William Tell Coleman (1824â€"1893) was an American pioneer in the
settlement of California. Born in Cynthiana in Harrison County,
Kentucky, he was educated at St. Louis University in Missouri.In 1849,
Coleman arrived in California and eventually settled in San Francisco,
where he engaged in the shipping and commission business. Coleman was
a leading figure in both the 1851 and 1856 Committees of Vigilance,
which usurped civic power in order to drive out the Democratic Party
machine and ostensibly to establish law and order. Under Coleman,
these committees ignored habeas corpus, conducted secret trials,
lynchings, and deportations, and raised a militia. The 1856 Committee
of Vigilance disbanded, but after transferring power to the new
People's Party, which soon merged with the Republican Party and
controlled San Francisco until 1867.After opening a branch in New York
City, Coleman established a steamship line between that city and San
Francisco in 1856. In 1857 he moved to New York and conducted his
business from that city until 1864.One of Coleman's most noteworthy
achievements was the embellishment and extension of the town of San
Rafael, California. William Tell Coleman Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter