Alcalde (mayor) of Monterey, California, newspaper editor and publisher, U.S. Navy chaplain
Reverend Walter Colton (May 7, 1797 – January 22, 1851) was an American clergyman and writer from Vermont who served as the first American Alcalde (mayor) of Monterey, California. He worked as an editor for newspapers in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, as a chaplain in the United States Navy and as co-publisher of California's first newspaper, The Californian, in 1846. He wrote several books about his travels to California and Europe.
In 1828 he moved to Washington, D.C., to become the editor of the American Spectator[1] and Washington City Chronicle. He was also elected to preach at a church attended by PresidentAndrew Jackson. The men developed a close acquaintanceship. The president offered Colton the choice of being a chaplain in the Navy or a consul abroad. Colton was nominated chaplain of the West India Squadron in 1831 and visited ports throughout the world. Colton worked on several newspapers in Philadelphia during the 1840s[1] including the North American.[2] He was married to a Philadelphia woman of the same family name, and he sailed to the Pacific in 1845. He recorded the story of that eventful voyage in his book, Deck and Port.
Soon after Colton's arrival in Monterey as chaplain of the USS Congress,[3]CommodoreRobert F. Stockton appointed him the first American Alcalde of Monterey, a title he held from 1846 to 1849.[4] The role was a combination of judge, sheriff, and governor. He had no legal education or experience but used his innate sense of fairness to render decisions. He held court armed with a revolver and bejeweled cane which were the symbols of authority for an alcalde.[5] He served with wisdom and sound judgment in dealing with lawbreakers. He built Colton Hall for use as a town hall and school. It was built through the labor of convicts and paid for partly through taxes on liquor shops and fines on gamblers.[6] He won wide acclaim as a fair judge and impaneled the first jury in California to assist in making decisions.[7]
He and Robert B. Semple launched the first newspaper published in California, The Californian on August 15, 1846.[4] The first issue was released only a month after the American flag was raised at Monterey, The Californian carried the news of the declaration of war with Mexico.
Colton's book about his experiences, Three Years in California, was published in 1850 after his return to the east. He died in 1851 and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[8]
Walter Colton has been inducted into the California Newspaper Hall of Fame. His book, Three years in California, is regarded as a principal description of California before the California Gold Rush.
