USA > California > A history of the new California, its resources and people; Vol II > Part 50
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In politics Mr. Dunlap is a stanch Republican, but has never sought or desired the honors or emoluments of office. While in San Francisco he served for seven years as a member of Company D, First Regiment of the National Guard of California. He is a past chancellor commander of Milo Lodge No. 48, K. of P., of Nevada City, is a past master workman of Nevada Lodge No. 52, A. O. U. W., and is a member of Nevada City Lodge No. 518, B. P. O. E. He also belongs to the Wyoming Tribe of the Red Men and the Knights of the Royal Arch. In his business career he has made success because he thoroughly equipped himself by practical ex- perience and broad study for the work he has undertaken, and already he has won the prosperity that many a man of twice his years might well envy. His business methods but indicate his reliability as well as his activity, his progressive ideas as well as his perseverance, and he stands to-day as one of the strong and representative young business men of the growing west.
ARTHUR DE WINT FOOTE.
Arthur DeWint Foote, general manager and superintendent and also a stockholder in the North Star Mines Company at Grass Valley, is a mining and civil engineer of wide experience in many parts of the western country. He is not only a practical mining engineer, but has original genius in working out new plans of operation, and is the inventor of machinery for mining. He has been connected with his present company and as a resident of Grass Valley for about ten years, and is held in high esteem throughout the com- munity.
Mr. Foote was born at Guilford, Connecticut, May 24. 1849, a son of George Augustus and Eliza ( Spencer) Foote, both of old American families. His father's maternal grandfather, General Andrew Ward, was in the Revo- lutionary army. The father of George A. Foote was Eli Foote, of Guilford. Mrs. Eliza Foote was born in Guilford, Connecticut, and is now living in New Haven, Connecticut. She has two children in the east, William Todd residing in Guilford, and Mrs. Catherine Coe living in New Haven.
Mr. Arthur Foote, the other member of the family, was reared in Con- necticut, and received his education in the Guilford Institute and the Shef- field Scientific School of Yale College. After the conclusion of his studies, in 1868, he went to Florida and remained there two years and in the Ba- hama Islands for one winter. He was also employed in the iron works at Brooklyn, New York, and in 1873 came out to California. He was assist- ant engineer in the construction of the famous Sutro tunnel in Nevada for about eight months, and then for a similar period was assistant engineer on the Eldorado Water and Deep Gravel Mining Company in Eldorado county, California. As assistant engineer he was on the line of the Southern Pa- cific up the Tehuchapi Pass, and for two years was engineer of the New
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Almaden mines in Santa Clara county. He was in San Francisco during the following winter and spring, and in 1878 went to Deadwood, Dakota, where he did some general engineering work, and in December located at Leadville, Colorado, where for three years he was superintendent of various mines; he was mining in Mexico for six months, and then for about the same time had charge of some mines in the Wood river country of Idaho. For ten years from 1883 he was at Boise doing irrigation work, part of the time having charge of the government irrigation operations in that district. From Idaho he went to Lower California and for six months was employed in opening an onyx quarry. He returned to Idaho to engage in general mining for a time, but in January, 1895, accepted the position of engineer of the North Star Mines Company, near Grass Valley, designing and building the hy- draulic power plant of some twelve hundred horsepower and afterward taking charge of the entire works of the company.
The North Star Mines Company owns a tract of land three miles long and nearly two miles wide, and the total production up to date has been over twenty million dollars. The principal mine is the old North Star, which has been worked since 1850. Its main incline is opened for a distance of over four thousand icet along the vein, which dips between twenty-five and thirty degrees. The workings extend down about four thousand feet on the slope, and the length of the lower level from east to west is about four thousand feet. The ore is free milling and concentrating, and a cyanide plant has been recently established. The ninety stamps have a daily capacity of two hundred tons, and the full complement of employes is three hundred. The ore has three per cent of sulphides, and the average yield, for a period of forty years, is eighteen dollars per ton. A water power plant has been equipped at a cost of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but the twelve hundred horsepower developed thereby is reasonably cheap. Electric power is used in some of the work, but compressed air is more extensively employed. The company is capitalized at five million dollars, under the laws of the state of New Jersey, and the principal office is at 18 Wall street, New York. The president is James D. Hague, and the other directors are George B. Agnew, William L. Bull, Benjamin Strong and Charles G. White.
Mr. Foote designed and put up the present machinery of the company, and much credit is due him for the perfect working of the plant. One of the valuable improvements on mining machinery made within recent years is the Torpedo Baby Drill, which is patented by Mr. Foote. This drill in- creases the daily efficiency of a man by twenty-five per cent, due to its rapid stroke and increased power, and the valve system which is the especial feature of the machine is the invention of Mr. Foote, who has in this way given to the mining industry a result of his experience worthy to be classed with all labor-saving machinery.
Mr. Foote was married at Milton, New York, February 9, 1876. to Miss Mary Hallock, a native of that state and a daughter of Nathaniel Hal- lock. Her Quaker ancestors settled on land the original grant of which was from the queen. Their son, Arthur Burlington Foote, is also a civil en- gineer, is a graduate of the Institute of Technology at Boston, and is now
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assistant superintendent of a mine in Korea. The two daughters are Miss Elizabeth Townsend and Miss Agnes. Mrs. Foote is well known in the artistic and literary circles, and has published several works that have met with general favor. Mr. Foote is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the Franklin Institute, the American National Forestry Association, the University Club of San Francisco and the Engineers' Club of New York.
JOHN EVAN RICHARDS.
John Evan Richards, a prominent lawyer of the San Francisco bar, a writer whose literary merit has been manifested in many contributions to various journals and periodicals, and a political worker whose labors have been given to his party for its real good and not for any hope of official reward, is numbered among California's native sons, his birth having occurred in San Jose on the 7th of July, 1856. He is a son of Richard Richards, who was born in Llangollen, Wales, and came to America in 1835, settling in New York. He remained a resident of the Empire state until 1849, when he was among the gold-seekers who came to California, traveling by land and water, braving the dangers of the deep and facing the perils of the long journey around the Horn. Men flocked to this country from all walks of life, and Richard Richards, witli a desire to more rapidly accumulate a competence for himself and family, made his way to Santa Clara county, California, arriving in 1851. There he resided continuously up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1868. In the early years of his residence here he engaged in gold mining, and there he invested his earnings in farm lands, carrying on agricultural pursuits until his demise. He took an active part in the up- building and development of the state and was influential in political circles in Santa Clara county. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Ham- ilton, and was a member of the well known Hamilton family of Scotland, and of that sturdy stock which fled from Scotland during the time of the Protestant persecutions, was born in county Derry in the north of Ireland. She came to the United States in 1837 when a maiden of seventeen summers and afterward made her way to California, arriving in this city in 1851. Here she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Richards. She survived him for a number of years, passing away in 1881 at the age of sixty-one years.
In the family were but two children. The brother of John Evan Rich- ards died in infancy. As a student in the public schools of San José Mr. Richards acquired his early education, which was supplemented by a course of study in the University of the Pacific. He was graduated in that insti- tution with the class of 1877, at which time the degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred upon him. Determining to make the practice of law his life work he then entered the Michigan University and on the completion of a regular course of study, qualifying him for the bar, graduated in 1879 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He entered upon practice in San José, California, in 1881, and has continued as a leading representative of legal practice of this city up to the present time, having now a large and impor-
John Richards
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tant clientage. His life has been one of untiring industry and has been crowned with a gratifying measure of success. The favorable judgment which the world passed upon him in the early years of his practice has never been set aside nor in any degree modified. It has on the contrary been em- phasized by his careful conduct of important litigation, his candor and fair- ness in the presentation of cases, his zeal and clearness as an advocate and the generous commendation he has received from his contemporaries who unite in bearing testimony to his high character and superior mind.
Mr. Richards is a stalwart advocate of Republican principles and has been identified with the party since he became a voter. He has taken an active and influential part in local and state politics, has been a delegate to various county and state conventions and has exercised considerable influence in molding the policy of the party in California, yet he has never sought office as a reward for his fealty, but has put forth his best efforts because of his patriotic citizenship and his devotion to the general good. He has also made for himself a creditable name in literary circles and for twenty years has been connected with local journalism, frequently contributing articles to various newspapers and periodicals. He has also given special attention to the study of economics and was for three years a lecturer upon this subject in the University of the Pacific. He is perhaps more familiar with local history than any man in his county. One of his literary contribu- tions appears in Shuck's History of the Bench and Bar of California, being an article on the Early History of the San José Bar.
In 1881 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Richards and Miss Mary Westphal, a native of California and a daughter of J. T. and Mary (Keenan) Wallace-Westphal. They have two sons, John Percy and Donald Wallace, both of whom are students in the high school of San José. Mr. Richards belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Greek letter fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. In his private life he is distinguished by all that marks the true gentle- man. Endowed by nature with high intellectual qualities, which have been added to discipline and embellishments of culture, his is a most attractive personality. Well versed in the learning of his profession and with a deep knowledge of human conduct he stands to-day as the peer of the ablest mem- bers of the bar of the San José district.
RECTOR BROTHERS.
Modern progress and advancement have been conserved by the efforts and practical business judgment of E. J. and Bayliss S. Rector, who consti- tute the firm of Rector Brothers. In fact, no history of this portion of the state would be complete without mention of their careers, so active have they been in commercial, industrial, financial and social circles. Earnest purpose and consecutive labor have constituted the foundation upon which they have builded their success and have won for them a prominent position among the leading and influential residents of Nevada county. They are now interested in many enterprises not the least of which is the National Hotel and annex at Nevada City, which is conceded to be the best hostelry of California north of San Francisco.
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Their father, Hon. Jesse H. Rector, was also connected with the hotel business, being proprietor of the house at Elk Lick Springs, of Pike county, Missouri. Their paternal grandparents were Vincent and Artemesia (Bowie) Rector. The grandfather, a native of Virginia, was of German lineage and belonged to a family that was represented in the patriot army during the war of the Revolution. In 1836 he removed to Morgan county, Illinois, where he remained for two years, and then established his home in Spencer township, Pike county, Missouri, which was his place of residence until 1850. In that year he removed to Ralls county, Missouri, where he was residing at the time of his death, which occurred in 1855 when he was seventy-four years of age. He served his country in the war of 1812, and during the years he resided in Missouri he gained an enviable reputation as an agriculturist and citizen. In early manhood he married Artemesia Bowie, who was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, in 1784, gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Rector on Christmas day of 1809, and died in 1849.
Jesse Rector, the father, was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, Janu- ary 21, 1815, and when but twenty-one years of age accompanied his parents on their emigration westward. While residing in Pike county, Missouri, he was not only proprietor of the Elk Lick Springs Hotel, but was also post- master at that place. In 1840 he married Miss Cynthia Simpson Strother, a native of Fauquier county, Virginia, and a daughter of French Strother, who was likewise born in the Old Dominion, and who came of Revolutionary stock of Scotch descent. Some of her people were early settlers of California, bringing an emigration train to this state in 1850, during the period of the great gold excitement. Mrs. Cynthia Rector died in 1870 at the age of sixty-two years. Her children were: Elijah John and Bayliss S. Rector; Elizabeth B., the wife of Joseph Merritt, a cattle dealer of California; and Lucinda Jane, the wife of Jefferson G. James, owner of large landed interests in California and the president of the Fresno Loan and Savings Bank, his landed possessions amounting to more than seventy thousand acres. Three daughters of the family, Martha A., Jennie and Janie, are deceased.
The father, Jesse H. Rector, was entirely a self-made man and deserved all the credit due to one who, starting out in life empty-handed, works his way upward to success through honorable business methods. He began earning his living by splitting rails and later was employed upon a farm. In this way he accumulated a small capital, and in 1840-the year of his mar- riage-he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Pike county. From 1848 until 1852 he served as justice of the peace in Pike county, Mis- souri, and in 1873 was appointed postmaster of Elk Lick Springs. Prior to the Civil war he gave his political allegiance to the Whig party and was a great admirer of Henry Clay, but later he became a Democrat. He was widely known in Missouri as an influential citizen, and his business career, honorable and straightforward, won him the respect of his fellow men and at the same time brought to him a handsome reward for his labors. In the family of Jesse and Cynthia Rector were four daughters, but one only is living, Mrs. Betty E. James, the wife of J. G. James, a member of the firm of J. G. James & Company, butchers of San Francisco.
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Elijah John Rector, usually called John, was born in Pike county, Mis- souri. November 4, 1842, while Bayliss S. Rector was born in the same county November 7, 1847. Both attended the public schools in early boy- hood, and E. J. Rector afterward pursued his studies in the high school at Spencersburg, Missouri, but left that institution on account of ill health in 1863. Bayliss S. Rector continued his education in McGee College of Macon county, Missouri, and was graduated in the class of 1870 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. After putting aside his text books E. J. Rector entered into partnership with his father in the hotel business and in farming and stock-raising, and this connection was continued until 1873, when he came to California, settling first in Stockton. He afterward went to San Fran- cisco, where he was engaged in the stock business with his brother-in-law, J. G. James, of Fresno county, following this pursuit until 1874. In that year he returned to Missouri and was married. With his bride he then canie again to California, and once more took up his abode on the ranch of his brother-in-law, Mr. James, but remained there for only a brief period, failing health necessitating a change of occupation. His brother, Bayliss S. Rector, having completed his education, went into business with his father in Mis- souri on the Elk Lick Springs property and the farm until 1874. In that year he came to California and joined his brother, who in December, 1874, removed to the town of Hollister. They engaged in the hotel business there for eight years, or until the Ist of July, 1882, when they removed to Nevada City and again conducted a hotel, leasing the old Union Hotel, which they opened on the Ist of August. They remained in charge, making it an ex- cellent hostelry, for four years. On the Ist of July, 1886, they leased the National Exchange Hotel, this property being rented for five years, and in 1891 they purchased it, including both the building and the grounds. Since that time they have largely increased the accommodations by the construc- tion of an addition and an annex.
At the time they assumed the control of the hotel it was in rather a dilapidated condition and its patronage was small, but they infused into its conduct the business enterprise and good judgment for which they have ever been notable, and to-day the National Hotel is conceded to be the best in the state north of San Francisco. It contains over one hundred sleeping rooms, postoffice, telegraph office, bank and store, and Wells, Fargo & Company's stage office, all under the same roof. It is one of the most modern, up-to-date and liberally conducted hotels in the west, is equipped with all modern conveniences and has won favor with the traveling public. This hotel represents an expenditure of fully seventy-five thousand dollars, and is not only a monument to the enterprise and ability of the owners, but is also a most creditable institution of the city.
In 1887 the brothers became largely interested in the Nevada County Land and Improvement Association, of which E. J. Rector is vice president and director. For a long time he was also manager of its landed interests in this county, but is now closing out this business. He was likewise a mem- ber of the Glenbrook Park Association, controlling the race track near Ne- vada City, and has been one of the directors since the organization of the
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company about 1896. Mining interests have received from him co-operation and substantial support, and he is now financially connected with several companies. He was one of the organizers of the Sierra Queen Mining Company, of which he served as a director for two years, has been a director of several other companies, and is now holding that connection with the Fountainhead mine. He was largely interested in what was known as the Nevada County Board of Trade, now the Chamber of Commerce, as a di- rector and vice president, and was very active in securing the establishment of the water and sewer systems of Nevada City. He was also largely in- strumental in securing the grading and paving of the streets. Out of that organization grew the Nevada county promotion committee, of which he is a member. He was a member of the first committee of the board of trade that purchased the old water system for the city, and his efforts largely re- sulted in the establishment of the water system, which is practically the foundation of the prosperity of the town. The Nevada County Bank was organized in December, 1900, and in April, 1901, E. J. Rector purchased considerable stock therein and was chosen president, which position he has since occupied. This institution does a large proportion of the banking busi- ness of Nevada county and is now ranked as one of the most reliable finan- cial concerns in this part of the state. It was at first capitalized for twenty- five thousand dollars, but this amount was increased on April 23, 1900, to fifty thousand dollars, and its deposits are now over five hundred thousand dollars. During the past two years the bank has paid liberal dividends on its capital stock and has created a surplus. In all matters pertaining to public progress and improvement Mr. Rector is deeply interested and his co-opera- tion has proved of great value in the promotion of the general good.
On the 20th of September. 1874. E. J. Rector was married in Ralls county, Missouri, to Miss Margaret Alice Griffith, a native of Pike county, Missouri, and a daughter of Noah Griffith. She was also a sister of the wife of B. S. Rector. Her death, which occurred March 4, 1901, was deeply regretted by many friends throughout this part of the state. There were two sons of that marriage, Gilbert James and Edwin Meritt. Both were born in Hollister, San Benito county, California, attended the city schools of Nevada City and after completing the high school course matricu- lated in the State University. Gilbert James Rector is now the cashier of the agency of the Nevada County Bank, having filled this position since its organization with the exception of a few months. He was married Janu- ary 7, 1902, to Miss Jessica Stuart Mott, a native of Sacramento, California, and a daughter of George M. Mott, the manager of the H. S. Crooker Com- pany of San Francisco. The younger brother is assistant cashier in the bank.
E. J. Rector gives his political support to the Democracy, has been active in the work of the party and has attended almost every Democratic state convention since 1880. He was a delegate to the national convention which met in Chicago and nominated Bryan for the presidency. He served on the state central, the congressional and county central committees, and was chair- man of the last named for many years. His influence and power in political
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circles are widely acknowledged, and his efforts in behalf of the Democracy arise from a deep interest in the political situation of the country and a firm belief in the principles which he supports. He has never sought office as a reward for party fealty and has never been a candidate, save once, when he was elected a trustee of the town of Hollister, in which position he served for four years. During his incumbency the board of which he was a member instituted the water system, opened a park and made many other public im- provements. In 1875 Mr. Rector became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belongs to both branches and has filled all of the chairs. He is likewise identified with the subordinate lodge and the uni- formed rank of the Knights of Pythias, of which he became a member twenty years ago. He belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and has been a member, since its organization, of the Grouse Valley Sportsmen Club, the oldest society of its character in California. It has semi-annual shoots and stews, meeting in the spring of each year to shoot doves and in the fall to shoot quail, and most pleasant times are enjoyed, its meetings being very popular.
Bayliss S. Rector likewise gives his political allegiance to the Democ- racy, earnestly labors for the success of the party, and while in Hollister was associated with the positions of county clerk, recorder and assessor for a period covering six years. In 1896 he was elected mayor of Nevada City and served for four years, giving the municipality a business-like, practical and progressive administration. While in office the waterworks and sewer systems were installed at an expenditure of about one hundred thousand dol- lars, and a great many other improvements were instituted. Mr. Rector is the vice president and was one of the organizers of the Nevada county pro- motion committee, the project of which is to advertise the resources of the county and secure the investment of capital here. The committee has done a very important work, and it made at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis an exhibit valued at twenty-five thousand dollars. At the time that President Roosevelt made his trip to California this committee pre- sented him with a small mineral cabinet, eight by twelve inches, which was a very handsome piece of work, filled with gold specimens and valued at fifteen thousand dollars. It was presented to the president at Colfax as lie was making his westward trip and was greatly appreciated by him as a testi- monial from the Nevada county citizens. Mr. Rector, in addition to his other business affairs, is financially interested in many mining enterprises, is one of the directors of the Nevada County Bank and is the president of the Penn Valley Creamery Association.
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