A history of California and an extended history of Los Angeles and environs, Biographical, Volume III, Part 2

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 566


USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > A history of California and an extended history of Los Angeles and environs, Biographical, Volume III > Part 2


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JOSEPH SCOTT. In the qualities that en- abled Mr. Scott to surmount adversity and at- tain to eminence among the attorneys of Los An- geles may be discerned the value of ancestral heritage, for eloquence and mental equipment in- dicate pre-eminent Hibernian characteristics, while rugged integrity and stalwart physique come from paternal Cumberland ancestors forming a line of what is known as Border Scotch. At Pen- rith, Cumberland, England, he was born July 16, 1867, a son of Joseph and Mary (Donnelly) Scott, natives respectively of England and Wex- ford. Ireland. The efforts of the son were di- rected toward mental development rather than manual toil, yet he was encouraged in a devotion to athletics with a view to physical vigor and the preservation of health. The fact that he now accomplishes an enormous amount of law work without physical exhaustion furnishes abundant evidence concerning the value of his athletic course and proves the importance of that phase of educational development. From 1880 until 1888 he attended Ushaw College. Durham, and upon graduating from that institution he matri- culated in honors in London University as the gold medalist of his class.


Misfortunes such as come to many newcom- ers in America, who without friends or money endeavor to rise above obstacles, confronted Mr. Scott upon his arrival in New York City in 1889. Going to Boston he met John Boyle O'Reilly, the poet. who gave him letters to newspaper men of that city, but no opening was found. Next he tried letters to New York editors, but with no better luck. The work ceased and the money problem became very serious when he was re- duced to $2. Meanwhile he had applied for the position of senior professor of rhetoric and Eng- lish literature at St. Bonaventure's College. Alle- gany, N. Y., but, receiving no reply, he turned to manual work. One Tuesday in February. 1890,


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he was carrying a hod. On the next Thursday he was instructing the senior class in rhetoric at the institution which had acted favorably upon his application. For three years he remained an instructor in the college, which in 1893 conferred upon him the degree of A. M .. and later, in 1914, the degree of LL.D., while the degree of Ph.D. came to him in 1907 from Santa Clara College in California.


He was admitted to practice in the supreme court of California during April of 1894. later ad- mitted to the supreme court of the United States and still later (owing to large litigation demanding bis presence in Arizona) to the supreme court of that state. As an attorney his rise was almost phenomenal. Soon he became well known to bench and bar. Temperamentally he is well quali- fied for law work. In the profession he seems well adapted to any department, whether office de- tails. the duties of counselor or the heavy re- sponsibilities of the courtroom. Commenting upon his abilities as an attorney, H. D. Wheeler, a writer of San Francisco, gives this pen picture : "He's the two-fistedest. fightin'st Irishman that ever stepped as a lawyer into a California court. Give a man an average mental equipment and a superb physical make-up; put him through a course of book-learning. hod-carrying. teaching. law-practicing and prominent citizening among the real elite of a big city. and when you shoot him out at the other end. it's a bet that you'll find something different. Ever ready to join an issue. he strikes boldly, fearlessly. confidently -- his weapon the passionate. compelling eloquence that God gave the Irish." An article by Strick- land W. Gillilan, the famous humorist. gives this pen picture of Mr. Scott: "To arrive friendless in a strange land. to fail in finding newspaper employment even though armed with a letter from John Boyle O'Reilly: to reach one's last two- dollar bill and take a job of hod-carrying. and to resign as deputy hodman to accept a position as professor of English and rhetoric in a college- sounds romantic, doesn't it? Sounds as if it were fiction rather than real life. But it isn't and the man who had this career. full of pluck. perse- verance and pathos. lives in Los Angeles today. You probably know him. He is a successful law- ver and he is called "Joe' Scott."


Those who understand the extent of the law practice of Mr. Scott are amazed at the interest with which he enters other lines of activity and


at the leisure he finds for participation in civic affairs. Well rounded abilities and mental alert- ness adapt him to varied pursuits. So eloquent is he in his defense of the resources of the west. so convincing in his description of opportunities and so firm in his allegiance to his chosen place of residence that he won from President Tait the compliment of being "California's greatest booster." When that executive visited Los An- geles in 1909 Mr. Scott was the principal speaker at the banquet in his honor and during the same year he presided as toastmaster at the banquet given in honor of the admirals and officers of the battleship fleet on its voyage around the world. While officiating as president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1910. Mr. Scott was sent to Wash- ington to act in the interests of San Francisco in its endeavor to secure the Panama-Pacific Ex- position in 1915. In recognition of his successful work he was elected honorary vice-president of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company. Not only that great enterprise. but in addition all movements for the expansion of the west and particularly for the development of the state receive his cordial support. To such citi- zens as he may be attributed the remarkable progress made by California in the past and its hopeful outlook upon the future.


The importance of educational work has ap- pealed to Mr. Scott, who as president of the board of education for five years and as a member for a considerably longer period proved most helpful in divorcing the schools from politics and in mak- ing efficiency the sole tests for teachers. The City Teachers' Club elected him to honorary mem- bership as a tribute of appreciation concerning the value of his services. In 1911 he was invited to address the general convention of the National Educational Association on the subject of ade- quate remuneration for teachers. The result of his forceful address was so pronounced that a committee was appointed to determine the best means of promoting the purposes emphasized in his address. Along the line of his profession he


is prominently connected with the Los Angeles. California State and American Bar Associations. while diverse interests are indicated by member- ship in the Archaeological Institute of America. the executive committee of the Southwest Society and the vice-presidency of the Southwest Museum. As a member of the charter revision committee he assisted in framing the present charter. His


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marriage took place June 6, 1898, and united him with Miss Bertha Roth of Los Angeles, by whom he has had a family of eight children, namely: Joseph, Jr., Mary, Alfonso, George, Cuthbert, John Patrick, Helen and Josephine. He is a director of the Newman Club, a director of the Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Los Angeles Athletic, Celtic, California and Sun- set Clubs.


JAMES CALHOUN DRAKE. A wide range of interests and successful endeavor is re- vealed in a study of the career of James Cal- houn Drake, president of the Los Angeles Trust & Savings Bank and the leading factor in the organization of that well-known financial con- cern. By men familiar with his profound knowl- edge of the field of finance, accustomed to his quick decisions in banking affairs and accepting his leadership in all problems pertaining to trusts, loans and savings, it is commonly presumed that he has been trained to the banking business from boyhood and that there has been no interruption to his steadfast identification with financial insti- tutions. Such, however, is far from being the case; natural ability as much as experience is responsible for his almost unerring judgment in affairs of a banking character. Much of his life has been given to a pursuit radically distinct from his present business, which dates back to his acceptance in 1896 of a position on the direc- torate of the First National Bank of Los Angeles. From that date to the present he has continued his association with that popular institution, but in addition thereto he has officiated as president of the Los Angeles Trust & Savings Bank ever since its organization. The high standing of the con- cern may be attributed largely to his wise leader- ship and efficient management, supplemented by the efficiency of trained assistants and the co- operation of capable co-workers.


It was not to banking but to naval affairs that the ambitions of James Calhoun Drake turned in the aspiring period of his early youth. A son of Wesley and Martha (Kellum) Drake, he was born at Cincinnati, Washington county, Ark., July 26, 1858, and received an excellent public- school education in his native commonwealth. Having passed the required examination with a high standing he was admitted to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., where


he took the regular course of training and was graduated in 1880 at the age of about twenty- two. Immediately after graduation he was as- signed to a war vessel that subsequently cruised in all parts of the world. Upon his return to the United States he was united in marriage with Miss Fanny Wilcox April 23, 1893, and in 1896 he resigned from the rank of lieutenant in the navy, in order that he might establish a home in Los Angeles. From that time to the present he has devoted himself closely to banking affairs, civic activities and to the directorship in the Pa- cific Mutual Life Insurance Company and the Southern California Edison Company. Availing himself of the privileges of the California, Los Angeles Country and Los Angeles Athletic Clubs, he has held an honored place in the membership of each and has promoted their progressive pro- jects through his tactful, efficient assistance. In- deed it would be difficult to mention any organiza- tion for the benefit of the city that has failed of his sympathy or been refused his generous aid, and he easily ranks among the most progressive men in a city whose proud boast is that every citizen is loyal to her welfare and solicitous to promote her permanent growth.


WALTER JONES TRASK. Sturdy New England ancestry, dating back to the seventeenth century, contributed to the late Walter Jones Trask those sterling traits of character which shaped his splendid career. These progenitors were in nearly every case residents of South Jefferson, Lincoln county, Me., where Mr. Trask was born July 6, 1862, son of Kiah B. and Mary Jane (Dunton) Trask. He received his elementary schooling in the public schools of Lincoln county, this being supplemented by a course at Nicholas Latin School of Lewiston, and the Waterville (Me.) Classical Institute. When he completed these studies he went to Boston, took a position in the Waltham Watch factory, and for a year studied law at night. This proved the foundation of a broad legal information, and when at the end of this year he removed to St. Paul, Minn., he entered the office of Judge Ste- vens, where in a short time he was enabled to take the examination, and in 1884 was admitted to the bar of that state. While practicing in St. Paul Mr. Trask was associated with W. D. War-


Los Patton


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ner, one of the leading mercantile lawyers of the state, and then was with Judge John Lovely, the latter an ex-Justice of the Supreme Court of Min- nesota.


In 1890 Mr. Trask came to Los Angeles and became a law clerk in the office of Judge John D. Bicknell, where he so established his record as a trial lawyer that he soon became a member of the firm, which was known first as Bicknell & Trask, later as Bicknell, Gibson & Trask; Bick- nell, Gibson, Trask, Dunn & Crutcher; Gibson, Trask, Dunn & Crutcher, respectively, the last form of business title being retained until his death, which took place May 9, 1911, in Los Angeles.


Mr. Trask was married in St. Paul March 6, 1885, and one daughter, Carolyne, was born to this union. Later, March 19, 1892, he married in Los Angeles Miss Victoria Harrell. Independent in politics, he ever evinced the public-spirited citi- zen's interest in the common welfare and loyally filled his place as a good citizen. He was presi- dent of the Los Angeles Bar Association in 1910, and socially affiliated with the Jonathan, Cali- fornia and Craig Country Clubs.


GEORGE SMITH PATTON. Tracing his genealogy back in a direct line to before the Revolutionary period in America, and being directly descended from Mildred Washington, an own aunt of George Washington, George Smith Patton claims among his forebears some of the most illustrious of Americans. The male members of the family are especially patriotic and have a strong tendency to the military service of the country, Mr. Patton himself hav- ing received a military education, and his only son, George Smith Patton III, being a graduate of West Point Military Academy, and now serving as a lieutenant in the Fifteenth United States Cavalry. Mr. Patton is a lawyer by profession and was for many years a member of the firm of Glassell, Smith & Patton, attor- neys at law, in Los Angeles. In 1894 he retired from practice, and has since resided at San Gabriel. where he has a beautiful country home.


Mr. Patton is a native of Virginia, born at Charleston, September 30, 1856, the son of George Smith and Susan Thornton (Glassell) Patton. His father was a colonel in the Twenty-


second Virginia Infantry, serving with distinc- tion in the Civil war, and was killed at the battle of Winchester, September 19, 1864. George Smith II was educated in the Virginia Military Academy, at Lexington, Va., and later studied law in that city. In 1878 he came to California, was admitted to the bar in Los Angeles two years later, and ever since locating in the state has made his home in Los Angeles or San Gabriel. Prominent in his profession for many years, he was acknowledged to be a man of more than ordinary ability and an attor- ney of great power, and served as district attorney of Los Angeles county in 1884. In his political views he is a Democrat, and has taken an influential part in the affairs of his party in this county.


The marriage of Mr. Patton and Miss Ruth Wilson took place in San Gabriel, December 10, 1884. Mrs. Patton is the daughter of Ben- jamin D. and Margaret Wilson, her father being one of the first Americans to come to Los Angeles, and for many years was one of the most influential citizens of this part of the state, and an extensive land owner of the county, owning property in various portions, from the mountains to the sea. She bore her husband two children, both of whom are well and favorably known in Los Angeles county, of which they are natives. Of these, the elder is George Smith Patton III, before mentioned, who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with the class of 1909; he is married to Miss Beatrice Ayer, of Boston, Mass. Anne Wilson Patton is unmarried and resides at the family home in San Gabriel.


Mr. Patton claims among other distinguished ancestors, Gen. Hugh Mercer, who commanded the Virginia troops under Washington, and who was killed at Princeton. Both General Mercer and Mildred Washington are characters of national repute and their biographies have been so often recorded that they need no more than a mention here. Mr. Patton has never been engaged in military service himself, but has always taken a keen interest in the welfare of his country. He is a member of the Protes- tant Episcopal Church, and has been a vestry- man at the Church of Our Savior at San Gabriel for more than twenty-five years. He is also a charter member of the California Club, in Los Angeles.


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JAY SPENCE. Cashier, secretary, treasurer and director Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank. Residence, No. 445 South Serrano avenne ; office, Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank Bldg., Los Angeles, Cal. Born in Chicago, Ill., January 5, 1869; son of James Andrew and Cor- nelia Ann (Soule) Spence. Married to Estelle Minier in 1895. Educated in the public schools of Fond du Lac, Wis. Messenger German- America Savings Bank, Fond du Lac, Wis., 1882- 86; bookkeeper Wisconsin Land & Lumber Co., Hermansville, Mich., 1886-88. Moved to Pomona, Cal., in 1888 and became bookkeeper and teller for First National Bank, which office he held until 1897, when he was appointed assistant cashier ; cashier Bank of Oxnard, Oxnard, Cal., 1899-1902 ; president same, 1902-1905; president Oxnard Savings Bank, Oxnard, Cal., 1904-05; cashier and secretary Metropolitan Bank and Trust Com- pany, Los Angeles, 1905 to date; secretary Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank, 1909-1910; cashier and secretary, 1910 to date. Served as member first board of trustees, Oxnard, Cal., 1903-05 ; trustee and clerk board of trustees Union High School district, Oxnard, Cal., 1902-05; member Jonathan Club; Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce ; Masonic fraternity ; Shrine; Automo- bile Club of Southern California.


URIAH R. BOWERS. The descent of Uriah R. Bowers is from two of the oldest German fam- ilies of America, coming from German-American pioneer settlers on the mother's side, as well as the father's. The progenitor of the Bowers family in this country was Michael Bowers, who was born in Germany and who came to America in colonial times. The paternal grandfather of Uriah R. Bowers was Jacob R., born at Lancaster, Pa., then called Maryland, near the Mason and Dixon line as established by governmental survey at a later date ; he was a Revolutionary soldier, who fought for the cause of independence, and became the father of John Bowers, born in Bedford county, Pa., who learned the carpenter's trade, and later moved West and owned a dry goods and general supply store at Uniontown, Ohio. This John Bow- ers was married to Barbara Myers, and they be- came the parents of ten children, of whom Uriah


R., born near Canton, Stark county, Ohio, on February 5, 1837, was the seventh in number. The father was an ardent supporter of President Andrew Jackson, and even though he met his own financial ruin in the panic following Jackson's annihilation of the old United States Bank, John Bowers yet remained the loyal supporter of Pres- ident Jackson. He died when his son Uriah was a lad of only fourteen years.


The son learned his first lessons in carpentry from his father and at the age of seventeen years was apprenticed to his brother-in-law, Andrew Richard, a joiner of note, soon becoming a first- class carpenter. At twenty-three years of age, Uriah R. Bowers enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, soon being detailed to do hospital duty, where he saw much of the wounded and suffer- ing in the Federal military hospitals at Cincin- nati, Louisville, Murfreesboro and Nashville for three years, being honorably discharged in 1865, at the close of the war, after which he returned to Ohio for a short time. By his long experience in the hospital service, he had gained considerable knowledge of medicine, and going to Plainfield, Ill., he engaged in the drug business. Returning to Ohio, he remained there eighteen years, where he was a trusted employe of the Aultman & Miller Company, manufacturers of reapers, mow- ers and threshing machines. In 1883 he moved to Iowa and lived at Le Mars until 1887, when he went to Chicago and remained until July of 1888. At that time he with his family removed to Los Angeles, Cal., and thereafter the family was con- nected with the paint and varnish business on an extensive scale until recently.


Mr. Bowers' younger son William, who died in 1905, was the real founder of the well-known firm of U. R. Bowers & Sons in Los Angeles. Soon after coming to this city in 1888, the son William engaged as a clerk for a Mr. Blackburn, who conducted a retail paint store at No. 418 South Spring street, Los Angeles. When Mr. Blackburn decided to sell out his business, young Bowers prevailed upon his father to furnish the money to purchase the business, which he did, and the business was continued under the name of U. R. Bowers & Sons at the same address for several years. At first small, the business pros- pered and expanded, largely by reason of the ability and energy of the two sons of Mr. Bowers, until they established a paint manufactory, with


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wholesale and jobbing departments, and ran a big business at their new address, Nos. 942 and 944 South Main street. On January 1, 1909, Mr. Bowers sold to his elder son his interest in the large wholesale and retail paint store and paint manufacturing business, and retired from busi- ness, the son continuing the same until April, 1914, when he sold out to W. P. Fuller & Co., and is now engaged in the real estate business in Los Angeles.


The first marriage of Uriah R. Bowers took place in the latter part of the year 1865, uniting him with Alma J. Clay, to whom he had been engaged while a soldier, and their two sons were born at Akron, Ohio, namely, Harry Clay Bow- ers, now a real estate man of Los Angeles, and William H. Bowers, who died in 1905, leaving a wife but no children and having been the real founder of the large paint company known as U. R. Bowers & Sons. The death of Mr. Bowers' first wife occurred in 1894, she being then fifty- four years old, and in 1901 he was married to Miss Elizabeth M. Ralston, daughter of James Ralston, she being a native of Pittsburg, Pa. Mr. Bowers is now seventy-eight years old, well known and highly respected in the city of Los Angeles, where he has built several fine resi- dences and has for ten years lived retired from active business life. He has built a commodious residence at No. 1708 South Wall street, where he and his wife reside, their home being cheerful and well ordered, one of its greatest treasures be- ing his grandmother's Bible, a large book printed in Germany in 1720 in the German type.


Mr. Bowers has lived a clean, active and use- ful life, is a strict Presbyterian and a consistent Christian, and throws his influence on the side of right and of good government. He is an en- thusiast for Southern California and Los Angeles, and active in the councils of the Third Presby- terian Church of this city, of which he is an elder.


HARRY CLAY BOWERS. The son of the well-known Uriah R. Bowers, a business man of Los Angeles, Harry Clay Bowers was for many years a member of the large paint and varnish company known as the U. R. Bowers & Sons Company. Born at Akron, Ohio, July 16, 1867, Harry Clay Bowers was one of two sons, the


younger, William, who was also a member of the said firm, having died in Los Angeles in 1905. The education of Mr. Bowers was received at the public schools of Akron, Ohio, and Le Mars, Iowa, where he graduated in 1886. Coming to Los Angeles in 1888, he worked for two years as a drug clerk, and later, with his father and brother as partners, started in the paint business at No. 418 South Spring street, where they had bought out the business of J. M. Blackburn, with whom the brother William had been employed. The business, though a small one at that time, devel- oped into a large wholesale and retail paint and varnish business under the name of U. R. Bow- ers & Sons. This company was the first to man- ufacture paint in Southern California, establish- ing that branch of the business in 1898. On Jan- uary 1, 1909, the father sold out his interest therein to the son, who then organized the West- ern Paint Grinding Company, merging it with the former company in 1911, also becoming president of the Bowers Sign Company, outdoor advertis- ers who handled bulletin painting and bill posting. In April, 1914, Mr. Bowers sold out the paint business to W. P. Fuller & Co., and in Novem- ber of that year disposed of the advertising bus- iness to T. H. B. Varney. He has since devoted himself to the real estate business in Los Angeles, under the firm name of Horton & Bowers, with offices at No. 640 I. N. Van Nuys building.


By his marriage in 1896, Mr. Bowers was united with Miss Mattie Davis, and they have one child, Harry Bowers. Mr. Bowers is connected with various clubs and associations in Los An- geles, of both business and social interest, among them being the Merchants and Manufacturers' Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Credit Men's Association and the Los Angeles Athletic and Auto Clubs.


Our country has no more loyal citizens and supporters than those of foreign birth or parentage, and it is gratifying to note, even in early days, the loyalty displayed by the sons of other lands who had made their homes in Amer- ica. Thus it has been with the Bowers family, whose earliest representative in this country was Michael Bowers, a native of Germany, who came to America in its colonial days. Jacob R. Bowers, the great-grandfather of Harry Clay Bowers, was born in a section of the state of Pennsylvania then called Maryland, near the Mason and Dixon line as it was later established, and became a Revolu-




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