Getting Down to Business
This space served as headquarters for key members of the Governor’s staff from 1869 to 1951.
The historic Governor’s rooms are available as a virtual tour.
Key members of the governor’s staff operated out of this room from 1869 to 1951. The historic Main Office has been restored to appear as it did in April 1906 during the tenure of Governor George Pardee. In this space, Pardee’s Private Secretary and advisor, A.B. Nye, handled the day-to-day management of the governor’s office and reviewed incoming correspondence. J. Arthur Elston worked as Executive Secretary and Nye’s assistant from one of these walnut desks.
On April 18th, 1906, the Governor’s Main Office was in a state of panic and confusion. At 5:12 AM that morning, an earthquake with an estimated 7.9 magnitude had destroyed over 80% of the buildings in one of California’s most prosperous cities – San Francisco. The tremors were so strong that they were easily felt by Sacramentans 90 miles away. In San Francisco, the disastrous earthquake was followed by fires that further devastated the ruined city. Over 3,000 people lost their lives.
This room recreates the days immediately following the earthquake, when Nye and Elston worked quickly to field requests for aid, offers of donations, and the seemingly endless stream of inquiries from worried families. Telegrams and letters are scattered in disarray, including an offer of assistance to Governor Pardee from President Theodore Roosevelt. A newspaper bears the grim headline, “EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE: SAN FRANCISCO IN RUINS.” The telegraph and wireless radio provided instantaneous communication during the crisis. In a corner of the room, an oak telephone booth allowed the governor’s staff to better hear the weak voice signals from the other end of the line.
Pardee himself traveled westward in response to the tragedy, setting up a temporary headquarters in Oakland City Hall. Thousands of homeless San Franciscans sought shelter and assistance in Oakland and other Bay Area towns. Governor Pardee remained in Oakland for six weeks, communicating with Nye and Elston by telegraph and telephone.
