The first club in Northern California was formed in 1934, as Redwood City Club (#27). That club, now known as Donald L. Bogie to honor its founder, sponsored another, Lee Emerson Bassett Club (#33).

In the fall of 1937, the four clubs in Northern California petitioned Toastmasters International to become a District. The petition was approved. District 4 was assigned all of California north of the Tehachapi mountains. The first District Governor, Frederic J. Perry of Palo Alto, was elected in 1938.

As the District grew, new Districts were formed to divide the administrative load and to provide more opportunities for leadership development. [The present boundaries were set in 1957, after District 57 was split off to cover the San Francisco Bay area to the north and east of San Francisco.]

Dr. Ralph Smedley, founder of Toastmasters, formed a speaking club in San Jose, as he had in other cities where he had worked. Though that club disbanded, Dr. Smedley visited District 4 frequently, for conferences and encouragement. He last visited a few years before his death in 1965.

District 4 Governors have always worked hard supporting the District's clubs. For example, Donald Bogie served as Governor during the Second World War. Because of gas rationing, he visited the clubs in northern California and the central valley by bus, taking a week or more to make a tour.

The early structure of the District organization consisted of the District Governor and two or three Lieutenant Governors serving specific portions of the District. In 1963, District 4 adopted a line structure with a District Governor, a Senior Lieutenant Governor, and lieutenant Governors of Education, Administration, and Communication.

In 1972, District 4 adopted the title of "The Golden Gate District" along with the symbol showing the Golden Gate Bridge with a large number four. In 1978, posts for Division Lieutenant Governors (now Division Governor) were created, and the positions of Senior Lieutenant Governor and Lieutenant Governor Communication were abolished. In 1991, along with the other Districts in Toastmasters International, District 4 adopted its current structure of a District Governor, a Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training, a Lieutenant Governor of Marketing, and a Public Relations Officer.

District 4 has been honored many times over the years. As of July 1999, District 4 has a rich history of achievement with nearly 200 Toastmasters Clubs and over 4,000 members. The future is bright with even more opportunities for achievement.

Since 1968, District 4 has been designated a President's Distinguished District six times and Distinguished District ten times -- the last time in 1998-1999. In 1979, the District received the first Select Distinguished District award, and has achieved that award twice more.

Since the inception of the Excellence in Education Award in June 1992, District 4 has achieved it annually, prompting four trips to the annual Toastmasters International Convention Hall of Fame. The Fourcaster, the District newsletter, has been selected a "Top Ten District Bulletin" twelve times.

With all of these awards, District 4 may claim to be the "World's Most Honored District."