William I . Traeger William Isham Traeger ( February 26 , 1880 – January 20 , 1935 ) was an American law enforcement official who served as sheriff of Los Angeles County from 1921 to 1932 , and went on to serve one term as a United States Representative from California . Early life . Traeger was born in Porterville , California , the oldest of five children of Augustus Traeger , a blacksmith who had migrated from Wisconsin in 1872 , and his wife Martha Ellen ( Dunn ) Traeger , who had migrated from Arkansas in 1874 . William attended elementary and high schools in Porterville , also assisting his father in his trade ; Martha Traeger died in 1895 . Traeger served during the Spanish - American War as a private and corporal in the 6th California Volunteer Infantry from May 11 to December 15 , 1898 . College . After the war , he studied law at Stanford University , earning his undergraduate degree in 1901 . While there , he starred as a tackle on the football team , kicking a field goal to give Stanford a 5 - 0 victory over California in the 1900 rivalry game ( field goals counted for 5 points until 1904 ) ; he was captain of the team that played in the first Rose Bowl Game on January 1 , 1902 , a game in which he tore his shoulder ligament yet continued to play . Coaching and early law enforcement career . In 1902 he moved to Los Angeles , where he helped in various athletic departments , leading Pomona College ' s football team to a 3 - 2 record in 1902 and coaching at Occidental College the following year . He served as a deputy United States Marshal from April 1903 through 1906 and as a deputy sheriff for Los Angeles County from January 1907 to 1911 . He also worked for a general contracting company . While a deputy marshal , he married Alice Collier , who died in 1908 from tuberculosis . Law school and USC coaching . Traeger attended law school at the University of Southern California . During his time at USC , he served as the head coach of the USC football team for the 1908 season ; USC ' s teams were still called the Methodists before becoming known as the Trojans in 1912 . He compiled a 3 - 1 - 1 ( . 700 ) record while coaching at USC ; the schedule was entirely against southern California teams , including games against Pomona and Occidental as well as Los Angeles High School ( a team he had coached in 1906 ) and a San Bernardino County athletic club , the only contest outside L . A . County . He was succeeded in 1909 by famous track coach Dean Cromwell . Legal career and Sheriff . Traeger was admitted to the bar in California in 1909 , and began private practice . In 1911 , be began serving as deputy clerk for the Supreme Court of California , a position he would hold until 1921 . During World War I he enlisted in the Army and served at an officer ' s training camp . In 1921 , Traeger was appointed Sheriff of Los Angeles County ; he was elected to 4 - year terms in 1922 , 1926 and 1930 , serving until December 1932 . During his time in office , he reorganized the county jail , established the county ' s honor camps for first - time misdemeanor offenders , and started the employment contact office which helped prisoners find employment after their release . In 1929 he became the first president of the Los Angeles County Peace Officers ' Association . Congress . In 1932 , Traeger was elected as a Republican to the 73rd United States Congress ( March 4 , 1933 – January 3 , 1935 ) despite the Democratic landslide which occurred that year . He lost his reelection bid to John M . Costello in 1934 . Death . Traeger died at age 54 of a liver disorder at the Wadsworth Hospital in Los Angeles , two weeks after leaving office ; he had become ill in late December . He was survived by his second wife , the former Ruth McAllister , a schoolteacher he had married in 1912 , and by one daughter from each marriage . He was interred at Rosedale Cemetery , Los Angeles .