Complex sentence: Moving west, Geary was appointed postmaster of San Francisco by President James K. Polk on January 22,1849, and in 1850, he became the city's alcalde, before California became a state, and then the first mayor of the city.
Split into simpler sentences: Moving west, Geary was appointed postmaster of San Francisco by President James K. Polk on January 22 1849, and in 1850, he became the city's first mayor. He was first the alcalde, before California became a state, and then the mayor of the city.