Eugene Edward Schmitz, often referenced as "Handsome Gene" Schmitz, was an American musician, musical director, and politician. He was the 26th Mayor of San Francisco, who was in office during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Members of the first Labor Party ticket in San Francisco in 1901. Back row: E. E. Schmitz
Schmitz surveying the city following the earthquake
Portrait of Schmitz in the San Francisco Bulletin, 1925
1906 San Francisco earthquake
At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). High-intensity shaking was felt from Eureka on the North Coast to the Salinas Valley, an agricultural region to the south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Devastating fires soon broke out in San Francisco and lasted for several days. More than 3,000 people died, and over 80% of the city was destroyed. The event is remembered as the deadliest earthquake in the history of the United States. The death toll remains the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history and high on the lists of American disasters.
Ruins in the vicinity of Post and Grant Avenue
Damaged houses on Howard Street
Seismographs on the U.S. east coast recorded the earthquake some 19 minutes later; some early death estimates exceeded 500.
Arnold Genthe's photograph, looking toward the fire on Sacramento Street
