Jeff Jesse Ervin (1862 - 1937)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Jeff's lifetime.

In 1862, in the year that Jeff Jesse Ervin was born, on January 30th, the USS Monitor - an iron hulled steamship - was launched. It was the first of its kind in the United States and was built in response to the rumor that the Confederate states were building an ironclad ship - the CSS Virginia.

In 1870, he was only 8 years old when on March 31st, Thomas Mundy Peterson was the first African-American male who voted in an election - a local election about the town charter. Peterson, a school principal, was also the first to hold elected office and the first to sit on a jury.

In 1889, when he was 27 years old, on February 22nd, President Cleveland signed a bill allowing North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington to become states. North and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states on November 2nd, Montana became the 41st state on November 8th, and Washington became the 42nd state on November 11th.

In 1890, at the age of 28 years old, Jeff was alive when on July 3rd, Idaho became the 43rd state in the United States. On July 10th, Wyoming became the 44th state.

In 1937, in the year of Jeff Jesse Ervin's passing, on May 28th, the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge opened to cars. Taking 5 years to build, the 4,200-foot-long suspension bridge was an engineering marvel of its time - 11 men died during construction. The "international orange" color was chosen because it resisted rust and fading. To the present, it is the symbol of the City that is known throughout the world.