Earl King, Ernest Ramsay, and Frank Conner
Encyclopedia
Earl King, Ernest Ramsay, and Frank Conner were three merchant seamen convicted of murdering a ship's officer, George Alberts, aboard a freighter anchored in Alameda, California
, on March 22, 1936. Their trial, appeals, and terms in San Quentin Prison were a celebrated cause among trade unionists, progressives, and radicals. Their cases were vigorously prosecuted by Alameda County District Attorney Earl Warren
.
King was the secretary of the Marine Firemen's Union, Ramsay was a union organizer, and Conner was the engine-room union delegate aboard the ship, the S.S. Point Lobos. Union activists accused the prosecution of engaging in an anti-union plot, alleging prejudice by the judge and other irregularities.
The three were not aboard the ship when the crime was committed. The actual assault was laid to a seaman named Sakovitz, whose first name was never revealed and who was never apprehended. Another sailor, George Wallace, admitted being aboard the ship with Sakovitz. Wallace admitted taking part in the crime and testified that Conner, who remained on the dock, had given a signal to begin the killing. The prosecution accused Ramsay and King of planning the crime.
Governor Culbert Olson
commuted the sentences of the trio to time served, and in 1953 Warren, who was then the outgoing governor of California, granted Ramsay a full pardon just hours before he left for Washington to take up his new duties as Chief Justice of the United States
.
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, on March 22, 1936. Their trial, appeals, and terms in San Quentin Prison were a celebrated cause among trade unionists, progressives, and radicals. Their cases were vigorously prosecuted by Alameda County District Attorney Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
.
King was the secretary of the Marine Firemen's Union, Ramsay was a union organizer, and Conner was the engine-room union delegate aboard the ship, the S.S. Point Lobos. Union activists accused the prosecution of engaging in an anti-union plot, alleging prejudice by the judge and other irregularities.
The three were not aboard the ship when the crime was committed. The actual assault was laid to a seaman named Sakovitz, whose first name was never revealed and who was never apprehended. Another sailor, George Wallace, admitted being aboard the ship with Sakovitz. Wallace admitted taking part in the crime and testified that Conner, who remained on the dock, had given a signal to begin the killing. The prosecution accused Ramsay and King of planning the crime.
Governor Culbert Olson
Culbert Olson
Culbert Levy Olson was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, Olson was involved in Utah and California politics and was elected as the 29th Governor of California from 1939 to 1943.-Personal background:...
commuted the sentences of the trio to time served, and in 1953 Warren, who was then the outgoing governor of California, granted Ramsay a full pardon just hours before he left for Washington to take up his new duties as Chief Justice of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
.