HAGER, John Sharpenstien,
senator, b. in
Morris county, N. J., 12 March, 1818. He was
graduated at Princeton in 1836, studied law, and
was admitted to the bar in 1840. He settled in
Morristown, N. J., practising his profession until
1849, when he went to California. He served in
the state senate in 1852-'4, and again in 1867-'73.
In 1855 he was elected state district judge for the
district of San Francisco, and served six years. In
1871 he became a regent of the University of
California, which he had been active in establishing.
He was elected to the U. S. senate as an
anti-monopoly Democrat, and served from 9 Feb., 1874,
till 3 March, 1875, filling the unexpired term of
Eugene Casserly, resigned. He has since been a
member of the convention that framed the present
constitution of California, and was president of the
convention that adopted a new charter for San
Francisco under that constitution. He was
appointed in 1885 collector of the port of San
Francisco, which office he still (1887) holds.