Who is Fulton Street named for?

RichmondSFBlog reader Jim C. wrote in and asked, “Who is Fulton Street named for?”

I wasn’t sure so I reached out to two Richmond District historians for help, Lorri Ungaretti and John Freeman, both contributors to the Western Neighborhoods Project.

John informed me that Fulton Street is named after Robert Fulton, an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat. In 1800 he was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to design the Nautilus, which was the first practical submarine in history. [learn more on Wikipedia]

John pointed out that most of the streets running east-west were named in the 1850s after early pioneers or heroes. McAllister Street was named after Matthew Hall McAllister, a pioneer attorney in Gold Rush San Francisco. Hayes Street was named for Colonel Thomas Hayes, owner of a large amount of land in Hayes Valley, and one of the seconds for California Supreme Court Justice David Terry in his 1859 duel with U.S. Senator David Broderick.

John had some more history to add about Fulton Street:

Fulton Street originally ran only to Stanyan Street, without an extension beyond the Masonic Cemetery. D Street began at First Avenue [what is now Arguello Boulevard] and at least on the grid map, extended to the Pacific Ocean, but was not graded past 12th Avenue. In early 1892, the Market Street Cable Railway extended its service along D Street to a turntable between 7th and 8th Avenues. In 1894, because of this continuity from Market Street, D Street became Fulton Street.

Special thanks to John Freeman for the great info.

Sarah B.