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JAMES McLACHLAN
District Attorney

1890-1892

District Attorney James McLachlan

James McLachlan

James McLachlan (1890-1892) was born in Scotland and as a young boy, immigrated with his family to New York, where they were farmers. McLachlan first practiced law in New York before settling in Pasadena in 1888. Two years later, he became Los Angeles District Attorney and is noted for his policy of having his office handle all cases for the county, including civil litigation. One legal journal reports that McLachlan hired a chief deputy named Waldo M. York, who successfully handled several large civil cases, one of which redirected a railroad property tax from the federal government to the state. Another case obtained an order to destroy infested orange trees from Tahiti. In 1892, McLachlan and York became partners in private practice. In 1894, York became a judge, and McLachlan defeated former District Attorney George S. Patton in the election to represent Los Angeles in the U.S. Congress. Although McLachlan lost his first Congressional reelection bid, he was again elected to Congress in 1900 and served a total of five terms.