John Weller bought this one story Italianate home in Sacramento, which once acted as the governor’s mansion for the state of California. It was built sometime before 1855.

A former Ohio congressman, Weller fought in the Mexican War and was rewarded by President James Polk with an appointment as U.S. Commissioner charged with figuring out the boundary between the U.S. and Mexico.

That’s how he wound up in California. Rumors said during his travels he had “been on a bender in New Orleans, and had brought a prostitute around the Ithmus.” He also had a gunfight with a boundary commission surveyor, further sullying his reputation.

When President Zachary Taylor was elected, Weller was recalled but chose to stay in California and pursue his career as an attorney.

George Boehme, who also had a connection to state government, lived in the house from 1886-1871. He helped lay the cornerstone at the new State Capitol building and received the contract for its copper roofing. In 1875, he moved south and became a founding father of Santa Monica.

— Information from “Vanishing Victorians: A Guide to the Historic Homes of Sacramento”