A key figure in California chess history arrived with the Gold Rush. Selim Franklin, the son of Liverpool Banker Lewis Franklin, emigrated from England on the St. George in October 1849 to San Francisco where he opened a store where miners could exchange their gold and played a role in organizing the San Francisco Chamber of Congress. Franklin’s shop was a great success until an unfortunate fire gutted his business in 1851. Selim quickly bounced back from this tragedy and became even more successful as an auctioneer and real estate dealer where he amassed numerous properties on Battery Street and Sacramento Street in San Francisco.
As a wealthy chess aficionado, he helped to plan the First US Chess Congress in New York, where Paul Morphy proved himself to be the best chess player in the United States in 1857. After this successful venture, Selim Franklin returned to San Francisco with the idea of organizing a California Chess Congress to determine the top chess player in the Golden State. In March of 1858, the three San Francisco chess clubs (the Mechanic’s Institute, the German Chess Club of San Francisco, and the Pioneer Chess Club) worked together to organize a California Chess Congress. Selim Franklin served as the President of the first California Chess Congress and also went on to best all the other competitors. Ironically, the first prize that Selim Franklin won was an ornate gold watch that Franklin, himself had donated to the tournament.
Shortly after winning the California Chess Congress, Selim Franklin’s moved out of the area to Vancouver Island but would return occasionally to handle business matters and, of course, play chess. Of the other mid nineteenth century California chess players, it was the very skilled Daniel S. Roberts that proved quite challenging for Selim Franklin. After losing a couple games to Daniel Roberts in their 1858 Match at The Mechanics Institute Chess Room, Selim Franklin started taking more time to determine his moves in order to mount a comeback.
“A few months since, Mr. Salem [sic] Franklin, the winner of the first prize in the Tournament of 1858, and who is now residing in Victoria, V.I., paid us a visit. During his stay here he was daily at the Chess Room, and contested a number of games with our strongest players, the result giving him a slight advantage over all excepting Mr. Roberts, with whom the score was about even. Mr. Franklin’s style is cautious and defensive. His motto seems to be ‘slow and sure.’ Indeed, his somewhat excessive slowness at times, furnishes his vanquished antagonists with an excuse, which certain great match-players have not hesitated to make use of when smarting under defeat.”
Hilbert, John S. “California Chess, 1858 – 1859.
Some years later, Selim Franklin returned to San Francisco. As a well travelled man, it seems that he had the greatest emotional attachment to the City by the Bay. Selim Franklin passed away at the age of 70 in 1884.
Selim Franklin should be remembered as an important merchant in the gold rush days of San Francisco, a patron of the arts , a politician and a chess master. It’s likely that people traveling the streets of San Francisco think that the bustling Franklin Street is named after Benjamin Franklin, who incidentally was also chess player. However, Franklin Street in San Francisco is actually named after California’s first chess champion, Selim Franklin.
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