November 26 is the anniversary of California’s “Last” Lynching in 1932. This event was exceptional in two ways by US standards. The victims were white, and it was done with the full support of the governor of California.

The story starts on November 9. Two small time crooks by the names of Holmes and Thurmond wanted to make the big times. They kidnapped Brooke Hart, the son of the owner of the Hart Department Store of San Jose and demanded $40,000 cash.

Alex Hart, Brooke’s father, immediately alerted the police. After feigning or being completely incompetent (history is unsure about this one) for a couple of days, police were able to trace the call to a payphone during what sounded like a very frustrating phone call for the kidnappers. They caught one of them. After 5 hours of interrogation, he confessed to having tossed him into San Francisco bay, and gave up his accomplice.

The people of San Jose were upset. The Harts were one of their favourite families of oligarch, and the papers ran headlines calling for the kidnappers’ blood, one of whom even called for mob violence. The governor of California announced on the 23rd that he would refuse to dispatch the national guard to protect the culprits. Brooke’s body was found on November 26. To nobody’s surprise, the first rock was thrown at the police station where they were held. The governor cancelled his travel plans to prevent the lieutenant governor from calling the national guard.

So, the lynching commenced at 11PM, as scheduled by the thousands strong mob earlier in the day. Teargas was used, but it didn’t do much. The mob broke in and hung both men, while goulishly scrounging for souveniers with which to remember their murder. They hung from a tree in a public park for nearly an hour before they were cut down, as the mob admired their handiwork.

Of course, nobody who did the lynching ever saw any punishment. The governor congratulated the lynchers, promised pardons for anyone charged, and even suggested releasing all the kidnappers and murders from prison so that they could all be lynched. He actually called San Quentin prison to see how many kidnappers were being held. Thankfully he died 8 months later of a heart attack. Although a few of the lynchers were arrested, of course no convictions ever came. Two more known lynchings have happened in California since the “last” lynching, but were largely ignored.