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William H. McCarthy scrapbooks
SFH 651  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
Scrapbooks of a San Francisco supervisor, Pacific Coast League president, and San Francisco postmaster
Background
William Henry McCarthy was born in San Francisco in 1877. He was the grandson of Dennis McCarthy, one of the founders of the United Workingmen’s Boot and Shoe Manufacturing Company, incorporated in 1868. William McCarthy attended St. Peter’s School and was described as a protégé of Fr. Peter Yorke. Graduating from Lowell High School, he went on to manage the Company at age 20. He was involved in local Democratic Party politics as early as 1903, when he was a municipal convention delegate. Later, he was Democratic County Committee secretary in San Francisco. In 1904 he played second base for the Mission Maroons baseball team. He was involved with the Mission district relief effort following the 1906 earthquake and fire and was secretary of the Mission Promotion Association when it formed in May 1906. McCarthy was appointed to the Board of Fire Commissioners in October 1907 and served as President into 1910. He was elected to the Board of Supervisors, serving one four-year term ending in January 1916. Still active in baseball circles, in October 1919 he was elected President of the Pacific Coast League, ending his term in November 1923. In 1924 he sold United Workingmen’s Boot and Shoe to the firm of Buckingham and Hecht. He married schoolteacher Retta Haynes in 1926 and became president of the Mission baseball club the same year. He was named Northern California manager of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential campaign in March 1932, and later that year was named vice-chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee. McCarthy was appointed Postmaster at San Francisco in July 1933. He retired in 1948 and died in San Francisco in 1958.
Extent
3 cartons
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
Availability
The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.