Peter Burnett
Peter Burnett
(1807-1895) First governor of California after its admission to the Union, born Nashville, Tennessee; died San Francisco, California. He was admitted to the bar in 1839 . He lost faith in Alexander Campbell, whose church he had joined, on reading Campbell’s published debate with Archbishop Purcell. Having taken a prominent part in the formation of the territory of Oregon, he later removed to California (1848 ), where he held a succession of important public positions, being elected governor in 1849 . He became a Catholic in 1856 , his most famous work being “The Path which Led a Protestant Lawyer to the Catholic Church.”