Burton F. Becker was an American police officer. He was the police chief of Piedmont, California in the early 20th century and Kailiff of Ku Klux Klan No. 9 in Oakland, California.[1][2] He was elected Sheriff of Alameda County in 1926.[2] As sheriff, Becker offered protection to illegal gambling operators and bootleggers in exchange for bribes.[3] In 1930, after years of investigation by Alameda County District Attorney Earl Warren,[2] he was tried and convicted on corruption charges,[4] removed from office and sent to San Quentin Prison.[5] After serving time in San Quentin, he was paroled in February of 1934 and pardoned by California Governor Frank Merriam in 1936.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Sidney Dearing". Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Cray, Ed, Chief justice: a biography of Earl Warren, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997. pp 52–57. Accessed March 21, 2012, at Google Books
- ^ Warren, Earl (1977). The memoirs of Earl Warren. Doubleday. pp. 85–87. ISBN 0385128355.
- ^ White, G. Edward. Earl Warren, a Public Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. p 29. Accessed March 21, 2012, at Google Books
- ^ Warren, Earl. The Memoirs of Earl Warren. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1977. p 101. Accessed March 21, 2012, from Google Books
- ^ "Burton Becker Is Granted Pardon". Press Democrat. No. 18 December 1936. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
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