USA > California > A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, Volume II > Part 64
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valued member of the finance committee. For a number of years he remained the owner of two fine ranches in Los Angeles county, but later disposed of them, being at the present time, however, the possessor of considerable valuable city and county property.
In 1864 Mr. Ryan was united in marriage with Miss Amanda Johnson, a native of Texas, but a resident of Los Angeles county since she was three years old. Her father, Micajah Johnson, was a pioneer who came to this county in 1852. Six children were born of this union, of whom three are now living, namely : William A., at home ; Annie, the wife of N. E. Wilson, a merchant of Los Angeles; and Ida, wife of R. R. Sutherland, manager of the Gregory Dried Fruit Company, at Colton, Cal. Such men as Mr. Ryan increase materially the importance of a city or state and add to its prosperity, for with others he is named as a man who stands out prom- inently as a financial factor in its growth and up- building. The intelligence of such men cannot fail to be a power for good in local affairs and their keen intellectual faculties promote not only their individual success, but that of their fellow citizens as well. During his residence of over forty years in Southern California Mr. Ryan has been identified with various enterprises and has always contributed liberally of his means, time and influence toward the building up and maintenance of those interests that have made this part of California what it is today. He is unostentatious in his manner and never has de- sired public prominence, satisfied that what he has done will be a lasting remembrance to those closely associated with him. In the evening of his days he can look back upon a work well done, and while he has retired from active business life he still keeps in touch with current events. At his home, No. 433 South Olive street, he ex- tends a hearty welcome to his friends. He was made a Mason in Los Angeles county in 1873 and raised to the Royal Arch degree in 1876.
BAKER PERKINS LEE. The Rev. Mr. Lee, who is at present rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, is
considered one of the most brilliant or-
ators in the church. He is
young, elo-
quent, enthusiastic, fearless and liberal. These qualities have endeared him to the great body of the church, and those outside of it who care nothing for litanies and prayer books and have no reverence for amice and stole, but to whose hearts geniality and nobility are a passport and liberality of thought and opinion a sign of in- vitation and a symbol of fellowship. Gifted by nature with unusual powers of personal magnet- ism and by grace with a heart regenerated from "malice, hatred and all uncharitableness" he has shown how closely affiliated may be the pulpit and the pew; how the Christian may be in the world and not of it. Faces rarely before seen inside of a church building look into his with rapt attention while he tells the "old, old story." Men whose boast it is that they needed not the Divine help have forgotten their avowed skepti- cism in appreciation of a brother man who showed them the sweetness of religious faith without the fetters of religious dogma. Young men whose wont it was to avoid "the cloth" find in the warm- hearted preacher the cameraderie of good fellow- ship and ardent, impulsive affection. Many a mother has gone to this lover of mankind and asked him to quietly seek out her wayward boy, to reclaim him from evil haunts and habits, for his special work and influence has been among men, and he is known as a man's preacher. In his sermons he uses no manuscript, but with rapid, clear delivery and characteristic force presents one exquisite picture after another with mar- velously vivid and ornate word painting.
As the name would suggest the Lees are of southern origin, and were among the earliest set- tlers in Virginia, being direct descendants of Richard Henry Lee. Through Francis Lee, the great-grandfather, the line continues through William Lee to Baker P. Lee, Sr., also a native of Virginia, whose father owned large estates which had been in the family for several generations. His wife was Mary Esther Simpkins. Baker P. Lee, Jr., was born in Hampton in 1869. He was provided with exceptional advantages for an ed- ucation, entering as a student in the State Mili- tary Academy at Staunton and later the Virginia Military Institute, which is recognized as the West Point of the south.
Following his graduation therefrom in 1892 he taught for one year in the Danville Military
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Institute, at the expiration of which time he was to join his father, Judge Baker P. Lee, a noted politician and lawyer, in his office, as he had been educated and intended for the law, but it was at this juncture his thoughts and attentions were turned towards preparation for the ministry, his entrance in the Episcopal Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Va., following. After a course of three years in this institution he was ordained a minister in June, 1896, and in August of the same year was united in marriage to Miss Lulu Lee Skinner, of Danville, Va., a daughter of The- odore Clay Skinner, a representative of one of the prominent old families of that state. The fol- lowing children were born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Lee, Baker P., Jr., Theodore Skin- ner, Lionel Randolph (deceased), Lulu Cortlandt (deceased), Alicia Ludwell and Richard Henry.
Mr. Lee's first charge was in Farmville, Prince Edward county, Va., having four congre- gations under his care, and as these were quite scattered his labors were much more fatiguing as a consequence. It was the rule rather than the exception that he conducted three services each Sunday during this time. Leaving Farm- ville he accepted a charge at Columbia, Tenn., leaving there two and a half years later to be- come dean of the Cathedral at Lexington. It was while filling the latter charge that he was called to Grace Church, Chicago, Ill., which is con- ceded to be the largest congregation of the Episcopal faith west of the Allegheny mountains. A very successful pastorate in the diocese of Lexington was brought to a close by his call to and acceptance of the charge of Christ Church, Los Angeles, which responsible position he has filled from May 1, 1905, up to the present time.
Since locating in Los Angeles Mr. Lee has exerted a wide influence for good in the religious as well as secular circles. The following is taken from the official organ of the church. "The growth of this church since the present rector has been here almost surpasses belief. The members of the church have some vague ideas concerning the growth and activities of the par- ish, but comparatively few realize what has ac- tually been accomplished. It seems incredible that one man could do what the rector has done.
"When he came to this church .there were a little more than six hundred members. In the
last year the membership has increased to more than twelve hundred. This is the first time in the history of the Episcopal Church that a parish of any size has doubled its membership in one year. Christ Church is now the largest Episcopal Church west of Chicago, nearly all of which is due to the energy and foresight of one man, who saw the glorious possibilities that lay before the parish, and knew how to direct and guide our movements so as to obtain the best results.
"In exterior the church stands without a peer in architectural design and beauty, it being con- structed of stone. The interior arrangements are of the latest design, appropriateness and harmony being noticeable even in the smallest details. The acoustic properties have received special atten- tion, resulting in an arrangement by which it is possible for the speaker to be distinctly heard in the most remote part of the building without undue effort on the part of either speaker or hearer. Christ Church claims the distinction of having the only telephone system in the United States by means of which those of the congrega- tion who are unable to attend the services may receive every word of the service in their homes. This is a unique plan and one which is original with the present rector, who had it installed after he assumed charge of the congregation. The music is furnished by a vested choir of seventy voices.
"The rector takes a special interest in the children and young people of his congregation, for he realizes that on their spiritual training depends the future of the church in particular and the well being of the nation in general. With this idea in mind he has made a special effort to make the Sunday school attractive and thus hold the interest and keep up the attendance of the pupils. His inauguration of a military system in the work of the school has had the desired effect, a plan which appeals to children from the fact that each has a part to perform and each one takes a personal pride and interest in the success of the whole. There is a physical culture class for girls, two cadet corps for boys and a vested choir for the Sunday school of over fifty trained children's voices which furnish music for the Sunday school and the children's serv- ice held once a month in the church.
"Important missionary work is being done by
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
competent laymen under the direction of Mr. Lee, but the work nearest the rector's heart is the Men's Church Club. Plans for the erection of a handsome club house in the Westmoreland tract are now under way, the estimated cost of the building to be between $25,000 and $27,000. Here with every modern convenience and comfort, legitimate and healthful pleasure may be enjoyed under refining influences in this church home, where friend holds fellowship with friend."
JOSEPH HAMILTON LAPHAM. The spirit of enterprise which has given to Los An- geles its phenomenal growth in the last ten years is well represented by Joseph Hamilton Lapham, one of the city's foremost business men and capitalists. He is the descendant of an old English family, long established in Massa- chusetts, where the name is identified with af- fairs of state. The first western emigrant was Hamilton Lapham, who removed from New York to Marietta, Ohio, in the early days of that state and there was one of its pioneer physicians. Later he located in Indiana and there spent the remaining years of his life. One of his sons, Simon, born in New York, became a farmer in the vicinity of Marietta, where he married Mary Jett, a native of that locality. She was the daugh- ter of Owen Jett, whose ancestors came original- ly from England and settled in Virginia, from which state he immigrated to Ohio and became a farmer in the vicinity of Marietta, where his death eventually occurred. Mr. Lapham is still living, a resident of Beckett, Ohio, in which state his wife passed away some years ago. They were the parents of seven children, of whom four sons and two daughters attained maturity and are now living. Three of the sons served val- iantly in the Civil war, Owen and Luther, now residents of Cleveland, Ohio, having enlisted in the Thirty-sixth Ohio Infantry.
The oldest child in the family of his parents. Joseph Hamilton Lapham was born in Mariet- ta, Ohio, March 5. 1844, and in the public and high schools of the place of his birth received his educational training. In 1861, in response to the call for the three hundred thousand men, he enlisted in Company B, Thirty-ninth Ohio In- fantry, and was mustered into service in Camp
Dennison and immediately ordered to the front. Following is a record of danger and hardship which surely tried the soul of the seventeen-year old boy, and but for the purity and strength of his patriotism could never have been continued up to the close of the war. After the battles of Corinth, Iuka and Holly Springs and others in the year 1862 and the spring and summer of 1863, he became a veteran in Prospect, Tenn .. in the fall of the latter year. In the southwest campaign he participated in the battles preceding the surrender of Atlanta-Resaca, Dallas, Dal- ton, Snake Creek Gap, Buzzard's Roost, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, and afterward the siege of the city. Lovejoy Station, Jonesboro and the march to the sea followed the occupation of the city of Atlanta by the Union troops. Aft- er the capture of the city of Savannah, Mr. Lap .. ham went northward through the Carolinas, par. ticipating in the battles of Goldsboro and Ben- tonville, and in this latter, the last battle of Sher man's army, he received his first wound, a minie ball passing through his left arm. Upon the close of the war he was offered the commission of lieutenant, but refused it, and after partici pating in the Grand Review at Washington was mustered out of service with the rank of ser- geant at Louisville, Ky., July 9, 1865.
During the years of his service in the army Mr. Lapham had passed from youth into man- hood and thus his outlook upon life had material . ly changed. His participation in the great strug- gle had prepared him to take a broader and more comprehensive view of affairs. Upon returning to Marietta he entered the Cincinnati Commercial College, from which institution he was later grad- uated. when, in Cleveland, Ohio, he entered the employ of Bonsfield & Poole, manufacturers of wooden ware, and in the capacity of foreman re- mained with them for ten years. With the means thus accumulated he established himself in Cleve- land as a manufacturer of wooden ware in 1876, and from a modest beginning the business grew to remunerative proportions and demanded an enlargement of his factory. Later he took his brother. O. T. Lapham, into partnership, after which the firm was known and incorporated as Lapham & Co., with himself as president. Un- til 1893, when they disposed of their interests to the American Wash-board Company, this en-
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
terprise remained one of the important industries of Cleveland.
In the fall of 1893 Mr. Lapham came to Los Angeles, Cal., and since that date has acquired an influential position among the business men of this city. Upon the incorporation of the Califor- nia Fish Company he became a stockholder and was unanimously made president and manager of the same, which position he has ever since filled. Through his efforts a large cannery was erected at San Pedro, where a specialty is made of can- ning sardines, this being the only factory in America that puts up the genuine sardines. They also can lobster, mackeral and tuna, being the only canners of this last-named fish. They oper- ate a line of boats, gasoline sloops, etc., and fish for sardines up and down the coast for a dis- tance of fifty miles from shore. Their headquar- ters are in Los Angeles, at No. 117 Henne build- ing. Mr. Lapham is also the principal stock- holder in the Southern California Supply Com- pany (being one of its incorporators and its president), which handles soda fountain fixtures, bakers' and confectioners' supplies, and carries on an extensive wholesale business. As a direct- or in the National Bank of Commerce and the Manhattan Savings Bank of this city, he is iden- tified with financial affairs, and takes a keen in- terest in everything pertaining to the advance- ment of these institutions. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and active in the or- ganization.
In Marietta, Ohio, Mr. Lapham was united in marriage with Miss Susan C. Cook, a native of Newport, that state, and a daughter of Emblem Cook, a farmer of that vicinity. They are the parents of four children, of whom Guy is one of the proprietors of Hotel St. Augustine, in Tuc- son, Ariz. ; Letetia is the wife of M. M. Janes, of Los Angeles ; and Elsie and Mildred are at home with their parents. All are members of the Bap- tist Church, in the Sunday-school of which Mr. Lapham officiates as superintendent. Mr. Lap- ham is identified with the Republican party polit- ically, and belongs to the Union League Club, socially, while in memory of the days spent in his country's service he belongs to Stanton Post, G. A. R., of Los Angeles.
Since his location in Los Angeles Mr. Lapham has made both a financial and social success, win-
ning the first by close application to business and business methods, and the latter by demonstra- tion of personal characteristics of manhood. His unusual force of character and strength of pur- pose have been carried by him into every avenue of life-financial, social and domestic, and com- bined with these qualities are a high sense of honor and thoroughly grounded principles, which have made it eminently safe to trust his lead. He enjoys the confidence of the people with whom he deals and the unbounded esteem of those who know him best. He is typical of the best in American citizenship.
D. C. McGARVIN. It is worthy of note that there is a large number of young men active in the professions, in business circles and in public affairs in Los Angeles; and certainly the city's rapid growth is due in no small de- gree to their enterprise. Among the public of- ficials who are building up enviable reputations, mention belongs to D. C. McGarvin, at present filling the position of public administrator. Al- though a native of Kansas, born March 29, 1870, so much of Mr. McGarvin's life has been passed in this city that he feels himself to be a true son of Southern California. His father, Robert McGarvin, came to California in 1875, and in the public and high schools of Los An- geles the son received his education. The knotty problems of the law proved an attraction to the mental powers of young McGarvin and after the completion of his work in the public schools he took up the study of law in the office of Judge A. W. Hutton. Later he was associated with Judge York and Hon. James McLachlan, and in June, 1905, he was admitted to the bar. In the meantime, in 1903, he was elected to the office of public administrator for a term of four years, and immediately entering upon the work of his position he has faithfully discharged the duties incumbent upon him to the present time. He had previously proved both his ability as a public official and his loyalty to the principles of the Republican party, and had become a prominent man in its councils. As secretary of the Young Men's Republican League he was active in the work of the organization, and also for three years he served as secretary of the Republican county
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
central committee. During the campaigns of 1904 and 1905 he acted as chairman of the Repub- lican city central committee, and wielded a strong influence in the interests of his party.
Significant of the esteem in which Mr. Mc- Garvin has always been held was his appointment in 1893 to the position of assistant manager of the Los Angeles county exhibit at the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, where he discharged the duties devolving upon him in a peculiarly capa- ble manner. The following year he acted in a similar capacity at the Mid-winter Fair in San Francisco, and has since then held many other positions of equal responsibility. Fraternally he is a member of Los Angeles Lodge No. 290, F. & A. M .; Signet Chapter No. 57, R. A. M .; Los Angeles Commandery No. 9. K. T .; and Al Malaikah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. Socially he is a member of the Jonathan Club and Union League, in both of which he is a popular member and valued for personal qualities as well as the ability which has distinguished his entire career. Mr. McGarvin owes much of his success to a happy combination of personal characteristics, being gifted with a genial nature which knows nothing but friendship in his intercourse with those about him. Although stanch in his politi- cal convictions-no man more so,-yet he is never antagonistic nor forces men to the opposi- tion through this element of character; instead, his own convictions are so strong, so free from prejudice, that he invariably makes a friend every time he makes an acquaintance. He is held in the highest esteem as a citizen of Los Angeles, whose interests he can be counted upon to up- hold. December 19, 1900, he was united in mar- riage with Miss Una Taylor Adams.
ASHER HAMBURGER. So closely identi- fied with the commercial growth of Los Angeles has been the name of Asher Hamburger that to old residents it is synonymous with the develop- ment of the city since his location here in 1881. At that time he brought to bear in the mercantile establishment which occupied his time and atten- tion a broad experience made valuable by his business judgment and acumen; later he built up a large custom and won many friends who honored him for the qualities of character so
evident in his dealings with all. His death on the 2nd of December, 1897, was a loss to the en- terprising element of the city, although the busi- ness has since been continued successfully by his sons, who have emulated the example of their father in his unswerving integrity and honor, as well as the business ability which placed the family fortunes on a sound basis.
Asher Hamburger was born in a small village near Wurzburg, in Bavaria, in the year 1821. After receiving the rudiments of an education in the village school he was apprenticed to learn the trade of rope-maker. As he grew toward years of maturity his sense of justice and love of freedom became so strong within him that he resolved to break the fetters that linked him to the old world and seek a home and fortune in the far-famed west. He was but eighteen years old when, with his brother, a weaver by trade, he set out for the nearest seaport town on his way to the United States. At Hamburg they took passage on a Swedish steamer in the steerage, turning their backs upon a country where no patriotism was known and the sub- jects were treated like vassals and serfs. The passage across the Atlantic during those days was full of danger and hardship, and storms and contrary winds lengthened the trip to seven- ty days. Arriving in the United States without a knowledge of the language, without means or friends, but with a heart full of hope and hands willing to work, he immediately secured employ- ment in a tassel factory in New York City, where, by perseverance and energy, he soon be- came one of the first workmen in the establish- ment, His aim, however, was higher than this and as soon as he had saved sufficient money he started out in the more lucrative field of mer- chandising in Pennsylvania, where he became known by the sobriquet of "the honest retailer." In 1843 he was joined by his remaining brother and the three then went to Alabama and established three stores on the Tombigbee river, where they prosecuted a very success- ful business. When the news of the great gold discovery reached the south, Asher Ham- burger wanted to go to California at once, but met with some opposition from his brothers; however; his indomitable spirit could not be subdued and in January, 1850, he wrote
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
to his brother, who was in the north buy- ing merchandise, the following characteristic letter: "If you don't come home immediately you will find our store closed and us (the re- maining brother and himself) off for California."
Thus, in 1850, by the Isthmus of Panama, Asher Hamburger and his brother started for the Golden West. There was no railroad across the isthmus in those days, so these hardy broth- ers, like many others, crossed on mule-back, hav- ing hired a great many of those trusty animals, on which they loaded their goods. They went at once to Sacramento, then the most important place in California, but in the following year established a wholesale house in San Francisco under the name of Hamburger Brothers. Asher Hamburger was identified with the business in Sacramento and fire and flood on several oc- casions destroyed the labor of years and reduced him to a state of poverty; but his undaunted will and exuberant spirit always rose to the oc- casion, and being ever willing to put his shoulder to the wheel in due time he found again the summit of success. In 1881 his two sons, S. A. and M. A. Hamburger, who were then in busi- ness with him in Sacramento, concluded they wanted larger fields for operation, so they in- duced their father to come to Los Angeles, and in November, 1881, the business that is now A. Hamburger & Sons, Incorporated, and the largest in Southern California, was inaugurated. Mr. Hamburger took an active interest in busi- ness affairs up to within a year of his death, which occurred on the 2nd of December, 1897, he being then seventy-six years of age. Through his liberality, enterprise and energy he contri- buted towards many of the improvements and monuments that have been erected in Southern California. He had a most pleasant and fatherly disposition, and through his kindness and good- heartedness has assisted many men to positions of affluence in this country.
The sons continue the business of A. Ham- burger & Sons, and out of this has grown the Hamburger Realty and Trust Company, which is now erecting a building in Los Angeles that is to have three hundred feet front on Broad- way, one hundred and sixty feet front on Eighth street, one hundred and twenty-four feet front en Hill street, and one hundred feet high. The
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