USA > California > A history of the new California, its resources and people; Vol II > Part 32
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Mr. Thomas Rickard came to America with his parents in 1875, locat- ing at Eureka, Nevada. In 1881 he moved with the family to Berkeley, California, where has been his home ever since. His early education was in the public and private schools of France, England, Nevada and Cali- fornia. In 1883 he entered the University of California, and in 1887 was graduated from the mining department. While in school and college he took a prominent part in all kinds of athletics, and during his last year at the university was president of the senior class. Following his graduation he went to Eureka, Nevada, as metallurgist for the Eureka Consolidated Mining Company, and remained until their mine was shut down in 1889. He then entered the employ of the Parke and Lacy Company, machinery merchants at 21-23 Fremont street, San Francisco. In 1901, after the death of both the heads of this firm, he, with Mr. Harron and Mr. McCone, came into the control of the business, which has since continued its pros- perous career under the name of Harron, Rickard and McCone, Mr. Rick- ard being vice-president.
Mr. Rickard has always taken an active interest in Republican politics, and is now a member of the Republican state central committee, and for two years was president of the Republican Club of Berkeley. In April, 1901, he was elected a member of the board of town trustees, and in 1903 was elected chairman of the board. At the same time the board passed a resolution designating the president of the board as mayor, the duties of which office he has filled with entire satisfaction to all concerned, which is attested by his re-election last April for four more years. Mr. Rickard's residence is in the second ward, at 2720 Bancroft Way. He is prominent in social circles : is a member of Durant Lodge, F. & A. M., Berkeley Chapter, R. A. M .; Oakland Commandery, K. T .; of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Greek letter fraternity; a member of the Athenian and Union League clubs of Oakland; the University of California Club ; the Common- wealth Club; the Bohemian Club, of which he was a director for six years; is a member and a trustee of the chamber of commerce of San Francisco; and a member of the board of governors of the Pacific Commercial Museum.
In March, 1888, Mr. Rickard married Miss Alice Whitmore, a daugh- ter of the late Richard Whitmore, who was a prominent farmer of Ceres, California. They have four children: Leontine, Helen, Donald and Thom- as, Jr.
JUDGE J. R. WELCH.
James Roy Welch was born in Illinois on the 2d of February, 1860. His father, James R. Welch, was a native of Indiana, and his mother, Frances (Haycraft) Welch, of Kentucky. Both parents were descended from old Virginian families dating back to the Revolutionary period.
James R. Welch, Sr., was a prominent stock-raiser and farmer in
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Illinois, and for many years held the office of county surveyor. In 1867 his wife died and he removed with his three children to Idaho. He died at Boise City in 1884.
The subject of this sketch attended the public schools, and when only seventeen years of age began his independent career as a teacher in the public schools and afterward in the University of the Pacific. In 1881 he came to California and entered the University of the Pacific, from which institution he graduated in 1887, with the degree of Ph. B. Three years later the degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by his alma mater. On the occasion of receiving his degree of A. M. he delivered the master's oration at the commencement of that year. Immediately after his graduation he entered upon the study of the law, and was admitted to prac- tice in 1888. He at once opened his office in San Jose, where he has ever since lived and where he has laid the foundation for his success.
Notwithstanding the fact that he has meddled little with politics, he was appointed city attorney of the city of San Jose, in 1894, by Hon. Paul P. Austin, the then mayor. He served in that capacity for three years, or until his resignation in 1897. During his incumbency the new constitu- tional charter of the city was adopted, largely through his efforts. Also upon his legal advice the state legislature receded to the city the site for the new high school building, on the northeast corner of Washington Square, now known as the State Normal School grounds. In March, 1901, when the city of San Jose wanted a site for the Carnegie Library building, Mr. Welch, in company with O. A. Hale and A. Holman, the latter now the editor of the Sacramento Union, were appointed by the mayor to go to the state legislature and obtain through them a bill authorizing a deed to the city of San Jose of a large square of land on the northwest corner of Washington Square. These gentlemen were successful in their mission. Two fine public buildings are now erected on these sites, which add much to Washington Square and the attractiveness of the city.
Mr. Welch was the attorney for the organized depositors of the Union Savings Bank, after its failure in 1899. Extensive litigation followed the closing of the bank's doors. Through the energy and ability of their attor- ney most of the depositors represented by Mr. Welch have obtained their claims in full, aggregating about four hundred thousand dollars. This is considered one of the most important cases of its kind in California.
He was in 1902 employed by the members of the California Cured Fruit Association to close up its affairs, and to recover for its members more than $150,000 withheld from them. The association, which had thirty-seven hundred members scattered over the state, was organized for the purpose of controlling the fruit and especially the prune interests of California. When Mr. Welch, in behalf of his clients, filed with the board of directors a two-thirds vote of its members to dissolve the corporation and to appoint W. P. Lyon, C. W. Childs and E. T. Pettit, three liquidators, the association immediately obtained a temporary injunction against such liquidation, forbidding them to take charge and close its affairs on alleged constitutional grounds. After several legal victories, liquidation of the
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association was completed last fall. Mr. Welch has thoroughly mastered the science of jurisprudence, and his deep research and thorough prepara- tion of every case committed to his care enable him to meet at once any contingency that may arise.
Down to the time of his going upon the superior bench, he had acquired an extensive practice.
In 1887 Mr. Welch was united in marriage to Lulu L. Loomis, a native of Nevada, and a daughter of Samuel L. Loomis, of Wright's Sta- tion, California. Four children were born of that union: Ione, Eugene, Merle and Frances. The wife and mother died in 1897. Some years later Mr. Welch married Mary E. Marsh, of Saratoga, California, a daughter of Thomas E. Marsh, one of the early and honored pioneers of the county.
In the presidential election of 1904 the Republicans nominated J. R. Welch for the office of superior judge of the state of California, in and for the county of Santa Clara. He was elected to that office last November, by the unprecedented majority of above 3,000 votes. On the first of this year (1905) he entered upon his six-year term. Considering his character and fitness for the office, his friends predict for him a successful official career.
HON. ABRAHAM RUEF.
It is well known that the peace, prosperity and well-being of every community depend upon the wise interpretation of the laws as well as upon judicious framing, and, therefore, the records of the various persons who have at different times made up the bar will form no unimportant part of this volume. A well known jurist of Illinois said "In the American state the great and good lawyer must always be prominent, for he is one of the forces that move and control society. Public confidence has usually been reposed in the legal profession. It has ever been the defender of popular rights, the champion of freedom regulated by law and the firm support of good government. In the times of danger, it has stood like a rock and breasted the mad passions of the hour and has ever quieted tumult and faction. No political preferment nor place can add to the power or increase the honor which belongs to the bar and lawyer." Mr. Abraham Ruef, who is to-day one of the most prominent representatives of the legal fraternity of California, has attained this position through marked ability and untiring energy and his course exemplifies the truths above stated con- cerning the importance of the legal profession in the affairs of life.
Mr. Ruef is a native son of San Francisco and one whose course reflects credit upon the city which has always been the place of his resi- dence. He was born on the 2d of September, 1864, and is a son of Meyer and Adele Ruef. The father came to California in 1863, settling in San Francisco, where for many years he was extensively and successfully en- gaged in business as a prominent dry goods merchant. He has now retired, but he and his wife still reside in San Francisco. In the family were three daughters.
Hon. Abraham Ruef, the only son, was afforded excellent educational
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privileges and speaks several languages fluently. He is a graduate of the San Francisco high school of the class of 1879 and he continued his studies in the University of California, where he made an excellent record for scholarship and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1883, when eighteen years of age. Having determined to make the prac- tice of law his life work he afterward matriculated in the Hastings College of Law, the legal department of the University of California, at San Fran- cisco, and upon his graduation in 1886 the degree of Bachelor of Laws was conferred upon him. On the Ioth of June of the same year he was ad- mitted to the bar, being at that time only twenty-one years of age.
No dreary novitiate awaited Mr. Ruef in his practice. Almost from the beginning a large clientage was accorded him, for he soon displayed mental capacity and inherent talents which with the educational advantages he had received gave him a standing in the legal profession which a young man seldom attains. It needed no gift of prophecy to see that he would become a successful lawyer and the first few cases which he tried demon- strated his power in the courtroom. He stands to-day as one of the most distinguished lawyers on the Pacific coast, and the extent and volume of his business may be imagined by the fact that he employs seven salaried clerks in his office, four of whom are attorneys. Mr. Ruef is a most suc- cessful trial lawyer and seldom loses a case before a jury. In the court- room he is suave and courteous and never indulges in acrimonious language. His preperation of cases is most thorough and exhaustive. He seems al- inost intuitively to grasp the strong points of law and fact, while in his briefs and arguments the authorities are cited so extensively and facts and reasoning are presented so cogently and unanswerably as to leave no doubt as to the correctness of his views or his conclusions. No detail seems to escape him, every point is given its due prominence and the case is argued with such skill and power that he rarely fails to gain the verdict desired.
To give a detailed account of the important cases with which Mr. Ruef has been connected would be to present in large part the history of jurisprudence in San Francisco and central California since 1886. While still a young man he was attorney for the tax collector's office, and later attorney for the public administrator, while at this writing in 1904, he is serving as attorney for the chief executive of the city. All this experience has given him great familiarity with the laws regulating the government of the municipality and places him in an exalted and responsible position. He is fully qualified, however, to meet the arduous and important duties that devolve upon him and as attorney for the mayor's office he has made an excellent record. A contemporary biographer has said :
"Mr. Ruef believes that all matters pertaining to the administration should be handled on a strictly clean, business basis, and he can be relied upon always to use his best efforts to bring about such a result. He receives no salary as the mayor's attorney, and has declined to accept any fees for his services in the varied and difficult litigation which has fallen to his lot during the present mayor's administration. This is due to his personal
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friendship for the mayor and his interest in the success of the administra- tion. As the mayor is not a wealthy man, his appreciation of Mr. Ruef's devotedness can easily be understood.
" While performing the duties of his present office as legal adviser to the mayor, Attorney Ruef will do much to assist that gentleman (who holds similar views as to good government and clean politics) to make San Francisco during the present administration rank as one of the best gov- erned cities of the United States."
Aside from his legal practice Mr. Ruef has important business inter- ests in San Francisco, and has made extensive and judicious investments in real estate, all of which he has accumulated from the earnings of his practice. He has been prominent and influential in the affairs of the city which, as the metropolitan center of the Pacific coast, has a marked influ- ence in public life and thought in California. His influence has been strongly felt in political circles and since attaining his majority he has giv- en an unfaltering support to the Republican party, having a comprehen- sive knowledge of the issues of the day and during the campaigns present- ing his views on all public occasions with a clearness and force that never fails to make a deep impression upon his auditors. To him is due the honor of organizing Republican Primary League, which has for its main object the abolishment of the " boss " system in politics. He has always been a strong opponent of misrule in city government, and his efforts have ever been on the side of reform and progress in this direction. He was one of the promoters of the organization which has attained wide fame as the United Republican League and was a member of its committee on organi- zation.
His services in the councils of his party have been of inestimable value, and with his broad knowledge of social and economic questions, and his varied experience in political life, together with his pleasing personality and capacity for hard work, it is not surprising that he should be the rec- ognized leader of the party. To him is due the credit of having drafted the present primary election law in California, and other legislation which has made it possible to hold honest primaries and has resulted in practically dis- arming the corrupt bosses who formerly dominated both political parties.
Mr. Ruef belongs to the Native Sons of the Golden West, taking an active part in its work, and was the first president of Lincoln Parlor. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and other fraternal societies. He is yet a young man, but has won for himself a most enviable position in public regard. Faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputation, such is his life work. His scholarly attainments, his statesmanship, his reliable judgment and his charming powers of conversa- tion would enable him to fill and grace any position, and yet his ambition is not in the line of political preferment. No public honor or position has had sufficient attraction to cause him to leave his profession to which his best efforts are ever devoted, and yet no duty of citizenship is ever neg- lected by him.
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PHILIP C. COHN.
It is not the man who makes large bequests or gives great institutions to a community who does the most for his district, but he who develops its natural resources, bringing into play the activity of many and making labor a source of profit to others. In this connection Mr. Cohn is well known. He is largely interested in mining and is now employing twenty-three men in opening up a large gravel mine on the American river, four miles above Folsom. He is also identified with mercantile interests in the town, and his progressive spirit is a factor in the upbuilding and substantial progress of his community.
Mr. Cohn was born in New York city, July 6, 1854. His father, Charles Cohn, was a native of Poland and when a young man came to America, devoting his attention to mercantile pursuits. He made his way to California at an early period in the development of this state and in 1860 became a resident of Sacramento. In the early days he engaged in mining for gold in California and was at the famous Cariboo mines during that excitement with headquarters at Victoria, British Columbia, for some time. He was well known in Shasta county in the early days, and in con- nection with his two brothers, Peter and Jake, conducted the leading busi- ness in Horsetown, Shasta county. He also took a deep interest in poli- tics, viewing political questions from the Democratic standpoint, his convic- tions coming from long association in the south. He died about February, 1898, and thus passed away one who had borne an active and helpful part in the pioneer development and later progress of his portion of the state. He married Miss Dora Kozminsky, a native of Poland, who died in the year 1858.
Philip C. Cohn was reared in the south and educated in the public schools of Mobile, Alabama. During his infancy his father went to Cali- fornia, and the first time Philip Cohn saw his father to recognize him was in 1874, when he went from West Point, Mississippi, to join him in this state. During the period of the Civil war Mr. Cohn underwent many of the hardships and privations which fell to the lot of the southern people, owing to the invasion of the northern troops into that section of the coun- try. He arrived in Sacramento in the spring of 1874 and soon afterward secured employment as driver of a delivery wagon for the Dollar store. He was associated with that mercantile enterprise until 1880, and gradu- ally worked his way upward to a responsible position. In June of that year he went to San Francisco and entered the employ of Wangenheim & Sternheim, with whom he remained for four years, representing them on the road as a traveling salesman, his route being from San Diego, Cali- fornia, to British Columbia, and including Oregon and Washington.
In March, 1884, Mr. Cohn came to Folsom, California, and became associated in business with the late Simon Cohn, a pioneer merchant of this place. The relation was maintained until the death of the senior part- ner, about August 29, 1895, at which time Philip C. Cohn purchased the widow's interest in the business and has since conducted the store alone.
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He has a large and well selected line of merchandise and his business meth- ods have been such that when once he secures the patronage of a person he has no difficulty in retaining him as one of his customers. He demands that his employes give courteous treatment to purchasers and he has em- ployed strictly honorable dealings in all trade transactions. When he ar- rived in Sacramento he had but fifty cents in his pocket, but from the start he has been successful in his business career. He now owns considerable real estate in Folsom, including a beautiful residence in the town, likewise has some ranch property and realty interests in San Francisco. He is largely interested in mining, and it was through his mining operations that the Blue Ravine lead was developed. He is now employing twenty-three men in opening up a large gravel mine on the American river four miles above Folsom. Already the work has been carried on to a depth of ninety feet, and is drifting on the bed of an ancient river channel. At a recent date he was manager for the Blue Ravine Mining Company, which has a large amount of new work projected.
On the 27th of October, 1884, in Folsom, Mr. Cohn was united in marriage to Miss Alice M. Cohn, a daughter of Simon Colin, his former partner. She was born and reared in Folsom, and by her marriage has become the mother of three sons and three daughters: William M .; Simon A. and Charles P., twins; Dora F .; Mabel J .; and Selma.
Mr. Colin is a thirty-second degree Mason and is also connected with the Mystic Shrine, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the B'nai Brith, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. In politics he is a Democrat, active in support of the party in its principles, and is now state central committeeman in the twenty-second assembly district. He is well known through Sacramento county on account of his political affiliation and work in behalf of the organization and has frequently been a delegate to both state and county conventions. Frequently he has been solicited to accept nomination for public office, but has generally declined, owing to the heavy demands which his important business interests make upon his time and attention. Mr. Cohn served as a delegate from the second congressional district to the National Democratic Convention at St. Louis. He was nom- inated for state senator by the regular Democratic state convention held at Sacramento. September, 1904. His life record indicates what are the business opportunities of the growing west to young men of energy, enter- prise and laudable ambition.
GENERAL EDWARD SELIG SALOMON.
Germany has furnished to the United States many bright enterprising young men who have left the fatherland to enter the business circles of this country with its more progressive methods, livelier competition and advance- ment more quickly secured. Among this number is General Edward Selig Salomon. He has somewhat of the strong, rugged and persevering char- acteristics developed by his earlier environments, which, coupled with the livelier impulses of the Teutonic blood of his ancestors, made him at an early
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Urge and well selected line of merchewwe and his business mesh- been such that when once he sechemie patronage of a person (!fficulty in retaining him as one of customers. He demands mployes give courteous treatmentto porchasers and he has em- ictly honurable dealings in all todle tomenctions. When he ar- acramento he had but fifty cent in pocket, but from the start en successful in his business card He now owns considerable in Folsom, including a beautiful re-idenne n the town, likewise ranch property and realty interests ww San Francisco. He is rested in mining, and it was through mining operations that Ravine lead was developed He is nov Trying twenty-three ening up a large gravel nime on the 1 ai river four miles m. Already the wall has been carrie t, a depth of ninety - Vi tt no en top bei of an ancient At a recent
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df three sons and three daughter. ifm & s wn P. twins : Dora F . Mabel J and Sch
Www is a thirty-second degree Masen and is also connected with Shrine, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. the B'nai Mie Fraternal Order of Eagles. In politics he is a Democrat. ipport of the party in its principles, and is now state central van in the twenty-second assembly district. He is well known ramento county on account of his political affiliation and work the organization and has frequently been a delegate to both wanty conventions. Frequently he has been solicited to accept for public office. but huis generally declined, owing to the heavy uch his important bumness interests make upon his time and Mr. Cohn served a a delegate from the second congressional Ne National Democratic. Convention at St. Louis He w nem- Gate senator by the regular Democratic stire emre tom held September. 1904 H - life record indicates what are the Ortimities of the grown & vest to young men of energy, enter- udable ambition.
GENERAL EDWARD SELIG SALOMON.
w has furnished to the Uil States many bright enterprising who have left the fatherland o enter the business circles of this its more progressive methods bo cher competition and advance- hickly secured. Among this . wer is General Edward Selig le has somewhat of the strome mgged and persevering char- velope ( by his earlier envioww is which, coupled with the names of the Teutonic blood of his restors, made him at an early
Edw.S. Salircity
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day seek wider fields in which to give full scope to his ambition and industry -his dominant qualities. He found the opportunity he sought in the free- dom and appreciation of the growing western portion of this country. Though born across the water he is thoroughly American in thought and feeling and is patriotic and sincere in his love for the stars and stripes. His career is identified with the history of California, where he has acquired a competence and where he is an honored and respected citizen.
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