CA Attorney General Webb, drafted Alien Land Law.

Ulysses S. Webb, California's attorney general, worked with lawyer Francis J. Heney to draft the Alien Land Act. It prevented the Japanese from owning land in California. The state legislature passed the Heney-Webb Alien Land Act in 1913, and Governor Hiram Johnson signed it. Under that law, Japanese aliens could not own land in California. They could not rent land for more than three years in a row. Aliens were persons of Japanese ancestry who were not, or could not become, citizens. The law was created because a great many Japanese immigrants had come to California in the 19th and 20th centuries and had become successful farmers. White Californians were jealous of the Japanese success. They were afraid that the Japanese would buy too much farm land, or would take business away from white farmers. In 1920 the law was made even stricter. It continued in force until 1952.

FROM: IRC