George Henry Sanderson was a politician of the United States Republican Party. Sanderson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and traveled to San Francisco during the 1849 Gold Rush in California. He served as the 22nd Mayor of San Francisco from January 5, 1891 to January 3, 1893. This page has been updated to correct previous inaccuracies. The source for the following accounts is a book published by Jean Sanderson, the great granddaughter of George Henry Sanderson. At the age of 19 George Henry Sanderson was working in a dry goods business in Boston according to his own account. He married Sarah Dyer Rowe in 1844 and when he departed Boston in 1849, their son, George Rowe Sanderson was two years old. At age 26, he sailed to San Francisco around Cape Horn, arriving in March 1850, and left in August of that year for the gold mines. He settled in Stockton, California, the gateway to the southern mines, establishing a general merchandise store. He had left his wife, Sarah Dyer Rowe, and son in Boston when he came to California, and they joined him in Stockton in 1852. Subsequently, the couple had three more sons: Henry Ellis Sanderson, and his twin, William Webster Sanderson. For two years, George Henry Sanderson served as the Chief of the Stockton Fire Department. He also served as the Controller/Auditor of Stockton in 1853 and Alderman in 1854. He also served as Secretary of the Executive Committee of the 1857 State Fair and was appointed Secretary of the State Agricultural Society in 1863. He also belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Stockton. The charter number is unknown. In 1865, he moved to San Francisco, joining the firm of Weaver, Wooster & Co. He later founded the firm of Root and Sanderson in 1875. He was president of the Merchants Club, a member of the California Academy of Sciences, the Olympic Club, Art Association, and Mercantile Library Association. He was a trustee of the Chamber of Commerce and Director/President of the Board of Trade of San Francisco, as served as Mayor of that City in 1891–92. He died February 1, 1893 shortly after completing his second term in office. The above account is taken from the book For an account of George Henry Sanderson's trip from Boston around the Horn for California, please see the publication
