Anthony Caminetti
Encyclopedia
Anthony Caminetti was a United States Representative from California
.
. He attended the public schools of his native county, the grammar schools in San Francisco, and the University of California, Berkeley
. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1877 and commenced practice in Jackson. He was the district attorney
of Amador County from 1878 until 1882.
Caminetti served in the California State Assembly
in 1883–1885. In 1886 his son was born, Farley Drew Caminetti
.
He was also a member of the State Senate
from 1885 to 1887. He was elected as a Democrat
to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895). He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1894 for reelection to the Fifty-fourth Congress. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
in 1896 and again a member of the State assembly from 1897 until 1901. In April 1897, he was appointed code commissioner and served until July 31, 1899.
He was member of the State Senate from 1907 to 1913 and served as United States commissioner general of immigration from 1913 to 1921. In 1913, his son, Farley Drew Caminetti
, was arrested under the Mann Act
when he took his mistress to Reno, Nevada
across the state line.
As immigration chief he displayed a naked Eurocentic xenophobia and argued that the U.S. Congress should end all immigration of Chinese, Japanese and Malays because they represented the "Asiatic menace." In 1915 he was assigned to the National Employment Bureau. In 1917, he was appointed a member of the War Industries Board
and after the war was sent to Europe
to investigate conditions there. He engaged in the practice of law in Jackson, California
until his death in 1923. He was buried in the Protestant Cemetery.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Biography
He was born in Jackson, CaliforniaJackson, California
Jackson is the county seat of Amador County, California. The population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census...
. He attended the public schools of his native county, the grammar schools in San Francisco, and the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1877 and commenced practice in Jackson. He was the district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of Amador County from 1878 until 1882.
Caminetti served in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
in 1883–1885. In 1886 his son was born, Farley Drew Caminetti
Farley Drew Caminetti
Farley Drew Caminetti was charged with violation of the Mann Act and his case was settled by the United States Supreme Court as Caminetti v. United States.-Biography:...
.
He was also a member of the State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
from 1885 to 1887. He was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895). He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1894 for reelection to the Fifty-fourth Congress. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in 1896 and again a member of the State assembly from 1897 until 1901. In April 1897, he was appointed code commissioner and served until July 31, 1899.
He was member of the State Senate from 1907 to 1913 and served as United States commissioner general of immigration from 1913 to 1921. In 1913, his son, Farley Drew Caminetti
Farley Drew Caminetti
Farley Drew Caminetti was charged with violation of the Mann Act and his case was settled by the United States Supreme Court as Caminetti v. United States.-Biography:...
, was arrested under the Mann Act
Mann Act
The White-Slave Traffic Act, better known as the Mann Act, is a United States law, passed June 25, 1910 . It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann, and in its original form prohibited white slavery and the interstate transport of females for “immoral purposes”...
when he took his mistress to Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
across the state line.
As immigration chief he displayed a naked Eurocentic xenophobia and argued that the U.S. Congress should end all immigration of Chinese, Japanese and Malays because they represented the "Asiatic menace." In 1915 he was assigned to the National Employment Bureau. In 1917, he was appointed a member of the War Industries Board
War Industries Board
The War Industries Board was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The organization encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and urged them to eliminate waste by...
and after the war was sent to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to investigate conditions there. He engaged in the practice of law in Jackson, California
Jackson, California
Jackson is the county seat of Amador County, California. The population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census...
until his death in 1923. He was buried in the Protestant Cemetery.
Further reading
- Acherman, Kenneth D., Young J. Edgar: Hoover, The Red Scare, abd The Assault on Civil Liberties. New York: Carroll & Graf. 2007. ISBN 9780786717750. ("Asiatic menace" on page 54).
- Giovinco, Joseph P., The California Career of Anthony Caminetti, Italian-American Politician. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California at Berkeley, 1973.