[2] Frank Buck, Sr. played a notable role in Southern California history in 1900 when he joined with several prominent associates in the Amalgamated Oil Company to purchase Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas, renaming it Morocco Junction.

[4] He was involved in business ventures including fruit growing, oil refining, and lumber, partly thanks to his inheritance.

He ran as a write-in candidate in the general election after Republican incumbent Charles F. Curry died having secured both major-party nominations under California's cross-filing system of the time.

In the Democratic primary campaign, he ran on a platform of improving unemployment, providing economic relief, reducing gangsterism and repealing the 18th Amendment.

In the general election against Charles Curry, Jr., Buck focused on his support of Franklin D. Roosevelt's promised New Deal, rehabilitation of Mather Field, development of Mare Island Naval Shipyard and various waterway projects in Sacramento and San Joaquin counties.

During Buck's first term, he served on the Agriculture Committee (the first Californian to serve on the committee in 42 years), where he worked to lower Cuban tariffs as part of the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act, a move credited with boosting the California agriculture industry by opening the door for exports of American produce.

He worked to lower taxes on grape production and protect agricultural crops with federal rodent mitigation funds.

Buck was a main player in the push to stimulate California's approximately 130 wineries that stayed open during prohibition.

In the first quarter of 1933, Buck lobbied federal prohibition authorities to allow California wineries to operate medicinal dispensaries throughout the U.S. to fill wine prescriptions of up to 10 percent alcohol.

Buck also secured funding for a new, deeper channel in Stockton, and for improvements to Mare Island and additions to the fleet stationed there.

He also directed federal funding toward the rehabilitation of Mather Field, which had been abandoned and marked for possible demolition the year prior due to poor economic conditions and military spending shift toward naval efforts.

During his second term, Buck became a close ally of President Roosevelt, supporting much of his Social Security agenda and New Deal policies.

However, Buck also believed that California should not be responsible for the poor, jobless transients who had made their way westward following the Depression.

He ran his campaign on his lobbying efforts for federal dollars that ultimately funded improvements to the San Joaquin River channel (deepening it), the Sacramento River channel, post offices in his district, projects at Mare Island Navy Yard (Buck had worked to allocate the construction of three naval heavy cruisers there) and improvements to Mather Field, where employment was at 5,000--an all-time high for peacetime.

Buck was also credited with legislation like the Emergency Farm Mortgage Act (1933) which allowed irrigation and reclamation districts to refinance and H.R.

As was the case when Buck announced his opposition to the Townsend Bill, a piece of legislation that was advertised as being the method of solving national debt brought on by expanded unemployment aid.

By the end of his second term, Buck reported to President Roosevelt, “The depression definitely is over in California... Building booms are in progress in Sacramento, Stockton and several other valley cities, while in a number of counties nobody is on relief any more.” During the election, Buck ran on a platform touting his record as supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal policies, Central Valley Water project, tax reductions on the grape industry, funding for the Ben Ali Air Repair Depot ($7,000,000), Mather Field and Vallejo Naval Yard.

Downey largely focused on discrediting Buck for recent legislation (i.e. Wine bill, Sacramento air depot).

Buck piloted a bill to tax marijuana dealers, saying that the drug is “raised commercially for legitimate purposes to some extent” and “used to a very limited extent by the medical profession.” The bill, federal Marihuana Act, made possession of a narcotic (including marijuana) a federal offense.

Buck also supported a bill meant to stimulate economic growth by cutting taxes on businesses with less than $25,000 in profits.

Buck advocated for more flood control in the northern and central parts of the state after a year of large rainfall that caused damage to roads and bridges.

A $500,000 bill was passed by Buck to improve Mare Island (specifically, an industrial storehouse and construction of several watercraft).

During the race for Buck's fourth term, he faced Nora Conklin (Communist Party) and George Kimber (Republican and professor at Sacramento Jr. College).

Buck helped pass a bill to prevent retroactive taxation after public employees became liable for Federal income tax.

Buck authored an excess profits taxation to “assure proper treatment of investors” and raise money for wartime efforts and infrastructure.

He was also supportive of allied ship toward Russia due to negative impacts of a potential German invasion of the Soviet Union.

He had voted yes on bills to fortify Guam, repeal the arms embargo, relax the neutrality law, extend trade packs, enact draft law, lend-lease, arm merchant ships and reopen the combat zone (enabled U.S. ships to be sent to allied ports).

Assemblyman Cain criticized Buck for his unexplained extended absence in California; using it as an opportunity to boast his 100% attendance in congressional proceedings.

Dr. William D. Claudy, attending physician at the hotel, said Buck had suffered from chronic high blood pressure and heart disease.