Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Oral History of Albert Bagshaw |
Collection |
Oral History |
Scope & Content |
Albert Edward Bagshaw was born in 1902 in a house on Blithedale Avenue. His Welsh father and San Franciscan mother had settled in Mill Valley shortly after marrying. In this oral history, Albert describes several of the homes his father built for the family, as well as the Alto, Blithedale and Locust areas of those days. He describes his school days at Homestead, Park and Summit Schools, and his short time at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. Albert worked for several San Francisco companies and then enrolled in St. Ignatius Law School at the age of 20. To earn money, he went to work as a secretary to a U.S. Marshall, and made powerful connections that resulted in a position in a U.S. Attorney's office. Working during Prohibition, Albert prosecuted many rumrunners and later became Marin's District Attorney. In a very exciting recollection, he tells of his role during a daring chase in which he and two officers set off in pursuit of a group of escapees from San Quentin prison. Albert became known as Marin's "Fighting DA" and cleaned up gambling and crime throughout the county. The oral history concludes with Albert and the interviewers reminiscing about early Mill Valley people and buildings. Editor's note: The transcript for this oral history differs in ways from the recording. The transcript picks up about 30 minutes into the oral history recording. The first 30 minutes of the recording features Albert Bagshaw and the interviewers discussing and attempting to identify people in photographs. It also appears that sections of the transcript were moved and modified for narrative flow. |
Audio and Transcript |
Click here to hear recording. Click here to read the transcript. |
Dates of Creation |
1983-04-05 |
Interviewee |
Bagshaw, Albert |
Interviewer |
Soeten, Harlan and Norman Ortman |
Extent and Medium |
Transcript: 20pp Recording: 01:02:33 |
Search Terms |
Alto Inn Attorneys Bagshaw, Rose Marie Blum, Edward Bones, Jack Bootlegging Campbell, Marie Louise Civil service Deffebach, Tom, Sr. Finn, John Hatfield, George Kerrigan, Judge Frank Law enforcement Moreno, Johnny MV history - Interwar years Oppenheimer, Gus Pacific Market Park School Prison escapes Prohibition Railroad companies Reed, John Rumrunning San Quentin Santos, Joe Stephens, Joe Street, Rudolph Transportation Transportation industry |
Object ID |
2016.073.001 |
Object Name |
Recording |
Copyrights |
Transcript and recording copyright Mill Valley Public Library, 1983. Materials are made available for research purposes only; all rights are reserved to the Mill Valley Public Library. Requests for permission to quote for publication or for any other usage must be obtained from the Library. |