USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > A history of California and an extended history of Los Angeles and environs, Biographical, Volume III > Part 24
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His work requiring his constant presence on the scene of activities, Senator Dorsey made his home in Arkansas, and while actively engaged in his railroad enterprises became an important factor in the policies of that section. Being a strong supporter of the Republican party, he soon became a leader of that locality, and in 1868 was elected a delegate to the Republican National Convention which nominated Gen. U. S. Grant, his old commander, for the presidency of the United States. He again attended the National Conventions in 1872, 1876, 1880 and 1884, and served as a member of the Republican national committee during those years. In 1872 he was assistant secretary of the commit- tee, in 1876 was made vice chairman, and in 1880 became chairman, having charge of the campaign which resulted in the election of President Garfield.
Although not a candidate for office, Senator Dorsey was elected to the United States Senate in 1875, in opposition to Thomas M. Bowen, the "carpet bag candidate." receiving practically the entire Democratic vote in addition to the solid Republican vote, polling one hundred and four votes in the legislature out of a possible one hundred and nineteen.
The sterling qualities of the man had already been heralded abroad in the capitol city, and immediately the new senator from Arkansas
leaped into prominence. On the first day of his service he was appointed to various im- portant committees, including a place on the appropriation committee, the chairmanship of the District of Columbia committee, and mem- bership in the railroad committee, which posi- tions he continued to fill during his term of office.
The bitter strife in the Republican party dur- ing the early '80s caught Senator Dorsey be- neath the wheel, and the ensuing struggle so embittered him that his political career ended with that one term in the senate. As a result of the bitter contest between the Conkling- Grant wing of the party, which Senator Dorsey favored, and the Blaine wing, the latter faction attacked him, bringing charges of frauds in the mail service. The trial at which the matter was sifted to the very bottom, followed and lasted for almost a year. The prosecution during this time gathered more than twelve thousand let- ters written by Dorsey in the hope of finding evidence of a compromising nature, but failed. The United States judge sitting in the case stated in his charge to the jury that there was no just cause for action and no evidence that Senator Dorsey was in any way connected with any fraud or conspiracy, and he was acquitted without the jurors leaving their seats.
Since that time Senator Dorsey has taken no active part in politics and has devoted his entire ability to his business interests. For many years he has been interested in mining, having become associated with several large ventures in the southwest and in Mexico as far back as 1873. In that year he also acquired an interest in the mines in Central City, Colo., together with the late Senator Chaffee of Colorado. They operated together for several years, and in 1878 became interested in mines in Leadville, Colo., where they met with great success. Senator Dorsey also became interested in the Silver Cliff and Aspen mines, the latter a famous silver property. At the time of the Cripple Creek discoveries in 1891 he acquired valuable properties there which he held and operated for many years afterward. Other prop- erties held by this capable man are in Arizona, Southern California, and Sonora, Mexico, his Arizona holdings including an interest in the Gold Roads Extension Company and in the copper district of Clifton. He has been actively
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interested in the operation and development of all these properties, and from his home in Los Angeles has kept in close touch with every- thing pertaining to his various companies.
Senator Dorsey is a man of an unusually wide range of interests, and his commercial pursuits and political activities have by no means engaged his entire time and attention. He is remarkably well informed on a variety of topics quite beyond the range of the usual business man, and is associated with a number of scientific societies of international reputation and influence. Among these are the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Archaeological Society, the Society of Engineers and Metal- lurgy, the International Club, and the Phillis Court Club (Henley), all of London, England ; the Army and Navy Club, of New York, and the Military Order of the Legion of Honor. Locally he is connected with the California Club, the Los Angeles Country Club and the San Gabriel Valley Country Club.
HOWARD SHIELDS KING. The manager of the great Bixby Ranch, near Compton, Cal., is Howard Shields King, a native of Cherokee county, Iowa, where he was born March 3, 1874, the son of Abraham King of Boston and Mary (Thompson) King, a native of Wisconsin. How- ard King was one of eight children, namely: Abraham L. (now residing at Palms, Cal.), Edith, Mamie, Frank, Fred, Howard, Oscar and Walter. In 1881 the family removed to Santa Monica, Cal., then a town of only three houses, and there the father purchased forty acres of land whereon he engaged in farming for many years. One who sees the Santa Monica of today, a pretty town upon a cliff, with a line of hand- some hotels and summer cottages along the paved beach, would not guess that forty years ago the little city was subdivided from the old Rancho San Vicente, a name perpetuated today in the beautiful and rapidly growing residence section. Mr. King grew up on his father's farm in the early days of Santa Monica, and he and one of his brothers plowed the ground for the Soldiers' Home at Sawtelle a few miles distant and raised the first flag over the site for the institution. Governor Brown and Colonel Tracle, who were in charge of the Home, gave them the honor of
the first flag, and it was run up on an old syca- more tree on the grounds, the boys being prom- ised a medal from Congress for their co-opera- tion. That was almost twenty years ago, and the comfortable buildings of the Soldiers' Home stand today surrounded by orange, lemon and other fruit trees. Time has brought many changes at Mr. King's early home also. . The farm land is now known as the Lobier place ; the father, a minister by profession, is now preach- ing at the United Brethren church at Modesto, Cal .; and Howard King, the son, is engaged at the Bixby Ranch near Compton, proving himself a first-class man for the place.
In 1902 Mr. King had a fine dairy of two hun- dred Holstein and Durham cows near Long Beach, Cal., which he sold out, however, to take the management of about two thousand acres of the famous Bixby Ranch, which is one of the best kept and largest in the county. The original owner of this ranch, Jotham Bixby, purchased it in 1865 and stocked it with sheep, it being the old Los Cerritos Ranch, a portion of which is com- prised within the limits of the modern city of Long Beach. Mr. King keeps this vast estate in first class order, having under his supervision two hundred and twenty head of high-grade Hol- stein cows, as well as five hundred acres devoted to the growing of sugar beets, two hundred acres of corn and three hundred of alfalfa, an estate whereon twenty-one men are employed and do a business of $100,000 yearly.
Mr. King married Miss Mina Andrews of this state, and they are the parents of six children, namely : Nellie, Pauline, Gloria, Florence, Paul and Sedley. Mr. King is a member of the Elks of Long Beach.
FREDERICK W. CARTER. Although a resident of California only since 1906, during that time Frederick W. Carter has met with splen- did success in his various business undertakings and is today one of the most loyal and enthus- iastic boosters that the Southland possesses. At present he is the owner of a fine five-acre orange ranch at Covina, from which in 1914, he took one of the finest crops of oranges harvested in the entire citrus belt.
Mr. Carter is a native of Illinois, having been born in De Kalb county April 2, 1859. In 1870, when he was eleven years of age, the family re-
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moved to Kansas, locating in Wilson county, where his father again engaged in farming, this having been his occupation in Illinois as well. Here the son grew to young manhood, receiving his education in the public schools of the district and working on the farm with his father. Later he engaged in farming on his own account, rais- ing and shipping cattle for the markets. It was in 1906 that Mr. Carter came to California, locat- ing at Glendale, where he remained for a year and a half. During this time he purchased a lot upon which he erected a commodious house, and here he engaged in the carpenter business. In 1907 he exchanged this property for a five-acre ranch at Covina, on Vincent street, which he im- proved, setting out orange trees and beautifying the place generally. At the end of two and a half years, he sold this property at a profit of $3500 on his investment of $1000. Later, in 1910, he purchased his present place, likewise of five acres, on Puente street, then a barley field, and for which he paid $600 per acre. This he improved by the erection of a modern bungalow and by setting out an orange grove, and he now values it at $2000 per acre. For six years he was super- intendent of picking for the Irwindale Citrus As- sociation and had charge of large crews of orange pickers, this being a position similar to the one he now fills with the Riley Citrus Packing Company.
Mr. Carter has many friends and acquaintances outside of his business association. He is a member of the Masons, and is affiliated with the Fredonia (Kansas) Constellation Lodge, No. 95. He was married to Miss A. Hayes of Kentucky, who died in 1914, leaving two sons, Frederick W. and Arthur G. Mr. Carter has also become in- terested in many of the most substantial business enterprises of Covina and vicinity and is a stock- holder in the Covina National Bank.
WILLARD ARNOTT. Though a native of the state of Michigan, where he was born at Grand Rapids, February 2, 1876, Willard Arnott, president of the Los Angeles firm of Arnott & Company, wholesalers of agricultural implements, has spent the greater portion of his life in South- ern California, having removed to Los Angeles in 1892. Mr. Arnott's father, George Arnott, was born in Cambridge, N. Y., in 1848, and received his education at the State University at Ann Ar-
bor, Mich. Shortly after he removed to Dallas, Texas, where he was engaged in the wholesale grocery business until 1876, when he returned to Michigan and went into the manufacture of vari- ous woodenware products at Grand Rapids. Con- tinuing in this occupation until March, 1893, he then disposed of his Grand Rapids interests and removed to Los Angeles, where he established the firm of Arnott & Sumner, handling agricultural implements, and later consolidated his business with that of Newell Mathews, forming the Math- ews & Arnott Company, which was later dis- solved, Mr. Arnott's business then being under the name of Arnott & Company, the firm being composed of George Arnott and his son Willard.
After his graduation Willard Arnott engaged in business with his father and after receiving a thorough training in all departments was admitted as a partner in 1899, and after the death of George Arnott, July 8, 1906, succeeded him as president of the company, which at the present time is carrying on a large business throughout Central and Southern California.
Willard Arnott was married to Miss Bessie May Rowntree in Los Angeles on October 25, 1905, and they are the parents of two children, Mary Helen, aged three years, and Willard, Jr., aged one year. Willard Arnott is a member of various commercial, civic and social organiza- tions in Los Angeles and politically is identified with the Republican party.
HORACE I. BETTIS. There is no activity of state or nation more vital to the general pros- perity and public welfare than the railroad, and developments along this line have always been and always will be conducive to improvements along a multitude of other lines which tend to- ward the upbuilding of city and country and the peace and prosperity of mankind. To the men whose lives have been given to this work the nation therefore owes a debt of gratitude which it does not always express, but which is none the less vital. Horace I. Bettis, whose home was in Los Angeles for many years just preceding his death, which occurred November 14, 1913, was throughout his lifetime closely associated with various forms of railroad development in both the east and the west, and during his entire residence here was auditor of the Salt Lake Rail-
Seisclark
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road, and stood high in the esteem of the officials of that line, of which he was likewise one of the directors. He was also associated with the local street railways, and for many years was general manager of the consolidated street railways of Atlanta, Ga., besides which he was associated with the Southern Pacific and other lines in various capacities of confidence and trust. He was the author of a booklet on railroad accounting issued when he was auditor of the Paterson and New Jersey lines and resided at Passaic, N. J., and today this booklet is used as a formula by many railroads in their accounting departments.
A native of Massachusetts, Mr. Bettis was born in Salem, April 20, 1863, the son of John B. and Harriet (Hathaway) Bettis, and was descended from a long line of New England ancestry, the line originally springing from the best old English families. The mother traces her family back into ancient history, and one of her ancestors is com- memorated by a monument at Marblehead, Mass. Horace I. Bettis was reared at Salem and attend- ed the public schools there, later graduating from Norwich University at Northfield, Vt., where he took a course in civil engineering, preparing him- self for a line of work that he was destined never to follow. He completed his education, and when twenty years of age entered the service of the West End electric lines of Boston, this being his first work in railroad lines, and for three years continued with them as auditor. Following this he went to Atlanta, Ga., and assisted in the con- solidation of five street railway lines and acted as the manager for the consolidated companies for the next three years. He then went to Passaic, N. J., where he was auditor for the Paterson and New Jersey lines, and it was while thus engaged that he issued the booklet before mentioned. At the close of his service with the New Jersey roads, Mr. Bettis went to Washington, D. C., where for three years he was assistant auditor for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and then went to Omaha, Neb., where he accepted a similar posi- tion with the Salt Lake road. It was in 1903 that he came to Los Angeles as auditor for the Salt Lake, which position he occupied at the time of his death, being one of the most valued em- ployes of that great line. He had climbed rapidly in his influence with the company, and was one of the directors for many years. He was also interested in the street railway lines of Los An-
geles and was a director in the Los Angeles Street Railway Company and a heavy stockholder there- in.
ELI P. CLARK. Born near Iowa City, Iowa, November 25, 1847, Eli P. Clark is the son of Timothy B. and Elvira E. (Calkins) Clark. His father being a prosperous farmer at the time of his birth, young Clark attended the public schools of his district and of Grinnell, Iowa, and later attended Iowa College, also in that city. When he was but eighteen years of age he passed the teachers' examination and for two years taught school in his native state. At the end of that time, when he was twenty years of age, the fam- ily removed to southern Missouri, where they located on a large farm. There Eli was asso- ciated with his father in the management and working of the farm during the summer months, and in the winter taught school in the neighbor- hood of his home.
The Far West was claiming many of the bright- est young men of the period, and the alluring pos- sibilities that it offered proved the magnet neces- sary to draw young Clark, and in 1875 he crossed the plains to Prescott, Ariz., the trip requiring three months. There he met Gen. M. H. Sher- man, who afterwards became his brother-in-law. In 1877 he was appointed territorial auditor, in which position he served for five terms, or ten consecutive years, always with the greatest of suc- cess, and leaving behind him a record that is clean and worthy in every respect. While in this capacity he won the attention of Gen. John C. Fremont, then governor of Arizona, and a friend- ship sprang up between them that ended only with the death of the illustrious general. In 1878, in partnership with A. D. Adams, Mr. Clark en- gaged in the lumber business, operating under the name of Clark & Adams, and also for one year he filled an appointment as assistant post master.
In Prescott, where he continued to make his home, Mr. Clark became interested in the railway question, then of vital import in the territory, and aided materially in securing the passage of a bill by the legislature granting a subsidy of $4,000 a mile for a railroad to be built from Prescott to connect with the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad at Seligman, Ariz. Mr. Clark immediately evi- denced his further interest in the undertaking by becoming one of the organizers of the new com-
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pany, of which he was elected secretary and treas- urer. The organization, franchises and property rights were turned over to Thomas S. Bullock of New York, who built the road and put it in operation within the following year. After be- ing successfully operated for ten years this line was taken over by the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railway, and has since been operated as a part of the Santa Fe system.
It was in 1891 that Mr. Clark came to Los An- geles to be associated with his brother-in-law, General Sherman, in the construction and opera- tion of electric railways in the city and surround- ing country. The Los Angeles Consolidated Rail- road Company was formed, with General Sher- man as president, and Mr. Clark as vice-president and general manager. All local lines were con- solidated in 1894, and Mr. Clark, reaching out for new interests, acquired a local horse-car line in Pasadena, and was interested in the construc- tion of the Pasadena and Los Angeles Interurban Line, which was in operation in 1895. The growth of the beach district also gave great opportunities for successful enterprises, and the Los Angeles Pacific Railway between Los Angeles and Santa Monica was opened for traffic April 1, 1896. Mr. Clark was largely instrumental in the organiza- tion of this company, and was the president and general manager from the time of organization until the fall of 1909, when the property passed into the control of the Southern Pacific. The building of these lines, radiating from the city through the prosperous and productive region round about, was an enterprise which did much for the added prosperity of the community. The increased valuation of real estate in the regions penetrated by the railways, and in the cities thus brought into close association with Los Angeles, was very decided. It meant the settling of the large tracts thus opened and brought into contact with the city markets, and this in turn called later on for additional transportation facilities and more railways. The opportunities offered in the northern country appealed to Mr. Clark, and in 1906 he organized and became president of the Mt. Hood Railway and Power Company, at Port- land, Ore. The project was put on a successful operating basis, and later Mr. Clark sold his in- terest therein to the Portland Railway Light & Power Company of Portland.
From the time that he first came to California Mr. Clark has been interested in the development
of the resources of the country and has invested heavily in real estate, using such wisdom and fore- sight that his holdings have materially increased in value. Quite recently he erected the Hotel Clark, a magnificent, fire-proof building, eleven stories above ground and two below, and admit- tedly one of the handsomest structures in the city. Other business undertakings are those of the Clark & Sherman Land Company, of which he is president; the Main Street Company and the Sinaloa Land Company, being vice-president of the two organizations last mentioned.
Mr. Clark has taken especial interest in Po- mona College, at Claremont, of which institution he is a member of the board of trustees. The local Young Men's Christian Association benefits by his support, and needless to say receives even more than is asked in every particular. In his church affiliation Mr. Clark is a member of the First Congregational church, and has served for many years on its board of trustees. Socially he is a member of the California Club, the Los Angeles Country Club, the University Club and the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Prominent local civic organizations also claim his membership and support, such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Trade, Realty Board, etc.
The marriage of Mr. Clark occurred April 8, 1880, at Prescott, Ariz., when he was united with Miss Lucy H. Sherman. She has borne him four children, three daughters and a son, all of whom are well known in Los Angeles, and de- servedly popular with a large circle of friends. Although now past his sixty-sixth year, Mr. Clark is still in the full strength of his splendid man- hood and a power in the affairs of the city, com- munity and state. He has retired from railroad interests, his extensive real estate enterprises claiming his entire attention.
JAMES PINKERTON McALLISTER. For a number of years, or until death ceased his labors May 27, 1914, James Pinkerton McAllister was a well-known manufacturer in Los Angeles. A native of Ireland, he was born in County London- derry, August 25, 1842, the son of John and Elizabeth ( Pinkerton) McAllister. While he was still too young to realize his loss he was orphaned by the death of his father, and when he was ten he was bereaved indeed, his mother passing away
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at that time. Thus left alone in the world, his struggles for a livelihood began at an age when most boys are care-free. However, he managed to secure some education, for it is recorded that he attended the National schools of Ireland until he was fifteen. The fact that he had no home ties, however, seemed to create a wandering spirit in the youth, and it was thus that his travels finally brought him to America.
Sailing from Liverpool in February, 1857, he landed in New York with thirty shillings in his pocket. He had no friends or acquaintances in this country, nor any definite idea of what he was to do for a living, but was fortunate in obtaining employment on a farm in Orange county, N. Y. Better still, his employers proved to be true friends and provided him with a good home. At a wage of $4 a month he remained on the farm for about a year.
In 1858 Mr. McAllister bade farewell to these friends, whom he ever regarded as fine types of Americans, and went out in search of employ- ment which would pay him better for his services. He halted at Pittsburgh, Pa., for a season and worked on the river boats, but in the spring he left this life and obtained employment as a driver in the Pittsburgh Fire Department. He was then only seventeen years of age. This place he filled only a few months, however, for in the fall of 1860, he started for the Pacific coast and landed in San Francisco in December. He was not of the body of men lured by the stories of the golden harvest in California, but was moved by a boy's curiosity to see the "Big Trees" of Calaveras county. After gazing upon the great natural cu- riosities he turned his attention to placer mining, but barely made a living.
After mining for several years in California Mr. McAllister left in November, 1863, for Vir- ginia City, Nev., with his blankets on his back and $2.50 in gold dust in his pockets, a journey of two hundred miles over snow-clad mountains be- fore him. Desiring to hoard his small supply of money as much as possible, at Stanislaus river he endeavored to work his way across the ferry, but the ferryman refused to permit him to do so, and Mr. McAllister, ignoring the fact that the water was ice cold, tied his outfit on his back and swam across. After reaching the other side he rested for a time, then donned snowshoes and resumed his journey across the mountains. At Silver Val- ley, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, he obtained
employment on a ranch, receiving for his labor $1 a day. He chopped trees all day and at night slept in a buffalo robe, with the snow for his bed. At the end of two weeks he left this place and took up his walk to Virginia City, arriving there in the early part of 1864.
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