USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > A history of California and an extended history of Los Angeles and environs, Biographical, Volume III > Part 40
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Without any collegiate or university advan- tages and lacking even academy advantages, Norman Bridge left high school and during the winter of 1862-63 taught a country school, while in 1864 he was a postoffice clerk at Sycamore and in 1865 a fire insurance agent in Grundy county. Meanwhile he had studied Latin and Greek for two years and had taken up a course in medicine through private study. During 1866-67 he at- tended the medical department of the University of Michigan and in 1868 he was graduated from the Northwestern University with the degree of M. D. The same degree was conferred upon him by Rush Medical College in 1879, and in 1889 he received the degree of A. M. from Lake Forest College. With the spirit of self-help manifest in his character from boyhood he devoted his vaca- tion months to the harvesting and the threshing of grain on the farm of his father near Malta. Immediately after graduation he became an in- structor in medicine. It seems little short of re- markable that from 1868 to the present time his name has appeared as member of the faculty of some medical college, first for two years with his alma mater, then for three years with the Woman's Medical College of Chicago, and since early in 1874 with the Rush Medical College (now the medical department of the University of Chicago), in which he is now emeritus professor of medicine. For nearly twenty years he was an attending physician in Cook county hospital and in the Presbyterian hospital of Chicago. His first position in Rush came as the result of a contest in lecturing before the faculty and students. At that time medical colleges were on a low plane of professional service. Conditions of admission were very low and only two courses of lectures were required for graduation. The trustees were mostly members of the faculty. Realizing the great need of improvement, Dr. Bridge devoted himself strenuously to the secur-
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ing of longer courses, higher standards, more day in a libel on the professional character of Dr. laboratory work and university connection. As a result of his progressive policy Rush, now a department of the great University of Chicago, has a course of study formidable in comparison with that of the '70s, and the graduates are far better qualified for success than those of the earlier period. Both professional men and the general public appreciate the importance of the change.
Through the decade of the '80s Dr. Bridge accepted appointive public office for seven years, first as a member of the Chicago Board of Educa- tion for three years and afterward as the Repub- lican election commissioner for four years. Each political appointment came as a surprise and without solicitation. Carter Harrison, Sr., ten- dered him the appointment to the school board and Judge Richard Prendergast offered him the commissionership. As soon as he had qualified on the school board he was chosen vice-president and soon was raised to the presidency to fill out the fractional year, after which he was elected for a full year. As he was stanchly Republican and the board consisted of twice as many Demo- crats as Republicans, it will be seen that politics did not enter into his selection, which was a tribute to his fine mental endowments, his execu- tive ability and capacity for leadership. The law required that at least one member of the board of election commissioners should be a Republican, and he was selected as representative of his party. The other two commissioners were Democrats and the county court also was Democratic. His first appointment was for the fractional part of a year. Near the end of the period the Tribune, the leading Republican organ, began to attack his Republicanism because he had a personal friend who edited a rival daily. In one of its Sunday issues the Tribune contained a severe editorial attack upon him because of his alleged failure to accomplish a certain result in the canvassing board on the previous Friday. It happened that the Doctor had most earnestly endeavored to accomplish the end desired, but had been out- voted, as the Tribune on Saturday had truthfully reported. On Monday both the Daily News and the Inter-Ocean printed in parallel paragraphs the two articles of Saturday and Sunday, exposing their inconsistency. This led to renewed attacks on the part of the Tribune and renewed retorts from the other publications, culminating on Sun-
Bridge on the part of the Tribune. Accompanied by his attorney, the Doctor visited the editorial office of the attacking paper and held a restrained conversation with the editor. The following day an editorial apology and correction ap- peared on the editorial page of the Tribune, and at the end of his appointive year, which occurred during the week of the newspaper war, the county judge re-appointed the Doctor for a full term of three years, which he served without further attacks, and with satisfaction to all and much honor to himself.
The marriage of Dr. Bridge in 1874 united him with Miss Mae Manford, daughter of the late Rev. Erasmus and Hannah (Bryant) Manford, the former a Universalist clergyman of the old school for more than a half century and mean- time a publisher of various denominational periodicals. Dr. and Mrs. Bridge visited Europe in 1889 and 1896, and on both occasions he visited the hospitals of Berlin, Vienna, Munich, Dresden, Geneva, Strassburg, Heidelberg and Erlangen. A subsequent European trip in 1906 was devoted to business, leaving no leisure for professional re- search.
Considerations of health caused Dr. Bridge to remove from Chicago to Southern California in January, 1891. For a time he made his home in Sierra Madre, but in 1894 removed to Pasa- dena, and from there came to Los Angeles during 1910. Upon regaining his health he resumed his professional lectures in Rush Medical College. From 1893 until 1900 he continued autumn work in the Presbyterian hospital, while the college lectures were not discontinued until 1905, but at that time, through pressure of great and growing business responsibilities, he permanently con- cluded college and hospital work and lessened his professional practice. However, he has not wholly withdrawn from medical writing and liis articles still appear on occasion in leading medical journals. Four books represent his contribution to the permanent literature of the period, namely : The Penalties of Taste, Rewards of Taste, House- Health and Tuberculosis, the last-named being a re-cast of his college lectures on the subject. Associations benefiting by his membership include the following: American Climatological Associa- tion (of which he served as president for a year ) , Association of American Physicians, American Academy of Medicine, Wisconsin Academy of
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Science, Arts and Letters, Los Angeles Academy of Sciences, Los Angeles County, California State and American Medical Associations, the Union League, Hamilton and University Clubs of Chi- cago, Sierra Madre Club, Los Angeles Athletic Club, California, University and Sunset Clubs of Los Angeles, Annandale and Midwick Country Clubs.
Throughout all of his life Dr. Bridge states that he has been a debtor to the joy of work. With him a vacation is a change, not a cessation, of activity. The leisure hours from professional labors have been filled with some work for the educational welfare of the community or for the general public good. For many years he has served as a trustee of Throop Polytechnic Insti- tute in Pasadena, which he has seen develop from a small academy into a college of technology of the highest standard. As president of the board he has been a most efficient contributor to this gratifying condition. Interest in education also has led him to take an active part in the growing development of the Los Angeles State Normal School and the other institutions well-known throughout the southwest. During 1900 he was elected a member of the board of freeholders of Pasadena, which framed a new charter for the city and was largely instrumental in its adoption.
Associated with E. L. Doheny and the late Charles A. Canfield, after 1906 Dr. Bridge became a factor in oil and gas development. Much of his time is now devoted to his large petroleum interests. At this writing he is vice-president and treasurer of the Mexican Petroleum Company and the Huesteca Petroleum Company, secretary and treasurer of the American Petroleum Com- pany and the American Oilfields Company, also vice-president and treasurer of the Mexican National Gas Company. While many of the oil interests lie in California, not a few have been connected with Mexico, and as business frequent- ly takes him to that republic, he has formed a number of warm friendships with prominent men of that country, where notwithstanding the vicis- situdes and changes in the government he has suffered few losses aside from such as are en- tailed through temporary cessation of develop- ment work. The executive ability of Dr. Bridge appears in every professional and business pur- suit, but is nowhere more in evidence than in his oil companies, and it is typical of the singular breadth of his achievements that he should have
entered an industry to which men had devoted their entire lives, yet quickly equalled them in knowledge of most intricate affairs and in judg- ment concerning profitable fields for oil develop- ment. To such citizens is the great region by the western sea indebted for its rapid advance- ment in every line of endeavor and in every worthy department of human activity.
BRUCE H. CASS. For more than twenty- five years Bruce H. Cass has been a resident of Los Angeles, and throughout that time he has been closely associated with the business life of the city and a prominent factor in its development both commercially and in matters of civic prog- ress. He came first to the city in 1888, removing from Oklahoma, where he had resided for a number of years, and where he was well and favorably known. Arriving here he engaged in the hardware business in conjunction with his brother, under the firm name of Cass Brothers Stove Company. Later there were several changes in the membership of the firm and the name has since been known as the Cass-Smurr- Damerel Company. Of this new company Mr. Cass was elected president and as such has served since. The business of the concern has grown and expanded under the able management of the president, and is now one of the most substantial firms of the city.
Mr. Cass is a native of New York, born in Albion, September 16, 1858. He is the son of P. C. and Amanda M. (Herrick) Cass, both well known in Albion. His boyhood days were spent in his native village, and later his parents re- moved to Missouri, where he attended the public schools until he was sixteen years of age. At that time he engaged in the cattle business, and was a United States licensed trader in the Indian Territory at Muskogee, South Canadian and Mc- Alester, from 1878 to 1888, when he disposed of his interests there and came to Los Angeles, where he has since made his home. In addition to his cattle business Mr. Cass also owned and operated a cotton gin at South Canadian, where he made his home while trading with the Indians.
The marriage of Mr. Cass occurred in 1890 in Los Angeles, uniting him with Miss Louise F. Hunter, of this city. Three children were born to them, Ruth T., Clarence H. and Bernice. Both
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Mr. and Mrs. Cass are popular with a wide circle of friends in Los Angeles. Mr. Cass is a mem- ber of the Jonathan Club, and also of the Cham- ber of Commerce and of a number of the civic clubs whose special interests are the uplift and general betterment of local municipal conditions.
HON. LOUIS HEATON ROSEBERRY. The genealogy of the Roseberry family is traced back to the ancient history of Scotland. In those far-distant days, when travelers were few and means of transportation the most crude, a love of adventure and a desire to seek larger opportuni- ties led many of the name to establish themselves in other portions of the world. Thus it happened that several centuries ago the family had repre- sentatives in the north of England, in Wales and Germany, and even in Austria. Sir Archibald Primrose, a leading Scotch representative of the name, was elevated to the peerage in 1700, and three years later took the title of the Earl of Roseberry. As might be expected of people so progressive in impulses, so fond of pioneering and so far-reaching in vision, the various old-world branches had representatives in America in the colonial era, the first migration to the new world occurring in 1740. Intimate identification with the material upbuilding of our country indicated their patriotic impulses. The different branches became associated with various sections of the continent, the home of James Swan and Emma Jane (Adamson) Roseberry being in Oakland, Cal., where February 5, 1880, occurred the birth of their son, Louis Heaton Roseberry, a lifelong resident of California and since the early part of 1912 an attorney of Los Angeles, acting as coun- sel for the Security Trust & Savings Bank.
Attendance at the Visalia grammar school, at the Oakland high school 1896-98 and at the Leland Stanford University 1899-1903, indicates the educational advantages received by Mr. Rose- berry, whose degree of A. B. came from the uni- versity and whose law studies were also carried on for a considerable period in that institution. During August, 1904, he went to Santa Barbara and completed his law readings in the office of Judge B. F. Thomas and Henley C. Booth, after which he went before the state supreme court for examination. Upon being admitted to practice in December, 1904, he opened an office at Santa Barbara and continued in that place until his
removal to Los Angeles. Meanwhile he had be- come a local leader in the progressive branch of the Republican party out of which sprang the new party organization of Progressives. Through his efforts the Progressive Republican League of Santa Barbara was established and became a powerful factor in the overthrow of the old Re- publican machine organization. During 1908 he was elected to represent the thirty-third district in the state senate for a term of four years. The year after his election he supported Hiram John- son for governor, taking the stump and making numerous notable speeches in favor of Pro- gressive principles. For such work he was well qualified by fluency of speech, ease of diction and eloquence of oratory, attributes that also have made him popular as a speaker on the Fourth of July and at Memorial day celebrations as well as other public occasions. Besides serving as chair- man of the county convention he was a delegate to the state convention that nominated Mr. John- son for governor.
As a member of the state senate the record of Mr. Roseberry was praiseworthy. The number of measures which he promoted indicates his energy of action and keenness of mind. During 1909 he introduced the Roseberry postal primary law, later withdrawn in favor of the present primary law, under which California nominates all candidates for public offices. In 1911 he intro- duced the Roseberry employers' liability law and the constitutional amendment (adopted by the voters in 1911) providing for civil service in all state, county and city offices. Through his efforts Santa Barbara secured the State Normal School of Manual Arts and Home Economics for the training of teachers in these branches of educa- tion, the only institution of the kind in the entire country. His record as state senator stands in fee simple of all that patriotism means to him and all that ardent devotion to his native common- wealth could inspire in his efficient services. The introduction of a measure did not satisfy him; long and earnestly he would battle for its adop- tion, and neither time nor influence was withheld from its support. Conscientiously he sought to promote the measures beneficial to district and state. The records reveal the value of his serv- ices, but cannot wholly disclose the wide and aggressive nature of his work as senator.
Since the expiration of his service as senator other lines of public duty and private enterprise
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have secured his efficient co-operation, notably the California State Board of Health, of which he was appointed attorney in September, 1911, for a term of four years. On removing from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles early in 1912 he entered upon the duties of attorney for the Security Trust & Savings Bank, in connection with which he has supervision of all matters connected with trusts, estates and legacies handled by the institution. Gifted with a broad mind, he has been able to identify himself with many different lines of activity and in each has risen to influence. This is indicated by his membership for several years on the advisory board of Success Magazine and by his contributions to the press of noteworthy articles concerning social, civic, professional and commercial subjects. Many who are gifted with the pen find themselves ill at ease on the lecture platform, but not so with Mr. Roseberry, who is even more effective with his oratorical talents than with his writings and whose place is assured- ly among the orators and thinkers of his day. Versatility of mind further appears in his identifi- cation with the National Geographic Society, the International Peace Society and the American Embassy Association, while social proclivities are indicated by his membership in the Jonathan Club. Along the line of his profession he is connected with the California Bar Association. Whether viewing his career from the standpoint of pro- found knowledge of the law, valuable service to the state or a high appreciation of citizenship that leads to the efficient discharge of civic duties, it must be conceded that the life of this native son has reflected honor upon the commonwealth and has added prestige to his chosen city of residence. With his wife, who was Miss Jeannette Morton of Santa Barbara, he has won an established posi- tion in the most select social circles of Santa Bar- bara and Los Angeles and has attained a standing that true culture brings. The long and honorable history of the Roseberry family in this country and on European soil has achieved an added lustre through his forceful personality and rising emi- nence.
JOHN MUNRO McLEOD. One of the most influential and extensive oil operators in South- ern California, and indeed on the entire coast, is John Munro McLeod, who since 1900 has made his home in Los Angeles. Mr. McLeod is the son
of a man whose oil operations in Canada almost half a century ago were on an extensive scale, and his interest in this particular enterprise is only a natural one. His operations in the Cali- fornia fields have been more than ordinarily suc- cessful, and he is at present in control of prob- ably much more acreage in the various producing localities than any other man. He has made a careful and comprehensive study of conditions in the oil industry of the state, both commercially and from the geological standpoint, and his phe- nomenal success is the result of intelligent appli- cation rather than the smile of the fickle goddess of Fortune.
Mr. McLeod is a native of Canada, born in Stratford, November 3, 1871. He is the son of the late John Munro and Jessie Hunter (Brown) McLeod, both natives of Scotland, and descended from sturdy old Scotch families. The father was a noted railroad builder and operator in Canada, and is well known throughout the Dominion. He built the Grand Trunk Line from Sarnia to Toronto, and later went into the oil business at Petrolia, Ontario, Canada. He owned one of the first refining plants in America, and much of his product was disposed of to the Grand Trunk Railway.
The elder McLeod finally located in New West- minster, B. C., and the young John Munro re- ceived his early education there, completing the common grades and preparing for entrance to the high school, when he determined to go into business and opened a mercantile store in his home city, he being then but eighteen years of age. After a few years in this occupation he dis- posed of his interests and went in for dairying and farming in the region of New Westminster, where he met with much success during the fol- lowing few years. Then tales of the golden oppor- tunities offered in Southern California found their way to the ears of the future oil magnate, and he again disposed of his interests, and in the summer of 1900 came to Los Angeles, where he has since made his home.
At that time Los Angeles was just entering on an era of great prosperity and real estate was exceedingly active. His attention was at once directed to the possibilities in the oil industry, and he began at once to make a careful investigation of the general conditions, and to watch for an opening for profitable investment. His first ven- ture was in the Kern River field, and was on a
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small scale. After four years he determined to give his attention to real estate and in 1904 he opened a real estate office in Los Angeles, operat- ing independently. Later he organized the firm of Winton & McLeod, operating thereafter on a large scale. They opened up a number of sub- divisions, platting, improving and placing on the market much valuable real estate during the next few years. Among these tracts may be mentioned the Calkins Figueroa street tract, the Winton & McLeod Figueroa street tract, and the Winton & McLeod Figueroa street tracts, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The holdings of Mr. McLeod and of the various companies at whose head he stood at that time were very extensive, and the money shortage dur- ing the panic of 1907 caused him to exert every possible effort to tide over their several affairs without misfortune, and after the passing of the crisis he withdrew from the real estate business and gave his attention again to the oil industry. At this time he made a complete survey of the California oil fields in company with one of the most competent geologists in the country, supplementing this with advice and information secured from the oldest and most experienced oil men in the state. In the course of this investiga- tion he visited all the principal fields of the state, including Santa Maria, Kern River, Coalinga, McKittrick and Midway. Later he invested heavily, and against the advice of many experts, so-called, secured leases, which owing to these adverse reports he was unable to secure money to develop and so was forced to abandon. Prom- inent among this list was forty acres, part of what is now known as the Hale -. McLeod prop- erty. Later Mr. McLeod again secured the lease on this property, together with additional adjoin- ing property, and it has since proved to be one of the best producing properties in the district. In the Midway field he also made careful in- vestigation, and here again went against the opin- ion of the majority by declaring that oil could be found below the salt water line, which had always been contended by the best operators to be the "bottom-water" below which oil would never be found. Mr. McLeod is always ready to back his own judgment, and in this instance he has been fully justified, for the wells of this local- ity are among the best producers in any field, and the stockholders in his various companies have
reaped handsome profits on their several invest- ments.
Today Mr. McLeod is one of the most exten- sive oil operators and promoters in the state. He is vice-president of the Hale-McLeod Company, president of the Four Investment Company; di- rector of the 32 Oil Company ; and is heavily in- terested in the General Petroleum Oil Company. Together with his associates, Mr. McLeod has handled a greater number of oil lands, combining a greater acreage, than almost any other company interested in the California fields. The acreage financed and operated through Mr. McLeod amounts to more than seventeen thousand acres, and includes the wells of over twenty companies, and represents a combined investment of more than $5,000,000.
The splendid success with which Mr. McLeod has met in his oil investments has placed him in the forefront among the men who have been instrumental in the development of the resources of Southern California. He has added materially to the wealth of the state, and through his enter- prises has been the means of making many other men independently wealthy, while many hundreds have received lucrative employment through the promotion of his industries.
The commercial pursuits of Mr. McLeod have kept him away from the city for so much of his time that he has never become intimately identified with the various civic movements, although he is well posted and keenly interested in all good gov- ernment movements, and alive in every respect to the welfare of the city. He is a member of the Olympic Club of San Francisco, where he is well known, and of the Los Angeles Athletic Club of Los Angeles, and is also identified with the Scot- tish Rite and Al Malaikah Shrine and Arab Le- gion of Honor.
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