Elected district attorney of San Francisco in 1905, Langdon took on the corrupt power structure, led by Mayor Eugene Schmitz, who was using the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake as an opportunity to enrich himself. The thieving mayor was in cahoots with a lawyer, Abe Reuf, the first in the long line of grafting "political consultants" who have plagued our fair city for a century. Langdon persuaded a jury to convict and jail two-term Mayor Schmitz for extorting restaurant owners. Schmitz had been demanding cash for himself in return for granting liquor licenses. Langdon sent Reuf to San Quentin for acting as Schmitz's bagman in a variety of scams, one of which included funneling Pacific Gas & Electric bribes to the mayor and the entire 14-member Board of Supervisors. The graft prosecution, which lasted for several years, decimated the ranks of the city kleptocracy. A real district attorney could learn a thing or two from Langdon.
*indicates required fields.
Please enable browser cookies before filling out this form.
All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use.
By clicking Add Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.
Comments may take a few minutes to process and appear on the site.
Please do not click the "Add Comment" button again while your comment is being added.
foam order.com
