In 1863, he was chosen Speaker of the Assembly. Staunchly pro-Union during the Civil War, he made many influential contacts in the Republican Party and its wartime successor, the Union Democratic party. In 1863, he received the nomination for Lieutenant Governor of California, running with Frederick Low on the Unionist ticket. He ran against E.W. McKinstrey, beating him by 21,120 votes.[4] As Lieutenant Governor, he was selected to prosecute the impeachment proceedings instituted against a popular jurist, Judge Hardy. During his tenure he was appointed the Superintendent of San Quentin State Prison. He remained Lt. Governor through 1867.[5]
After his retirement from the Lieutenant Governorship, he made his home in the Clinton Park section of Oakland at 1276 Sixth Avenue.
Personal life
Machin married Nancy M. Knight on April 15, 1864. They had one daughter, Elinor. He died in Oakland, California, on December 20, 1905.