 1941.[3] According to Sargent's descendants, A.A. Sargent's ashes were spread over the placer mine he had in Nevada City and a monument to him may be found in the old Pioneer Cemetery in Nevada City.
Sargent was a noted proponent of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, arguing in Overland Monthly in support of exclusion and for the renewal of the 1882 Exclusion Act after its expiration in 1892. The Chinese Exclusion Act was eventually renewed in 1892, and again—indefinitely—in 1902, staying in effect until 1943.