John S. Enos


John Summerfield Enos was an American attorney and politician who served as the eighth district attorney of Fulton County, New York from 1853 to 1859, in the California State Senate from 1880 to 1883, and as the first commissioner of the California Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1883 to 1887.
Enos was an unsuccessful candidate for district attorney of San Francisco in 1877 and judge of the police court in 1886, 1894 and 1896. He was also nominated for Congress in 1880 and 1890, but declined the nomination both times. During his career, he supported several third parties attempting to break the rule of political bosses in the city.

California Bureau of Labor Statistics

In 1883, state assemblyman William J. Sinon authored legislation establishing the California Bureau of Labor Statistics, the ninth such agency in the country. Governor George Stoneman appointed Enos as its first head, drawing criticism that the office had been created specifically for his benefit.
During his tenure, Enos opposed convict labor on the grounds that it created competition for free laborers. He supported the eight-hour workday and recommended public works be administered directly by governments instead of contractors. He also recommended the state avoid sericulture for the excessive amount of cheap labor it required, and promoted the production of beet sugar and sorghum to bolster the economy.

''Enos v. Snyder''

Enos died of a heart attack in Sonoma, California on March 30, 1898, aged 72. At the time of his death, he had for several years lived with Rachel Jane Snyder, to whom he was not married. In his will, Enos instructed that the disposition of his remains would be left to Snyder. After Enos's death, Susie T. Enos and Gertrude Willis—his wife and daughter, respectively—demanded that Snyder release his remains to them. When Snyder refused this demand, they took her to court and won custody of Enos's remains.

Works

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