In 1886, he was elected in the regular election that year by the state legislature to the Senate as a Democrat, serving from March 4, 1887, until his death in 1891. As a senator, Hearst focused on reducing Central Pacific's power in American commerce. Death and legacy Hearst died at the age of 70 in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 1891. The California Legislature and state courts adjourned so officials could attend his funeral. When Phoebe Apperson Hearst inherited her husband's wealth, she donated a great deal of it to help found new libraries at several universities. Hearst is buried in Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California. His widow and son were later buried there as well. The Hearst Memorial Mining Building on the Berkeley campus is dedicated to George Hearst. In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. In popular culture In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Problem of Thor Bridge", Sherlock Holmes' client is Neil Gibson, described as "The Gold King" and as a senator from "some western state," indicating that Conan Doyle was modeling the character on Hearst. Ironically, in its first American publication, the story appeared in Hearst's International Magazine, a publication of Hearst's son, William Randolph Hearst. Moroni Olsen portrayed Hearst in the 1938 film Gold Is Where You Find It. The actor Barry Kelley portrayed Hearst in the 1964 episode "The Paper Dynasty" of the syndicated western television series Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. James Hampton played William Randolph Hearst and James Lanphier (1920–1969), Ambrose Bierce. Gerald McRaney portrayed a fictionalized version of Hearst, depicted as a villain on the HBO television series Deadwood, set in South Dakota. McRaney reprised his role in 2019's Deadwood: The Movie. This time, Hearst returns to Deadwood 10 years after the events of the third season and is now a senator but still the main villain. The crimes committed by the fictional character take significant artistic license with those attributed to the real personage of Hearst at the Homestake Mine. See also List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) References Further reading External links 1820 births 1891 deaths Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly George San Francisco Examiner people American mining businesspeople American racehorse owners and breeders Businesspeople from San Francisco History of San Francisco People from