USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > A history of California and an extended history of Los Angeles and environs, Biographical, Volume II > Part 59
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Southern Mexico, also, claimed a share of the attention of this splendid man, and he paid several visits to that locality, largely in the interests of gold mining properties. In 1898 Mr. Hardison entered the new oil fields at Fullerton, Orange county, and became again a pioneer in the work of development. Following this he became in- terested in the still newer fields in the western part of the city of Los Angeles, his operations in both localities meeting with much success. In Fullerton he secured nine hundred acres of promising land in the very heart of the richest
section of the territory. He organized the Colum- bia Oil Company to develop this property, and having also secured holdings at the yet newer field of Coalinga, Fresno county, he organized the Independent Oil Company to develop this.
It seems but natural that the confidence of the people in Mr. Hardison should be expressed in his election as the first president of the Los Angeles Oil Exchange, on the organization of that body, and in this capacity he again rendered faithful and efficient service to the great industry to which the principal years of his life had been given.
There was little that escaped the wide range of thought of Mr. Hardison, and he was among the first to begin the consideration of the possi- bilities offered for by-products in the oil business, and the Union Oil Company brought Dr. Salathe, a Swiss scientist of wide repute, to the coast, and in 1891 a laboratory was erected at Santa Paula where careful experiments were conducted at great expense. The results of this have been widespread, and from it have come many valuable by-products of oil. One of the best known is newspaper ink, which is shipped in great quan- tities from the Pennsylvania fields.
Although so much of the time and thought of Mr. Hardison was devoted to the promotion of this favorite industry, there were many other interests which claimed their share of his con- sideration. Among these were the questions of agriculture and especially of horticulture, and so well known was his interest and so valuable his information in this latter field that in 1891 Gover- nor Markham, of California, appointed him a member of the State Agricultural Association. In 1894 he organized the Limoneria Company at Santa Paula, and a tract of four hundred and twelve acres was purchased and planted to lemons and other citrus fruits. This orchard is one of the most productive in the state, over four hun- dred carloads of fruit being shipped from it in a season. At this time Mr. Hardison was residing at Santa Paula, and his interest in the local con- ditions was very keen. He bought out the Santa Paula Water Company, and organized the Santa Paula Water Works, and the Thermal Belt Water Company, the one to supply the town and the other for irrigation purposes. Yet another enter- prise of this versatile man was represented in the Raymond Improvement Company, which com-
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prised some two or three hundred acres of pic- turesque land near Pasadena, much of which has since been sold for handsome homes. Associated with Mr. Hardison in this, and also in many other ventures, was C. P. Collins, a nephew of his and an eastern capitalist, and to him Mr. Hardison always gave credit for much of his success in these varied undertakings.
Still another field into which Mr. Hardison ventured, but not with his customary success, was that of the management of a modern daily news- paper. For four years, from 1900 to 1904, he was owner and publisher of the Los Angeles Herald, then a morning daily. This venture proved disastrous, however, and in spite of his mighty efforts it swallowed up practically the bulk of the fortune which he had amassed through his prodigious energies in the oil business. Like all men of his type, however, he was not discouraged, but returning to his former lines of endeavor he was rapidly recouping himself, when his untimely death occurred, proving a blow to family, friends and business associates, and as well, to a great industry. He was killed in an automobile accident while on his way to inspect an orange grove which he owned at Monte Vista, the machine colliding with the Southern Pacific train near Roscoe.
Personally, Mr. Hardison was a man of strong character and striking individuality, possessing many traits which endeared him to friends and associates. He was the youngest of a large family of children and enjoyed the distinction of being as well the most distinguished. He was a thirty-second degree Mason, of the Scottish and York rites, and a member of several exclusive clubs in the city, among them being the Union League Club. Mr. Hardison was one of the pioneers of the Universalist Church in California. When the First Universalist Church of Pasadena erected its beautiful edifice he placed therein a large memorial window in honor of his mother, and he was always a faithful attendant at all the services of the church.
Mr. Hardison was married in Los Angeles, May 2, 1903, to Miss Mary Belle Daily, the daughter of Dr. John Wesley and Drucilla (Cauf- field) Daily. There were no children of this union, but by a previous marriage there were four children, three of whom are living: Guy L. Hardison is married and resides in Santa Paula; he was associated with his distinguished father in many of his enterprises; Augusta is now the
wife of A. B. Lemon, Jr., of Fair Oaks, Cal .; and Hope is the wife of J. N. Procter, of Saticoy. Both daughters are graduates of Stanford Uni- versity. One son, Warren, died in childhood.
Although the death of Mr. Hardison occurred some years ago (in 1909), the memory of the man is as green today as though he had passed on but yesterday. The works of his hand and brain are of such a nature that they are not readily forgotten. His splendid ability as an organizer and leader among men placed him in the front rank, and many of the leading indus- tries of the state have felt the power of his in- fluence. In the oil fields there are a thousand reminders of his power and presence on every hand, and in the office of a dozen or more of the largest oil companies of the state there comes still, in times of stress, the ardent wish for the advice, judgment and foresight of Wallace L. Hardison.
JOSEPH SCHODER. In the death of Joseph Schoder, February 7, 1913, the State of California lost one of her pioneers, and Los Angeles a very successful business man and a representative citizen who was closely identified with the history of the city. Mr. Schoder was born in Bruchsal, near Heidelberg, Germany, July 21, 1838, and received his education, until he was about twelve years of age, in the schools of his native village. Shortly before this period his father had been killed in the war of that country and the family came to America, locating at Battle Creek, Mich., and remaining there until 1851. It was at this time that Joseph was fired with an ambition to try his fortunes in the west, having heard glowing accounts from returned gold seekers, of the won- derful land of opportunity to be found on the Pacific Coast. Accordingly he made the trip, coming by way of the Isthmus of Panama, thence to San Francisco, where he arrived in 1851, and from that date until his death, sixty-two years later, the Golden State remained his home.
From San Francisco Mr. Schoder immediately went to Sacramento and secured employment with the firm of Huntington, Hopkins & Co., hardware merchants, remaining with them until 1855, dur- ing which time he became familiar with the de- tails of the business and the customs of the new country. Upon leaving Sacramento he returned to San Francisco, for he realized the location of
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
the city would make it the metropolis of the west, and became associated with the pioneer hardware firm of Baker & Hamilton, with whom he re- mained until 1882, giving twenty-seven years of continuous service towards building up the busi- ness and in the development of the city by his co-operation in all movements for the welfare of the citizens.
In 1882 Mr. Schoder came to Los Angeles, and in the growing city, assisted by E. Mclaughlin and J. M. Johnston, organized the Schoder- Johnston Company, wholesale hardware dealers. From the first the business prospered, and in 1885 the firm was re-organized and has since been known as the Union Hardware and Metal Company. Mr. Schoder was elected vice-presi- dent of the company and continued in that office until his retirement to private life in 1911.
The marriage of Mr. Schoder with Sophia Scott took place in San Francisco and they became the parents of a son and daughter. The former, Howard J. Schoder, was born and reared in Cali- fornia, and holds a responsible position with the Union Hardware and Metal Company, in which he is heavily interested. He married Margaret Cornwell and they reside in Los Angeles. The daughter, Ivy, is the wife of Oscar C. Mneller, a well known attorney of Los Angeles.
Joseph Schoder was a man of lofty ideals, a genial host, a raconteur of good stories, unostenta- tions in all his actions, and always strove for the upbuilding of his adopted city. Aside from his business associations he was well and favorably known to a wide circle of friends throughout the entire state. He was a Republican in politics, and although never active in party work, was never- theless reckoned a factor in the affairs of the city for many years. He was a Mason, belonged to Southern California Lodge No. 278, F. & A. M .. of Los Angeles; a member of California Com- mandery No. 1, K. T., in San Francisco, and of Al Malaikah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Los Angeles, and was a member of the California Club in this city.
LEONARD SCHLEGEL. The life of Leon- ard Schlegel is one that proves what can be accom- plished by a man of earnest purpose and determin- ation who comes to a new country there to win success by his own efforts alone. Mr. Schlegel is one who may justly be called a self-made man,
for, coming to America in 1852 with his parents from Switzerland, where he was born in 1840, his boyhood was spent assisting his father in farm work in the then unsettled regions of the Middle West, and in later years, by wise investments in real estate in Southern California, he has gained for himself a competency and may be named among the upbuilders of some of the newer sec- tions of the city of Los Angeles.
The first home of Mr. Schlegel in the United States was in Fond du Lac county, Wis., where he grew up on his father's farm, and assisted with the work upon the place. From there he removed with his parents to Boone county, Iowa, but find- ing land too expensive there, he became one of the pioneers of Dickinson county, near Abilene, Kans., which was then, 1866, merely a wilderness, there being but six settlers along the creek for thirty miles. There Mr. Schlegel homesteaded eighty acres of land, purchasing one hundred and sixty additional acres from the Manhattan Agricul- tural School, on the two hundred and forty acres thus acquired commencing farming, an in- dustry which he increased as he prospered, so that in time he became one of the leading farmers in that district. Later he built a flour mill, which he conducted with marked success, doing custom grinding for the farmers in the vicinity. Deciding to make his home in Southern California, Mr. Schlegel in 1885 sold out his interests in Kansas and removed with his family to Los Angeles, where he has since made his home. By the means of successful real estate investments in this city, he has proved himself a prominent factor in the building up of the southwestern part of the city. He purchased eighty acres of land in that section, extending from Vernon avenue to Forty-second street and from Vermont to Normandie avenues, whereon he raised hay and had twelve acres of deciduous fruits, the remainder of the estate be- ing rented to Chinese for the purpose of raising vegetables and strawberries. Continuing in this line of industry until 1906, Mr. Schlegel at that time subdivided a strip of land on Forty-second street from Kansas to Normandie avenues, where he made a row of lots on Forty-second street and called the same Tract No. 176, a year and a half later subdividing the remainder of the land into ten blocks and numbered from one to ten, Tract No. 465. This property has since been greatly im-
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proved with street work and the erection of resi- dences thereon, Mr. Schlegel having built and sold ten dwellings there. To provide water for the use of his tenants, he first sunk a well on the land and developed irrigation, with the use of the surplus river water; but a few years later a pumping plant was established on the property, an arrangement which continued until 1906, when the use of the city water was established. Mr. Schlegel is a member of the Los Angeles Liberal Club, and is a man who takes a keen interest in the advancement of the western city which has proven to him a hospitable home and the means of success and prosperity. In 1905 he made a re- turn visit to his old home in Switzerland, but like most of those who have resided in Southern Cali- fornia, he was glad to come back again to the Pacific coast, which has been the means of such advancement to him, her adopted son. The first marriage of Mr. Schlegel took place in Fond du Lac, Wis., in 1860, to Anna Tischhauser, and they became the parents of eight children, namely, Paul, Leonard, Henry, who is now deceased, Nicholas, Ernest, Maggie, John and Anna, as well as the grandparents of ten children. With his second wife Mr. Schlegel makes his home at No. 1158 West Forty-second street.
JASPER LOCKWOOD. The death of Jasper Lockwood, which took place at his home, No. 1910 Buckingham road. Los Angeles, on March 17, 1915, removed one of the pioneer railroad men of Southern California. Mr. Lockwood had been in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad from young manhood until his retirement at the age of sixty years, having been assistant superin- tendent of the road, a position to which he had risen from that of telegraph operator. He was one of the few men remaining who had ridden on the Golden Spike Limited in April, 1876, the first through train between San Francisco and Los An- geles.
On December 26, 1844, Mr. Lockwood was born in Madrid, N. Y., and came west to Nevada as a young man, finding employment with the Southern Pacific Railroad there, with which com- pany he was associated continuously thereafter until his retirement from actual service in Cali- fornia. In the Southern California city of Los
Angeles he was one of the organizers and a char- ter member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and of Pentalpha Lodge No. 202, F. & A. M. For six years he and his wife had charge of the Los Angeles office of the real estate dealer, George H. Peck, in the Lankershim building, Mr. Lock- wood's own interest in real estate being evidenced by the fact that he built six houses in Los Angeles, three of which he occupied temporarily. He was married in California to Mary B. Cord, who was born in Indiana but removed to the Pacific coast with her parents when an infant. Her father, Thomas A. Cord, was a pioneer settler of Oak- land, Cal., who later lived at Pomona, where he was a pioneer settler and where he was an exten- sive land owner. The one daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood is Nell Lockwood, the well-known contralto singer of Los Angeles, soloist in the First Methodist Church of this city, and a pupil of Estelle Hart Dryfus and also of Cecil Fanning. the famous baritone singer of New York.
GEORGE H. PIKE. One who has for many years made his home in the West, George H. Pike, though born in Boston, Mass., in January, 1835, the son of John K. Pike, and educated in the pub- lic schools of that city, came to San Francisco when a youth of only eighteen years, and engaged as ship joiner in that city until the year 1868, when he became interested in the opportunities offered in Mexico and, removing to that country. for three years operated a stamp quartz mill there. Returning to California, in 1871, Mr. Pike then entered the mercantile business in Los An- geles, but after four years sold out his interests and became superintendent of city streets. Later he went into the street sprinkling contracting business, which he followed for three years, since which time he has retired from business and de- votes his attention to the care of his various properties. From his long residence in the West, since the early days of the settlement of the Pa- cific coast towns, Mr. Pike may well be classed among the pioneers of this section of the country, and besides being a member of the Pioneer So- ciety, he holds membership also in the California and Jonathan Clubs of Los Angeles, while in his political interests he is a Republican.
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GEORGE L. HOLTON. The oil industry of Southern California has offered opportunities as great as any offered in the wonderful days of " '49," and the history of the growth and develop- ment of the oil fields and attendant industries is full of romance and real excitement. There are oft-repeated tales of wonderful "gushers" where the flow was struck just as the derricks were to be pulled down-and there are tales less fascinat- ing, but none the less interesting to those who understand, of the days and weeks and even months, when the prospector for oil toiled on and on, only to meet with defeat in the end. Great fortunes have been made and lost, and made again in the various fields of the state, and, as is always the case with an industry that offers un- usual opportunities for profit, unusual men have been attracted into the field. One such who has made a great success of the undertaking is George L. Holton, who is now associated with a number of prominent companies, being president of sev- eral, this latter list including the Densmore- Stabler Company, Refiners of Petroleum; Turner Oil Company; Cosmopolitan Oil Company ; and the Mutual Oil Company. Recently the lure of the golden fruit of the southwest has also called him, and at present Mr. Holton is taking much interest in orange growing. He owns a splendid grove of fifty acres in Orange county, where he is making a great success of his efforts in citrus culture.
Mr. Holton is a native of Northfield, Mass., born February 22, 1863, the son of John P. and Stella M. (Tyler) Holton. His boyhood was passed there, his early education being received in the public schools, after which he attended the Northfield Academy, graduating when he was seventeen years of age. He then went to New York City, where for two years he worked for the Remington Arms Company, in the capacity of clerk. When he was nineteen he returned to Northfield, Mast., and -became superintendent of the Mt. Hernon school farms, occupying this position until he came to California, in 1884. For a year after coming to the state Mr. Holton was located in Los Angeles, but at the end of that time he removed to Redlands as superintendent of the Bear Valley Irrigation Company. At that time there was very little in the way of a town at the present site of Redlands, and Mr. Holton was actively associated with the upbuilding of that beautiful city. He was in reality one of its
founders, and was also one of the first to build a home within its confines. He remained there until 1892, when he returned to Los Angeles and went into the oil prospecting business in local fields, the oil boom being then at its height in this immediate section. Later he became superin- tendent of the Howard Oil Company, retaining this connection until 1901, when he organized the Densmore-Stabler Company, Refiners of Petro- leum, of which he became manager in 1909, and later was elected to the office of president and general manager, which position he now holds. Throughout the years of his interest in the oil business Mr. Holton has been associated with many important deals and has been throughout all this time closely identified with the industry. He has taken his risks freely and willingly, some- times losing and sometimes winning. His knowl- edge of the conditions in the various fields is exhaustive and comprehensive, and his advice is often sought on questions of importance. This is especially true, owing to the standing that is maintained by Mr. Holton for integrity and hon- esty in all his business dealings, and his strict adherence to the rules of fair play.
Quite apart from his business standing, Mr. Holton occupies a prominent place socially and fraternally in the city. His many and varied interests have brought him into close contact with many men and his pleasing personality has made for him many warm and lasting friendships. He is a Scottish Rite Mason, and also a Shriner. He is a member of the American Chemical Associa- tion, and of the Southern California Academy of Scientists, while he finds social diversion in the Sierra Madre Club and the Union League Club. In his political affiliations he is a Republican, and his interest in all questions which pertain either to the affairs of his party, or to the general public welfare, is keen and wide awake, such matters receiving his best thought and his warmest sup- port.
Mr. Holton was married in Redlands, Septem- ber 27, 1885, the bride of his choice being Miss Fannie Pratt, of that city. They have one child, a son, Robert G., now in his twenty-fifth year. He is associated with his father in the oil industry and promises to be a splendid successor to his capable sire in this especial line of endeavor. He is now superintendent and secretary of the Dens- more-Stabler Refining Company, of the Cos- mopolitan Oil Company, and of the Mutual Oil Company. !
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