USA > California > A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, Volume II > Part 5
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In the meantime, in 1867, Mr. Workman married Miss Maria E. Boyle, the only child of Andrew Boyle, the first settler of Boyle Heights. His old brick house, built in 1858, still standing as a historical landmark of the East side, is being preserved by Mr. Work- man. Although at this time he was identified with real estate transactions in Los Angeles his interests naturally became centered in Boyle Heights, and through his efforts was effected much of the improvement of this sec-
tion of the city. To induce settlement Mr. Workman built a carline (the second line in the city) on Aliso street and Pleasant avenue ; in 1886 he built the First street line and after- wards was instrumental in building one on Fourth street, extending through Boyle Heights and then on Cummings, and though at first it was operated by mule-teams once every hour it afforded ample transportation. A later enterprise required an expenditure of $30,000 as a bonus on the part of Mr. Work- man to assist the traction company to connect Los Angeles with the south side of Boyle Heights through on Fourth street, he having to secure the right of way, which with the cutting down of the street took two years. In numerous other ways he also sought to improve the locality, in conjunction with Mrs. Hollenbeck, Mr. Workman donating two- thirds of the land for that which is now known as Hollenbeck Park, the two later giving it to the city.
With the passing years Mr. Workman had also assumed a place of importance in the public affairs of Los Angeles and was called upon to fill many offices of trust and respon- sibility. As a Democrat in his political affili- ations he occupied a prominent place in the councils of his party, and in 1873 was nomi- nated for the legislature. Being anti-monoply he was defeated in the election that followed. As a member of the city council for several terms he was instrumental in bringing about needed reforms, and in 1887 and 1888 served acceptably as mayor of the city, giving an earnest and conscientious fulfillment of duty which won for him the commendation of all parties. This being in the year of the great boom when property ran to such incalculable heights in value, Mr. Workman's strict ad- herence to his official duties and the conse- quent neglect of his personal interests is all the more commendable. In 1900 he was elect- ed city treasurer by a majority of one hun- dred and thirty votes and again proved his efficiency in official position; two years later he was enthusiastically re-elected by a major- ity of three thousand votes, and upon the ex- piration of his term was elected a third time by twenty-three hundred majority. This be-
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ing the year of the Republican landslide shows more fully the esteem in which he is held by the citizens of Los Angeles. During his term of service the grand jury took up the matter of keeping money in various banks of the city, the city not owning a vault. This being against the law Mr. Workman had to provide for the occasion and he did so by hiring guards and a vault for the protection of the money. Although this movement withdrew from circulation over $2.500,000 it proved no detriment to business interests. Mr. Work- man was one of the stanch advocates of the scheme for bonding the city for $2,000,000 in order to secure funds for the purchase of a water plant. and with the city attorney, W. B. Mathews, went east to float the bonds, but on account of the low rate of interest-three and three-fourths per cent-encountered many difficulties in disposing of them. They final- ly succeeded, however, in New York City, and this movement proved very advantageous in the growth and development of Los An- geles. After retiring from the office of city treasurer he assisted in organizing the Ameri- can Savings Bank, of which he is now presi- dent. As a charter member and first vice- president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Mr. Workman has always main- tained a prominent place in the advancement of this organization. Fraternally he is a Mason, having been made a member in 1861 and holds membership in the Los Angeles Lodge and Chapter.
Mr. Workman has been versatile in his tal- ents and accomplishments. He has made his own way since the early years of boyhood and has won his way step by step to a position of honor among the representative citizens of Southern California. He has established a home and reared a family of children of whom any parent might well be proud. His chil- dren, three sons and four daughters, Boyle, Mary, Elizabeth, William H., Jr., Charlotte, Gertrude and Thomas E., appreciate fully their father's standing as a prominent citizen of their native city. The family home at No. 357 South Boyle avenue is in the center of a well-kept lawn, spacious grounds, and there their friends are always welcome and the
stranger given the warm hand of fellowship. Mrs. Workman presides over the home with a quiet dignity and has reared their children to ways of usefulness.
Mr. Workman is a pioneer and is justly proud of his connection with the Pioneer As- sociation of Los Angeles County and the His- torical Society of Southern California, the former of which he was instrumental in or- ganizing. He has served as its president three terms and has always taken a deep interest in the preservation of early historical data. He recalls the days when a vineyard occupied the ground now a part of the railroad terminals of the city ; in the early 'zos he was a member of the board of education and assisted in hav- ing the first high school building erected in the city, where the present courthouse stands, since which time he has taken a never failing interest in the advancement of educational standards. He has contributed liberally to- ward all movements calculated for the growth of the city, having given lots for the building of five different churches regardless of de- nomination, and supports all charitable enter- prises with equal liberality. To young and old he is "Uncle Billy." To celebrate his fiftieth anniversary as a citizen of Los Angeles he banqueted five hundred pioneers and served them with a Mexican menu from which to se- lect their favorite dish, in memory of the early customs of Southern California. The event marked an epoch in the history of our beau- tiful southern city. Mr. Workman has truly won a place of exceptional prominence in the citizenship of Los Angeles, where he has been actively associated in business for many years. It has been said of him by those who know him best that he is generous to a fault, pos- sesses the confidence of the people, and no man in Los Angeles stands higher in the es- timation of the representative men. He has not been entirely free from reverses, but at the same time has ably managed his affairs and those entrusted to him; conscientiously discharged the duties of the offices to which he has been elected, often to the detriment of his personal affairs. In the evening of his days he can look back upon a life well spent
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and forward without fear to whatever future awaits him, for he has lived in all conscience for and toward the right.
CHARLES SUMNER GREENE. A leader in his kind of work, Charles Sumner Greene, the Pasadena architect, was born October 12, 1868, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, T. Sum- ner Greene, M. D., also a native of that city, was descended from the same stock as Gen. Nathaniel Greene, of Revolutionary fame. His mother, Lelia A. Greene, nee Mather, is de- scended from Rev. Cotton Mather. Dr. Greene served four years in the Civil war. He entered as a private, but reached the rank of captain before the close of the war. It was in the South after the war that he met and married Miss Mather, who was at the time visiting relatives in Louisiana. Fourteen years after his marriage he commenced the study of medicine and after completing his college course he began to prac- tice in Cincinnati. Later he moved to St. Louis, Mo., where after a few years he succeeded very well in his profession.
It was here that Charles Sumner Greene re- ceived his primary education in the public schools and afterwards took the course at the manual training school of Washington University. In 1889 he was sent to Boston to enter the Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology. After finish- ing his course there he began work with a Boston firm of architects. He remained in that city several years and was connected with a number of noted men of the profession, among them H. Langford Warren, R. Clipston Sturgis, and Winslow and Wetherell.
In 1891 Dr. Greene came to California for the benefit of his wife's health, and two years later he induced his two sons, Charles Sumner and Henry Mather Greene, to settle here. In 1893, in partnership with his brother, Mr. Greene opened a modest little office in Pasadena and began to practice his profession. For the fol- lowing seven years he found but little encourage- ment. Year after year he battled and lost, but came off the richer in experience and still true to his ideals. In 1901 the office was moved to Los Angeles, but he still continued to be called
the Pasadena architect. In February of this same year he was married to Miss Alice Gordon White, of Pasadena, formerly of England. One month later they set sail for London, where Mr. Greene spent some time in studying the later art movements. Before returning home he vis- ited France and Italy.
A new inspiration, gathered from the broaden- ing influences of travel, was at once felt and soon brought success. The sympathy he so long sought began at last to make it possible to realize some measure of his ideal in house building for the home. It is this great vital theme that con- cerns the welfare and happiness of the nation. To him it is the one great interest. In his own words this is how he explains his attitude to man and art:
"I am an American. I want to know the American people of today and the things of today. It is my earnest endeavor to understand the lives of men and women ; then perhaps I may be able to express their needs architecturally. I seek till I find what is truly useful and then L try to make it beautiful. I believe that this can not be done by copying old works, no matter how beautiful they may seem to us now. When con- fronted with the actual facts I have not found the man or woman who would choose to live in the architectural junk of ages gone. The Romans made Rome and the Americans-well !- they are making America. Who could live in a house of two hundred years ago and be happy if we had to conform to all the conditions of today ? How in the name of reason, then, can we copy things two thousand years old? Is the Paris opera house built onto the front of a railway station or a Greek temple plastered over the en- trance to an office building good art? One is apt to seize the fact for the principle today and ignore the very lesson time should teach. The old things are good, they are noble in their place; then let our perverted fingers leave them there.
"Let us begin all over again. We have got to have bricks and stone and wood and plaster ; common, homely, cheap materials, every one of them. Leave them as they are-stone for stone, brick for brick, wood for wood, plaster for plas- ter. Why are they not better so? Why disguise them? Thought and care are all that we need,
Hermann tellway
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for skill we have. The noblest work of art is to make these common things beautiful for man."
In 1901 Mr. Greene built his own house on Arroyo Terrace, where one may get one of the finest views in Pasadena. Subsequently he de- signed most of the houses in that locality, which has been called "Little Switzerland," with, how- ever, more readiness than propriety. And whether it is for sight of the village or the view it is certain that no appreciative tourist consid- ers his itinerary complete without this little cir- cuit.
Mr. Greene's influence on the domestic archi- tecture of Southern California is plainly to be seen and to those who may appreciate his work it appeals mainly through its frank simplicity and its great originality.
HERMAN W. HELLMAN. The enter- prises sustained by the financial aid and un- erring business ability of Herman W. Hell- man have given to Los Angeles within the past few years a decided impetus toward a phenomenal growth and development. For- tunately a wise conservatism has held in check any movement which might have tended to inflate values, attract the speculator, and thus produce a condition disastrous to permanent development, Mr. Hellman's long association with the banking institutions of this city prov- ing his peculiar fitness as a leader in financial circles. A résumé of the life of this substan- tial pioneer is one which cannot fail to inter- est those who have witnessed his rapid rise in the business world, his subjugation of obsta- cles in his path, and the position of esteem and respect which he has won among the citi- zens of the city.
Born September 25, 1843, in Bavaria, Ger- many, he was the son of natives of that coun- try, by whom he was reared to the age of fifteen years, receiving a practical training in the common branches of study and also the foundation for the principles which have dis- tinguished his business career. At the age of fifteen years he decided to try his fortunes away from the shelter of the paternal roof, and accordingly took passage on a vessel bound for California. The city of Los An-
geles and its vicinity attracted him first and practically continuous has been his residence since. From the time of his location in the city he was interested in commercial affairs, accepting, in June, 1859, a position as freight clerk in the forwarding and commission busi- ness at Wilmington, conducted by Gen. Phi- neas Banning. He held the position until ac- quiring some means, when he resigned and returning to Los Angeles he connected him- self with the stationery business in partner- ship with a cousin. After conducting a suc- cessful enterprise for several years Mr. Hell- man withdrew to take up the work on his own responsibility, also dealing in fancy goods, for which he found a constantly in- creasing market. Having been absent from his native land for nearly eleven years, he dis- posed of his business interests in March, 1870, and spent the following year in Germany and other countries of Europe, enjoying the asso- ciations of his boyhood years. Returning to Los Angeles in November, 1871, he entered into partnership with Jacob Haas, a former schoolmate of his, and established a wholesale grocery business under the firm name of Hell- man, Haas & Co., and for the ensuing nine- teen years catered to an extensive trade throughout Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the strong, forceful man- agement of the men who had proven their ability adding materially to the commercial supremacy of this section of the state. In the meantime Mr. Hellman had become associ- ated with various enterprises in Los Angeles, an important movement being the purchase of stock in the Farmers' & Merchants' Bank. In 1890 he retired from the firm of Hellman, Haas & Co., disposing of his interest to Haas, Barnett & Co., and became vice-president and local manager of the Farmers' & Merchants' Bank, since which time he has became one of the most widely known bankers in the state of California. Shortly after his assumption of duties in this bank the financial panic of '93 brought disaster to many of the monetary in- stitutions throughout the United States; the security with which this bank stood out among others whose doors were closed either tempo- rarily or permanently, and the long era of
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prosperity which has followed that crisis, are largely due to the wise conservatism and sa- gacious judgment of Mr. Hellman. That the deposits have increased from $2,300,000 to $8,000,000 since his association with the bank are an evidence of the confidence inspired by the policy which has been elemental in the building up of this bank. Outside of his asso- ciation with the Farmers' & Merchants' Bank Mr. Hellman has been intimately identified with other financial institutions of the city, in July, 1903, accepting the presidency of the Merchants' National Bank, after his resigna- tion in May, of the vice-presidency of the former institution. At the present writing he is acting as president, vice-president and di- rector in twelve other banks, in this city and Southern California, in the business of all bringing to bear that energy and ambition which have assured his success in whatever enterprise he has been engaged. Mr. Hellman has also been associated with other business movements in Los Angeles, one of the most important being the erection of an imposing eight-story and attic building, fireproof and modern in every particular, and accounted one of the finest office buildings west of New York City. The material used in the exterior is a native light gray granite in the lower two stories, and hydraulic pressed brick and terra cotta in the upper stories; the corridors are floored and wainscoted with white Italian mar- ble. The finish of the ground floor is of ma- hogany and all the office floors of quarter- sawed white oak. The Security Savings Bank, one of the largest institutions of its kind in the west, and other business enterprises, occupy the first floor, while above are well-equipped offices, well-lighted and ventilated, and with hot and cold water and every modern con- venience ; in the basement is one of the finest grille rooms in Los Angeles, The Bristol. This immense building was erected at a cost of $1,000.000, and represents one of the larg- est individual investments of this character in California.
The home of Mr. Hellman is presided over by his wife, formerly Miss Ida Heimann, with whom he was united in marriage in Italy, July 26, 1874. Mrs. Hellman was born in Tre-
viso, near Venice, Italy. She is a woman of rare culture and refinement and well endowed by nature with those qualities which have won for her a wide friendship and esteem. She is the mother of two daughters, Frida, married to L. M. Cole, of Los Angeles, and Amy, and two sons, Marco and Irving. Mr. and Mrs. Hellman are prominent members of the Re- formed Jewish Congregation B'nai B'rith, Los Angeles, of which he was president up to 1901 ; under his administration there was erect- ed on the corner of Ninth and Hope streets the elegant temple, one of the most beautiful houses of worship in the city of Los Angeles. The family are liberal supporters of all char- itable movements, whether of the city, county or state, and are intensely loyal to the inter- ests of Southern California.
Notwithstanding his engrossing business cares Mr. Hellman has found time to associate himself with clubs and fraternal organizations, being a member of the California, Jonathan, Concordia and several other clubs of the city and county, and is prominent in Masonic cir- cles. He became an apprentice Mason in Sep- tember, 1869, and on March 21, 1870, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft; and June 14, 1870, was raised to the sublime degree of Mas- ter Mason, in Pentalpha Lodge No. 202, of which he is still a member. On the Ioth of July he was advanced to the honorary degree of Mark Master; inducted and presided in the Oriental chair as past master July 17, re- ceived and acknowledged Most Excellent Master August 8, and exalted to the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason August 14, 1883, in Signet Chapter No. 57, of which he is still a member. In 1906 he also took the Scottish Rite and is now a Thirty-second degree Mason; and is also a Shriner, belonging to Al Malaikah Temple.
In reviewing the life of Mr. Hellman an impression is gained not of the opportunities which presented themselves throughout his ca- reer, but by the manner in which he under- stood and grasped a situation. Practically empty-handed he came to the Pacific slope in boyhood, at a time when the country was law- less, when the survival of the fittest was the unwritten decree, when it was far easier to sink
Frank . Flint
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into insignificance with the multitudes than to rise to the heights which few were success- fully attempting. That he proved himself ca- pable of holding his own in the beginning, the later position which he assumed as factor in the most important enterprises of this sec- tion of the Pacific coast have demonstrated. The multifold duties which are his as one of the most prominent citizens and business men of the city have not overburdened him, but have rather spurred him on to stronger and more forceful thought and effort and have brought out all the latent ability with which nature endowed him. His position to-day is one acquired by the few even where oppor- tunities have abounded as in Southern Cali- fornia, for it requires a quick, mental vision and an unerring decision to know and improve the opportune time. Loyal to the country of his adoption and the city wherein has been passed his eventful career, Mr. Hellman is honored as a citizen whose worth and works have been tested.
HON. FRANK P. FLINT. The career of the Hon. Frank P. Flint, United States sen- ator from California, has necessarily been brief as he is still a young man, his future, how- ever, promising much if his past is a criterion. Although not a native son of California all but the first seven years of his life have been spent in the state, where his parents, Francis Eaton and Althea (Hewes) Flint, located in 1869. They were both descendants of old New England families, the paternal ancestor, Thomas Flint, having emigrated from Eng- land in 1642 and located in Salem, Mass., where members of succeeding generations be- came prominent in public affairs.
At North Reading, Middlesex county, Mass., July 15, 1862, Frank Putnam Flint was born, spending the first seven years of his life in his native state, when he accompanied his parents to their newly established home in San Francisco. In that city he attended the public schools and acquired a substantial foundation for the real experiences of life, later taking up the study of law, which he had decided to make his life work. Interrup-
tions came from time to time in the midst of his efforts, but nothing daunted he continued perseveringly, taking up the work again in 1888, having previously spent two years in Orange county, Cal., engaged in farming. In the last-named year he located in Los An- geles, where he entered upon a clerkship in the United States marshal's office. Three years later (1891) he was admitted to the bar and after one year's practice was appointed assistant United States attorney under Hon. Matthew T. Allen, with whom he formed a partnership the following year which contin- ted until January 1, 1895. The election at that time of Judge Allen to the bench as a superior judge of Los Angeles county dis- solved the relationship, when Mr. Flint be- came associated with Donald Barker under the firm name of Flint & Barker, which is to-day recognized as one of the leading law firms of the state. They have been asso- ciated with cases of state-wide importance, and the ability with which they were man- aged have brought the members of the firm prominently before the legal fraternity of the state. The extent of their clientele has brought them lucrative returns.
Mr. Flint first became identified with poli- tics as a member of the political organiza- tion known as the Blaine Invincibles, being then a resident of San Francisco, where, in 1884, he cast his first vote for Blaine as president. His support has ever since been given to the principles of the Republican party, upon locating in Los Angeles at once taking an active interest in political affairs of municipality, state and nation. Combining with unquestioned ability the art of meeting men and issues in a frank, public-spirited manner, with none of the aggression which instinctively antagonizes, he has always held a high place among the prominent men of the Republican party, and has been chosen to represent them at numerous local conven- tions. He was made a member of the Re- publican state executive committee and was also an alternate to the national Republican convention at St. Louis, which nominated William McKinley for president in 1896. On the 8th of April of the following year Presi-
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dent Mckinley appointed him to the position of United States attorney for the southern dis- trict of California, which office he held ac- ceptably for four years. In response to an urgent request of a large number of the citi- zens of Los Angeles, Mr. Flint consented, on the 9th of July, 1904, to become a candidate for the position of United States senator from California, and following covered the entire state during the presidential campaign of that year, delivering speeches in the interest of the national Republican ticket at all of the prin- cipal points in the state. The first joint ballot of the legislature, January II, 1905, gave to Mr. Flint the senatorship, and March 4, 1905, he took the oath of office, succeeding Hon. Thomas R. Bard. The future promises much in the career of Senator Flint and the people of Southern California confidently look to him for support of measures which mean the fur- ther development of the country which he and they have reclaimed and made the garden spot of earth.
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