History of Humboldt County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 65

Author: Irvine, Leigh H. (Leigh Hadley), 1863-1942
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Los Angeles, Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1328

USA > California > Humboldt County > History of Humboldt County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 65

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Matthew Shelbourne. alice Gilbert Shelbourne

583

HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

nent home at Eureka. During the more than half a century he has been associated with the business interests of Eureka Mr. Hallaran has been op- timistic for its future and his investments have proven the wisdom of his judgment. He is now in the afternoon of life and in possession of valuable property which gives him an ample income. Several times he had worked here and as many times sought other places temporarily, only to come back to the seaport town of Humboldt county with an affectionate longing for the quiet place of his former association. These trips into various parts of the country had given him a healthful life in the open and stimulated his love of nature, at the same time lending the color of romance to his young manhood, but as a permanent abiding place he has been content to select Eureka, on Humboldt Bay, and here he has lived busily and happily ever since his marriage in 1867. The people honor him for his worth of character and integrity of life.

In the Democratic party Mr. Hallaran has been prominent and a local leader, however his election to the city council was made on the independent ticket in 1907, 1909, 1911 and 1913 and he is now serving his fourth term. He has been a firm believer in municipal ownership of public utilities and was always in favor of the city buying and operating the water works. Since becoming a member of the council he has had opportunity to enlist the aid of others, the result being the calling of an election in which the people voted the bonds necessary and the purchase of the water system was accom- plished, thus giving the city and people a valuable asset that is continually enhancing in value. In addition he also served as library trustee for some time. By his marriage to Mary O'Brien he became the father of ten chil- dren. Mary is the wife of John Clancy; Nora died in her nineteenth year ; John is an electrician ; Daniel is employed at the Toggery ; Arthur died when twenty-six years of age; Frank and Esther were twins; the former died at twenty-five years and Esther is now Mrs. Peters of San Francisco; George is a resident of Fort Bragg ; Alfred and Edmund are twins, the former assistant manager of the Hammond Lumber Company yards, while the latter is em- ployed in the United States Engineer's office in Eureka. Mr. Hallaran was bereaved by the death of his beloved wife and helpmate January 29, 1915.

During Mr. Hallaran's first term as councilman the mayor and council issued a signed invitation to Mr. Harriman, president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, to visit Eureka in the hope of interesting him to the point of extend- ing the road from the south into Eureka. This was the beginning of a move- ment that culminated in the completion of the railroad to Eureka in October, 1914.

MATTHEW SHELBOURN .- The residents of the Mattole valley felt that they had a welcome acquisition to their numbers and a real social gain when Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Shelbourn settled among them in the year 1897, and the friendliness they were first met with has never diminished. Their home is three and a half miles south of Petrolia, on what was formerly the Collins ranch, where Mr. Shelbourn is engaged principally in the stock busi- ness. A native of England, he was born July 16, 1866, in Belton, Lincoln- shire, and his parents, William and Ann (Singleton) Shelbourn, were also born in that country and died there. The father, a carpenter and builder by calling, lived to the age of seventy-eight years, dying in 1904; the mother passed away in 1906, when seventy-three years old. They had a family of

584

HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

ten children, six sons and four daughters, nine of whom reached maturity and only two of whom are in the United States. Mr. Shelbourn's sister, Charlotte Shelbourn, makes her home with himself and wife.

Matthew Shelbourn grew up in his native country and acquired a good education in the public and private schools of Lincolnshire. When he began to work he engaged as a gardener in the employ of Lord Brownlow, and at the age of twenty-one years entered the railway service, at first as porter at the stations, gradually working his way through various promotions until he became conductor, on the Great Northern railway line. Altogether he was in railroad work ten years, until he came to America, in the fall of 1897. Meantime he had married, and his wife had two bachelor uncles who owned and lived upon the ranch now occupied by the Shelbourns, George and Joseph Collins, at whose urgent request Mr. and Mrs. Shelbourn left Eng- land for this country. They were accompanied to California by Mrs. Shel- bourn's mother and brother. The Collins brothers had acquired possession of about seven hundred acres of ranch land in the Mattole valley district of Humboldt county, and besides operating the same the younger, Joseph, acted for several years as assistant keeper at the Cape Mendocino lighthouse, situated off the most westerly point on the mainland of the United States. They were well and favorably known citizens of their section of the county, the Mattole and Eel river valleys, and their sister, Mrs. Gilbert, and her daughter and son-in-law, the Shelbourns, were hospitably received into the life of the community, into which they entered heartily. George and Joseph Collins are now deceased, and their property is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Shelbourn, who have maintained high standing among their fellow citizens by their substantial character and many admirable qualities.

Forest View Farm, as the ranch is appropriately named, is located on Mattole river about three miles south of Petrolia and besides being supplied by the Mattole is well watered by numerous mountain springs and streams, one of these having two natural water falls of fifty and twenty-five feet re- spectively. From the pool above the lower falls is obtained the water supply for domestic use by piping a distance of about eight hundred feet, thus giv- ing the purest of mountain water. In 1906 a new residence was erected, which is large and commodious and modern in all its appointments. The larger portion of the ranch is open grazing land with smaller areas studded with fir, pine, laurel or pepperwood and tanoak, and it is further beau- tified by profuse growths of many varieties of ferns including the maidenhair. The ranch takes its name from the beautiful view of the forests on all sides, a gem in its beautiful setting.

At Peterborough, England, June 17, 1895, Mr. Shelbourn was married, being united with Miss Alice Gilbert, a native of Peterborough. She is the daughter of William and Kezia (Collins) Gilbert, natives of Sibsey, Lincoln- shire. The father was an engineer on the Great Northern Railway until his death at the age of forty-six, and as stated above her mother now makes her home with Mrs. Shelbourn. Of the three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert only two are living, Mrs. Shelbourn and her brother, Charles William Gilbert, who is assisting Mr. Shelbourn in his cattle raising enterprise. Mr. and Mrs. Shelbourn had one child, Edward, who died in infancy. They are firm believers in the principles of the Republican party, believing that its policy is for the best interests of the whole country. The family are members

585

HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

of St. Mary's Episcopal Church at Ferndale. Mr. Shelbourn is a member of Active Lodge No. 379, Ferndale, and Mattole Lodge No. 92, K. P., at Petrolia, of which he is past chancellor commander and as a delegate attended the Grand Lodge at San Francisco in 1915. He has always been interested in the cause of education and is serving as a member of the board of trustees of the Petrolia school district.

GEORGE ALEXANDER KNIGHT .- The genealogy of the Knight family is traced back to the colonial period of New England history and thence to substantial ancestry in England. Records, whose accuracy has been emphasized by the traditions of successive generations as well as the written accounts of the period, indicate that the family had patriotic partici- pation in the Revolutionary war. Even now there are many of the name within the borders of New England, but the greater number have sought the larger opportunities of the middle west or the Pacific coast country. High among them all, adding prestige to a name honored throughout the entire history of our nation, but particularly worthy as the artificer of his own fortunes and the winner of his own success, is George Alexander Knight, the silver-tongued orator of California, the man of intellectual powers well reinforced by integrity of purpose, the citizen whose patriotic plans promote progressive legislation and the eloquent and tactful stand- ard-bearer of the Republican party through many stormy convention ses- sions memorable in politics and decisive in results. His parents, George H. and Elizabeth Knight, the former a native of Providence, R. I., and the latter of St. Andrew's, New Brunswick, Canada, lived during the early part of their married life at Worcester, Mass., and there his birth occurred July 24, 1851. When two years of age he was brought to California, where the family established a home at Eureka, Humboldt county, and where his father conducted the first hotel for many years, meanwhile endeavoring to promote the development of the community and direct attention to latent local resources. In the sports on the playground of the Eureka grammar school the boy proved to be a recognized leader. In the schoolroom he stood at the head of his classes. So generous was he in heart, so bright in mind, so honorable in soul and so tactful in friendship that he became popular in every circle. Older people predicted a future of great promise for him, for they recognized his admirable endowment of intellect.

The advantages of the Oakland high school and three years in Oakland College supplemented a grammar-school course of study and enabled Mr. Knight in 1870 to take up the study of law with a substantial substratum of classical education. In selecting the law for his profession he was sin- gularly fortunate in appreciating the bent of his talents. His fine mind assimilated the theories and practices of the law with facile readiness. Nor was he less quick in his processes of logical reasoning. With the swiftness of lightning he grasped a case in all of its intricacies. Combined with this facility of mental grasp there was an ease of expression, a fluency of lan- guage, that even in early youth marked him as about to enter upon a career of promise and professional prominence. To such an one admission to the bar with honors was a foregone conclusion of his studies. It was also to be anticipated that in his six years of service as district attorney his powers should be expanded, his knowledge of the law broadened and his ability to conduct difficult cases increased. Even in those early years he had aligned

586

HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

himself as a stanch supporter of the Republican party, but he allowed no partisan influence to detract from the success of his administration as dis- trict attorney, in which capacity his official opinions were regarded as of great value and he exercised his influence toward the righting of wrongs that interfered with the functions of government. In the prosecution of criminals he displayed remarkable efficiency and at that early date gave evidence of the splendid legal abilities that afterward brought him to the front of his profession in the west. "Our George," the people of Humboldt county then learned to call him and in this way they still affectionately refer to him. During that period he laid the foundation of his later in- fluence and proved himself unexcelled in the administration of our criminal laws.

With the campaign of Hon. George C. Perkins for governor of Cali- fornia on the Republican ticket, Mr. Knight suddenly sprang into promi- nence, and from that year (1879) to the present (1914) he has been one of the leading orators and statesmen of the west. It was a source of pride to his admirers in Humboldt county that his remarkable oratorical ability, of which they had been fully aware, should take the entire state by storm during a memorable campaign that brought into prominence every gifted orator in the state. Of all the speakers who went forth to "stump" the state for Mr. Perkins none was more effective or popular than the young orator from Humboldt county and Mr. Perkins always gave to him much of the credit for his gratifying victory at the polls. In appreciation of his work the governor and party leaders urged him to become a candidate for con- gress the following year, but the Democratic party was then in the ascend- ancy, and their candidate, Charles P. Berry, defeated Mr. Knight. What seemed a defeat, however, proved to be the greatest good fortune of his life, for it caused him to determine to devote himself to the law and to relinquish all office-seeking allurements, and to that decision may be attributed his subsequent eminence at the bar. Removing to San Francisco and opening a law office, he soon became known as one of the best-posted lawyers in the western metropolis, where the firm of Knight & Heggerty long has held rank with the leaders of the profession and has retained the clientage of some of the wealthiest litigants of the period, besides taking part in many of the most famous criminal and civil cases in the state's history. Indeed the reputation of the firm is practically national in its scope.

There are many attorneys (and among them Mr. Knight himself) who consider his greatest legal forensic effort to have been his address on the final trial of Josh Hamlin, charged with the murder of John Massey. Ham- lin, convicted of murder in the first degree, but granted a new trial, lost his attorney by death, and Judge Toohey appointed Mr. Knight to defend the accused man at the new trial. The talented Henry Edgerton was on the opposing side. It would have seemed almost folly to attempt the defense of a case in which the opponent was an attorney so famed for logic and eloquence, but by a succession of court battles Mr. Knight managed to save the life of his client, who escaped with a light sentence. This trial in 1882 enhanced the reputation previously made by the rising young attorney, who later became even more prominent through the subsequent defense of Dr. Llewellyn Powell, charged with the murder of Ralph Smith, editor of the San Mateo Gazette, at Redwood City. After five trials in this case an

587

HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

acquittal was secured. In the case on appeal it was decided that the statute authorizing the change of venue to the people was unconstitutional.

National interest was aroused by the trial of Cordelia Botkin, charged with murder, by poisoning, of two women in Dover, Del., a case involving a number of important questions never before presented for adjudication in the California courts. In this case Mr. Knight appeared as attorney for the defendant. Aside from criminal cases he has gained distinction in the civil branch of his profession, notably in the litigation over the great estate of Thomas Blythe, the contest of the will of Jacob Z. Davis and the contest in behalf of Charles L. Fair over the will of ex-United States Senator James G. Fair. Difficult indeed would it be to enumerate all of the cases, civil and criminal, that have engaged the attention and kindled the ambi- tion of Mr. Knight in legal victories. Suffice it to say that he has been more or less intimately identified with every important case in his home city for more than a quarter of a century, and his professional eminence renders consonant the specific recognition accorded to him throughout the entire west.

A firm advocate of the principles for which the Republican party stood from the first era of its organization, Mr. Knight early in life became in- terested in political affairs. Since 1879 he has participated perhaps in every state and national campaign, giving his services without remuneration and solely for the good of the cause dear to his heart. Considered the strong- est convention man in the state, he has appeared as a delegate at every Republican national convention since 1884 with the sole exception of 1888, when he received the largest electoral vote of the party for that year. One of his most noteworthy sessions of service as delegate occurred in 1884, when, at the age of thirty-three, as the champion of James G. Blaine, he opposed the famous orator, George William Curtis, editor of Harper's Weekly and a supporter of Arthur. No one who attended the convention has ever forgotten the oratorical effort of Mr. Knight, who defended Blaine in one of the most eloquent convention addresses ever delivered. The speech was the climax of the convention. Every sentence, almost every word, received a deafening applause. In the opinion of one of the noted correspondents and press reporters of the convention, it was worth half a lifetime to witness such a scene and the effect upon the great audience of the impassioned appeal of Mr. Knight, a gem of oratory, worthy of De- mosthenes or Patrick Henry. That morning Mr. Knight had been com- paratively unknown outside of the west. That night his name was a house- hold word. Twelve years later a similar occasion occurred in the Demo- cratic convention when William Jennings Bryan leaped from obscurity into prominence through an eloquent effort. However, such scenes are rare in the history of a nation, and whatever may be the cause of the flow of oratory its effect is a distinct addition to political literature.

As a delegate to the convention of 1892 Mr. Knight assisted in securing the nomination of Benjamin Harrison for the second term as president. Four years later he secured the entire vote of California for William McKinley and was elected a delegate to the St. Louis convention, where he formed strong personal friendships with Mr. Mckinley and others of the foremost statesmen of the country. During 1900 he seconded the nomination of President Mckinley upon the invitation of the latter. It

588

HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

had been a great convention, but those in the rear of the vast building had been unable to hear any of the speeches, and when suddenly the voice of the silver-tongued orator broke upon them, the confusion and noise ceased as if by magic. As a consequence he won the heartiest applause given any speaker. Great and small alike listened eagerly to his eloquent address and were quick to do honor to his ability. In the national convention of 1904 Mr. Knight was requested by Theodore Roosevelt to make one of the speeches seconding his nomination. Of this speech Collier's Weekly gave the following report: "The last day was devoted to nomination oratory. It was a severe test for the speakers, since the day was hot and the list of speakers unconscionably long. The nominating address for president, by ex-Governor Black of New York, was epigrammatic and ornate. That of ex-Senator Beveridge, who made the first seconding speech, was excellent, although a trifle overrhetorical for the occasion. Indeed the soporific dominated in the addresses and the big audience wearied of it. The best speaker of the day was George A. Knight of California. He had terse, meaty, sense-bearing phrases and his magnificent voice reached every man in the great hall. His first words, 'Gentlemen of the Convention,' brought ringing cheers from the straining audience. His next sentence was inter- rupted by a voice from a remote gallery, 'Not so loud,' and everybody, including Mr. Knight, roared with laughter. Mr. Knight should stand hereafter with Mr. Thurston in voice attainment. And his speech as a whole was a really great effort, by far the finest of the entire convention." The New York Sun mentioned the same address in these words: "Mr. Knight is California's pet orator. He has a voice like a Sandy Hook fog- horn. He hadn't said three words of his speech before a voice from a gallery roared out, 'Not so loud, if you please.' This brought forth cheers and laughter, which Mr. Knight acknowledged by a gracious bow. Several of Mr. Knight's utterances were graciously applauded." The New York Evening Post gave this mention: "The convention was treated to an agreeable surprise in the speech of George A. Knight of California, who revives in physical type, in voice and in oratorical methods the liveliest memories of the late Robert G. Ingersoll. He made the great hit of the whole convention and could have stormed it for any political favor he had to ask. The applause, whenever called for, came in gusts and storm, sweeping the hall and sometimes coming back again after it seemed to have spent its force."

During this convention Mr. Knight was selected to represent California on the national Republican committee. His services were called into requisition in the east and middle west, and such was his popularity that he was invited to speak in Madison Square Garden, that vast hall where the measure of true orators is so promptly taken. Of that address a reporter gave this verdict, which was one of countless others of a similar tenor: "Standing in the presence of twenty thousand Republicans, George A. Knight, California's silver-tongued orator, got a reception in Madison Square Garden that will be talked of in party annals for years to come. Knight was third on the list of speakers. 'Eli' Root, the idol of New York Republicans, and Frank Higgins, the popular nominee for governor, had already spoken at length, and the audience, enthusiastic as it had been was growing weary of much oratory and the lateness of the hour. 'California

589

HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

stretches her hands across the mountains, deserts and fertile valleys tonight to the Republicans of the Empire state, and bids you stand with her and give a mighty majority for Theodore Roosevelt, the champion of human rights,' said Knight, and his victory was won. From thence on it was cheering and singing for over an hour. When Knight, after a glorious tribute to Grant, said, 'The Republican party offers you another Grant for a leader' a cheer went up from ten thousand throats that shook the garden. On the platform were two score party veterans of fifty years. When Knight spoke of them as pathfinders who had followed Fremont as the first Republican leader, the old men rose in a body and led the most remark- able demonstration of the night. Knight in closing said that in the olden days the farmer made a man of straw and stuck him in the fields where the crops were choice, to let the crows know where the good stuff was. 'So the Democrats have placed bogie men in the Philippines to let the people know the grand work the Republican party has accomplished,' said Knight, and the audience cheered for five minutes. The Californian tried to cut short again and again, to make way for Senator Fairbanks, but each time the audience roared its disapproval and told him to talk 'all night.'" During that same memorable address delegates from Columbia, Princeton, the University of New York, Yale and Harvard, present in large numbers, gave exhibitions of "rooting" never before equaled in a political convention.

When the national convention of 1908 was held in Chicago, Mr. Knight attended as delegate from California and seconded the nomination of Will- iam Howard Taft at the personal request of that gentleman. In this speech he fully sustained his high reputation as an orator. During the convention he was again chosen to serve on the Republican national committee. Nor has he been less prominent as a leader in state conventions than as one of the principal men in the national gatherings of the party. As chairman of the state convention in 1894 that nominated M. M. Estee for governor, he wielded large influence in the work of the party. During 1908 he acted as chairman of the state convention that chose delegates to the national convention of that year. In all of this intimate connection with party affairs he has held aloof from office-seeking and only occasionally has per- mitted his name to be used for office, as in 1905, when he was prominently mentioned for the position of United States senator. Under Governor Perkins he served as state insurance commissioner, while later he was judge advocate on the staff of Governor Markham and attorney for the state board of health under Governor Gage.

In the midst of professional, political and public duties of vast impor- tance and continuous demand upon his time, Mr. Knight has found the leisure for participation in social and fraternal activities and has been especially interested in Masonry as a member of the chapter and Com- mandery No. 1, K. T., California Lodge, and Mystic Shrine. While yet a resident of Humboldt county he was honored with the office of grand master of Humboldt Lodge No. 77, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and more recently he has been an influential member of the Bohemian and Pacific Union Clubs of San Francisco. A type of the public-spirited citi- zen, upright business man, talented attorney and gifted orator, his name is worthy of perpetuation in state annals not alone as the "silver-tongued orator," but also because of the force of character that made possible his

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Humboldt County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 65

Author: Irvine, Leigh H. (Leigh Hadley), 1863-1942 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Los Angeles, Historic Record Company Number of Pages: 1328

Author: Irvine, Leigh H. (Leigh Hadley), 1863-1942
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Los Angeles, Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1328