18 Facts About Abe Ruef

Abraham Ruef was an American lawyer and politician.

Abe Ruef gained notoriety as the corrupt political boss behind the administration of Mayor Eugene Schmitz of San Francisco during the period before and after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Abe Ruef was a bright student and, when barely fourteen, began studying at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in classical studies.

Abe Ruef corresponded with like-minded individuals across the nation, including Theodore Roosevelt.

At 18, Abe Ruef graduated with the highest honors, then proceeded to enroll at the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.

Abe Ruef graduated from Hastings less than three years later and was accepted to the California State Bar when he was 21, the minimum age of admittance.

Abe Ruef hoped that Schmitz might be both electable and conducive to influence that might lead the way to the governorship later on.

Behind the scenes, Abe Ruef wrote Schmitz' speeches, planned his public appearances, and effectively ran his campaign.

Abe Ruef himself lost "nearly $750,000 of his real estate holdings".

In October 1906, Ruef ordered that District Attorney William Langdon be suspended, had himself named in Langdon's place, and as his first order, dismissed Langdon's deputy, Francis J Heney.

On May 15,1907, Abe Ruef pleaded guilty and the next day testified before a grand jury, incriminating Schmitz.

Abe Ruef's trial ended on December 10,1908, with a verdict of guilty and the maximum sentence for bribery: 14 years in San Quentin.

Abe Ruef spent a year at the county jail awaiting his appeal.

Abe Ruef paid Ruef over the next year to write a serialized account of his political career in the San Francisco Evening Bulletin, revealing the vast corruption underpinning the city.

In 1912, Abe Ruef was called as a witness at the new trial of ex-Mayor Schmitz, but Abe Ruef refused to testify.

Later in 1912, Abe Ruef wrote his memoirs, which were published in the San Francisco Evening Bulletin in almost daily installments over several months, finishing at the point where the graft investigation began.

Abe Ruef was not allowed to resume his legal practice.

Abe Ruef had been worth over a million dollars before he went to prison but died bankrupt.