Captain Aaron Milton Burns (1826–1912): Gold Rush Mariner Involved in Famous Act of Vigilante Justice

Captain Aaron Burns and Grave Marker

Plot 9, Lot 19 

Captain Aaron Milton Burns was a central figure in the story of early California—a man whose life bridged the lawless chaos of Gold Rush San Francisco and the growing push toward civic order. Born in 1826, Burns arrived in the city during its most turbulent years, where he earned a reputation both as a fearless sea captain and as a citizen committed to public integrity.

As skipper for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, Burns ferried prospectors, merchants, and adventurers from Panama through the Golden Gate, navigating treacherous waters and booming demand. He commanded steamships up the Sacramento River during the height of the Gold Rush, when San Francisco’s waterfront was lined with abandoned ships and the streets teemed with gamblers, fugitives, and dreamers.

But it was on land that Burns's name became etched into San Francisco's civic history. In 1856, he played a role in one of the most consequential episodes of frontier justice: the hanging of gamblers Charles Cora and James P. Casey by the Second Committee of Vigilance. Burns was one of twelve men assigned to guard Cora while he awaited judgment—not in a court of law, but before a citizen-led tribunal.

The hanging of Charles Cora and James Casey

The drama began the year prior when Charles Cora shot and killed U.S. Marshal William H. Richardson. Cora’s lavish lifestyle and political connections led many to fear that justice would be subverted, especially after his trial ended in a hung jury. Then, in May 1856, the situation exploded when James King of William, a crusading newspaper editor, was gunned down in broad daylight by Supervisor James P. Casey—an act of political retaliation after King had published damning reports about Casey’s criminal past.

King’s murder was the final straw. Outraged citizens, already furious at the corruption and lawlessness plaguing their city, reactivated the Committee of Vigilance. Within days, thousands had joined. They arrested both Cora and Casey, tried them in a private tribunal, and hanged them side by side before a massive crowd. Captain Burns, a respected civic figure even then, stood guard over the process—ensuring it would not be interrupted.

In the decades that followed, Burns transitioned from maritime work to insurance and business. He remained deeply involved in public life, culminating in his election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1887, during the administration of Mayor Washington Bartlett.

Captain Burns lived to the age of 86, passing away in 1912 at San Francisco’s Hotel Bellevue. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving skipper of the early Pacific Mail fleet and one of the few living witnesses to the transformation of San Francisco from a wild frontier town into a city governed by law, order, and civic vision.