History of Sacramento 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, 1923, Part 52

Author: Reed, G. Walter
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1026

USA > California > Sacramento County > History of Sacramento 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, 1923 > Part 52

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).

The first county superintendent of common schools elected by the people in Sacramento was F. W. Hatch, elected September 5, 1855. Up to that time the duties of county school superintendent were performed by the county assessor.

The first cement sidewalks in Sacramento were laid in 1877 in the capitol grounds by the California Artificial Stone Paving Com- pany, under instructions of Adolph Teichert, the first cement finisher in the state, who was sent from New York in 1875 to familiarize the company with the details of a then new pat- ent method for the construction of cement sidewalks with proper provision for joints to control the cracking due to contraction during the setting of the cement.

Sacramento, in 1921, was the first city in California to adopt the system of proportional representation in municipal voting.

F. V APAE. Bro. NET @Hist. 's Recru_

Thos & Clunie

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF COUNTY

PIONEERS, PAST AND PRESENT

HON. THOMAS JEFFERSON CLUNIE .- The life of Hon. Thomas Jefferson Clunie reads like a romance of the eighteenth century, and it must be such figures as he that were chosen by Gertrude Atherton and other writers of California life, when depicting the colorful events of that period in the state. Born on a sailing vessel off the coast of New- foundland, March 25, 1852, his father being a sea captain, he was brought to California during the fifties by his parents and was educated in the Sac- ramento public schools; and after studying law, was admitted to the bar to practice when but eighteen years of age. The youngest man who ever practiced in the state, he had three years taken off his minority by a legislative enactment, so that he might become a lawyer in spite of the law. The legal age for admis- sion being twenty-one years, young Clunie had a special bill introduced into the legislature relieving himself of his disabilities as a minor and allowing him to practice law at the age of eighteen, if he could secure the necessary license from the supreme court. His efforts won the passage of a statute by the unanimous vote of both houses, entitling him to practice law as soon as he might be qualified by an examination before the supreme court-the first time such a thing had been done in the history of Cali- fornia, and it never has been repeated.

The young barrister immediately began the prac- tice of law in Sacramento, and he attended strictly to his practice. Of a pleasing personality, he mixed with the gayest kind of company, but his moral fiber was of the strongest and he never knew the taste of either liquor or tobacco, though these virtues were never held up for public admiration. He was a man of abounding vitality and almost boyish spirits, even in mature years. When twenty-five years of age, his fame as a keen, dependable lawyer and business man extended up and down the valley, and large interests were placed confidently in his hands.

In 1875 Mr. Clunic was elected to the state legis- laturc; he was appointed brigadier-general of the 4th Brigade, California National Guards, in 1876; in 1878 he was a candidate for Congress, but met with defeat (he was a Democrat in politics). Later he opened a law office in San Francisco. In 1886 he was elected state senator, and his clection to Congress came in 1888. A fluent speaker, of cloquence and ability, his services were always at the disposal of his party; he went as a delegate at large to the national Democratic convention in Chicago, in 1884.

When a boy, this eminent man sold papers on the streets of Sacramento and attended night school to complete his education, and much of his popularity and renown was due to his ability to see life from all sides, and to his broad conception of his duty to his 18

fellow-men. He amassed a fortune during his life- time, among his realty holdings being the Clunic Opera House of Sacramento, and the Clunie Building of San Francisco. He was an Elk and a Mason, and was buried with Masonic honors.

Mr. Clunie chose for his life companion Miss Flor- ence Turton, a native of Sacramento, the daughter of William Turton, a pioncer of 1849. Their mar- riage occurred in Sacramento; and since his death, June 30, 1903, aged fifty-two years, Mrs. Clunie has proven herself an able business woman, well fitted to carry on the large affairs he left in her charge. With the advice and assistance of her two sisters, the Misses Nellie and Kate Turton, she has built and owns the New Clunic Hotel and Theater, on the corner of K and Eighth Streets, as a monument to her illustrious husband, and this valuable property is free and clear from all debt, an unusual feature in so large an undertaking.

WILLIAM ALBERT CURTIS .- A representa- tive man of Sacramento, who came here in the early part of both his life and that of the state, and since then was identified with the growth and advance- ment of this part of California, was William A. Cur- tis, a native of Massachusetts, born on a New Eng- land farm, near Boston, in 1857. Ambitious and far- seeing, even as a lad, he wished to start his business career in a newer environment, and in 1870, before fourteen years of age, he came West and located near Sacramento, and worked, for a beginning, on a ranch owned by his uncle, William Curtis, a pioneer of the Valley and prominent in its upbuilding; the Curtis Oaks subdivision was named for him.

William A. Curtis came into Sacramento three years later, and for a time worked for W. R. Strong & Company, now the Ennis-Brown Company. On leaving them, he formed a partnership with W. H. Wood and established the Wood-Curtis Company: this firm, begun in a small way, is now one of the largest wholesale produce firms in the West. Later, Mr. Curtis established the William A. Curtis Com- pany, of San Francisco, one of the leading produce firms of that city, and he remained at the hicad of these two successful .concerns until his death, at the same time being actively interested in other business affairs. He bought and developed two large ranches, one on Sherman Island and the other near Isleton. having large acreage in celery and asparagus. Hc was a director in the Haggin Bottom Land Company. president of the Wood-Curtis Company, president of the William A. Curtis Company, and vice-president of the California National Bank of Sacramento; and. as is true of all men of his caliber, his impress was felt in many farge .affairs pertaining to the advance-

276

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ment and progress of this part of the state, affairs in which he took no public part, but gave of his time and energy that the community might benefit; an example of that fine integrity of spirit which has welded men together since the world's beginning, and made possible such human achievement as sur- rounds us today.

The marriage of Mr. Curtis united him with Mary Helen Case, daughter of Captain G. W. Case, a pio- neer master of river boats on the Sacramento; three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Curtis: Mrs. Neva Moore; William A., Jr., a student at the Uni- versity of California; and Mrs. Isabel Hechtman.

Fraternally, Mr. Curtis was prominent as a thirty- second degree Mason, a member of the I. O. O. F. and of the Knights of Pythias. His death, which occurred December 27, 1914, left a vacancy in the roll of men who were the real founders of the pros- perity of our glorious state; to whom all honor is due and is gladly rendered. Mrs. Curtis died March 31, 1923.

PHILIP S. DRIVER .- A gentleman of scholarly attainments who made a success of his chosen pro- fession, in which he acquired distinction and in- fluence, was the late Philip Sample Driver, who passed away at his home on March 26, 1923, a native son of the Golden State, having been born near Antelope, Sacramento County, on June 14, 1862. His father was Elisha Sample Driver, a pioneer of 1849, who became a prosperous rancher and one of the highly respected citizens of Sacramento County. He was born in Indiana on April 18, 1829, the son of John and Abigail (Mills) Driver, and was left an orphan when scarcely more than a babe, on which account he came to live in the home of his uncle until 1836. He then went to Henry County, Iowa, where he made his home with another uncle until 1849.

Lured to California by the discovery of gold, he started across the great plains for the Coast on March 25, 1849, traveling with ox-teams and wagons; and he had a trying experience, being compelled to fight the Indians on four different occasions. He reached California safely, however, arriving at Hang- town, now Placerville, on August 1, 1850, and he fol- lowed mining on the American River until 1854, but with less success than he had anticipated. He there- fore came to Sacramento and engaged in teaming to the mines, and finding it profitable he continued until 1857, when he was able to purchase 1,200 acres near Antelope, where he engaged in farming and stock- raising, and amassed a comfortable fortune; and he continued to supervise his large affairs until his death, in 1913. His good wife was Mary E. Forsythe before her marriage, and she was born in Missouri. In 1853 she crossed the plains with her parents, and she was permitted to enjoy their companionship until 1903. The worthy pioneer couple had twelve chil- dren, eleven of whom grew to maturity, among whom Philip, our subject, was the second eldest.

Philip S. Driver spent his boyhood on his father's ranch, where he made himself generally useful, and he mastered the chores or tasks required of him, at the same time attending the public schools. Then he matriculated at the University of the Pacific at San Jose, from which he was duly graduated in 1888, with the Ph. B. degree, after which he took up the study of law in the office of Grove L. Johnson, father of Hiram (now United States senator) and

Albert Johnson, then in partnership. In October, 1890, having passed the required examination, he was admitted to the bar of the state. He began the practice of law with a partner, William M. Sims, under the firm name of Driver & Sims, and their relations continued amicable and mutually helpful until Mr. Sims removed to San Francisco, when Mr. Driver's brother, Benjamin F., who had graduated from the University of California and had been ad- mitted to the bar, joined him in practice under the firm name of Driver & Driver, which became well and honorably known, and a real power among the legal profession of Sacramento County. In 1918, Philip S. Driver was admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court at Washington, D. C. Mr. Driver's first offices were in the Quinn building, opposite the California National Bank on J Street; and later he had offices in the Farmers and Mechan- ics Bank building, on Eighth Street. The firm had a large clientele, and a very extensive practice in civil law, for they were the attorneys for various reclama- tion districts. Mr. Driver was a well-posted lawyer, and an able counsellor; he was conservative and strictly honest in all of his actions and dealings; and his clients had the utmost confidence in his judgment and dependability.

Mr. Driver was also greatly interested in agricul- ture, and owned valuable ranch interests in the Na- tomas Farms tract, and these farms he brought to a high state of cultivation. He also owned real estate in Sacramento, and was interested in various cor- porations. He thus served society in the dual func- tion of the professional man and the man of prac- tical affairs; and he was among the relatively few members of the bar, perhaps, who substantially for- warded the agricultural industry in California.

The marriage of Mr. Driver occurred in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, on June 30, 1892, and united him, at one of the prettiest weddings of the year, with Miss Elizabeth Gober, who was' a native daugh- ter and had been born in Santa Clara. Her father, the Rev. W. R. Gober, was a native of Georgia, and was ordained to the ministry of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South, and was admitted to the Mis- sissippi Conference in November, 1844, where he did valiant and faithful work until he came out to Cali- fornia in the early fifties. In 1851 he made his way to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama as a missionary, organizing congregations and building churches in the newly admitted Golden State. Some time after the war, he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church-his action dating in the year 1872-for he felt that it was incompatible with true Christianity to have two churches, and so from then until his death he was energetic and faithful in build- ing up that church in California. He served as a presiding elder for many years, working in the San Francisco, Napa and Sacramento, as well as in other districts, and from the time that he crossed into California, he was greatly interested in the Univer- sity of the Pacific, gave it his hearty support, and took great pride in the growth of the institution, and the high standard of scholarship maintained by faculty and students. After he was superannuated, he was chaplain of Folsom Prison for some years; and when he passed away at his home in College Park, San Jose, on March 13, 1908, he had seen nearly sixty years of service in the ministry in California, and had rounded out a very useful life, full of good works

277

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

and sacrifices. He was delegate to the General Con- ference in 1892, and he served as a member of the assembly of the California legislature from Santa Clara County, and afterwards was chaplain of the legislature during many sessions. He was a promin- ent Mason, being a member of Tehama Lodge, F. & A. M., in Sacramento. Mr. Gober was married at Vicksburg, Miss., on July 8, 1852, to Miss Nanny Porter Beasley, a native daughter of Virginia, and came immediately with his bride to his missionary field in California. She was a gifted, lovable wo- man; and as his devoted widow, survived him until December, 1908. The estimable and highly esteemed couple had six children, four of whom attained ma- turity; and three of these are now living: Dr. R. P. Gober and Mrs. J. W. Boyd living at Los Gatos, and the other child being a daughter, named Elizabeth. Mrs. Driver was also graduated from the College of the Pacific, and in the same year as was her hus- band, in 1888; and she received the same degree of Ph. B., having majored in music, a subject she con- tinued to study, under Frank Louis King, receiving, in 1890, the degree of Bachelor of Music. Then she taught in the Conservatory under Professor King un- til her marriage with Mr. Driver, which was blessed in the gift of six children, four of whom are still living. Philip Roland passed away in his tenth year. Robert S. is a graduate of Stanford University,

having received his A. B. degree with the class of 1921, and he is now in the law offices of Messrs. Driver & Driver. He volunteered for service in the World War, and joined the motor transport service of the Quartermaster's department, and served at the Presidio until he was sent to Camp Upton as des- patcher for ten months, when he was transferred to Buffalo, N. Y., and was commissioned a second lieutenant, and was under orders to go overseas when the armistice was signed. He is a member of the Theta Delta Chi and Phi Delta Phi, and is a thirty- second degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner. Keith Porter also died, at the age of three years. Earl Paxton was a student at Stanford for two years, but he is now attending the University of California as a member of the class of 1924. He belongs to the Theta Delta Chi, and is a thirty-second-degree Scottish Rite Mason, and is a charter member of the Ben Ali Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Sacramento. Elizabeth and John Arrendall are at- tending the Sacramento high school.

This fruitful activity in college and university circles on the part of her children is a very natural source of gratification to Mrs. Driver, for when she was at the University of the Pacific, she was a prominent leader in the academic and social life of the collegiate institution. She brought the first chapter of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority to the University of the Pacific, and later founded the first chapter of the sorority at the University of California. She is now a consistent and an active member of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in Sacramento, and takes a very active part in its various societies and benevolences. The late Mr. Driver was a prom . inent Mason, having been a member of Tehama Lodge, No. 3, F. & A. M., Sacramento, in which he was a past master. He was a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a past master of the Ka- dosh, and was made a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor, and was a charter member of Ben Ali Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Sacramento, and

a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. 1-1 e was also a member of the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in Sacramento, and gave it substantial sup- port. He was very prominent in Republican political movements, and served as chairman of the city and also of the county central committee of that party. He was a member of the board of education for ten years, six of which he was president. He had built the beautiful residence at 2019 Twenty-first Street, where he resided in comfort and happiness with his family; but despite his exemplary and useful life, of such service and inspiration to many, he was not per- mitted to enjoy the fruits of his labors; and his pass- ing away, on March 26, 1923, was both a shock and a great loss to the people of northern California. He was deeply mourned by both his family and a large circle of admiring and grateful friends, who still love and fondly think of him, and who will never cease to revere the memory of Philip Driver-patriot, scholar and Christian gentleman, and one of the foremost citizens of Sacramento County.

MAJOR PATRICK J. HARNEY .- A distin- guished Californian, by adoption, whose influence will be felt for many generations, was the late Major Patrick J. Harney, who was born at Toronto, On- tario, Canada, on August 13, 1856, and died at Sac- ramento on March 26, 1918. He came to California with his parents at the age of six, going at first to Santa Cruz, and then, in 1865, he went to Sacramento, in his ninth year. He was educated in the Sacra- mento schools, and also at St. Mary's College, then in San Francisco, now in Oakland, and became a gunsmith by trade. He joined the Democratic party, and took up politics early in life.

He was assistant adjutant of California under Ad- jutant-General Walsh, and was appointed by. Gov- ernor Haight when twenty-one years of age, being the youngest who ever held that office in California. And he retired with the rank of major. He was wharfinger in San Francisco in 1883, having been appointed by Governor Irwin; and remaining in San Francisco, he became active in politics and the affairs of the city. He was appointed port warden of San Francisco, and was later made harbor commissioner there, his appointment being signed by Governor James H. Budd, on March 16, 1897, when he suc- ceeded D. P. Cole, and he continued under Governor Gage, so that he was six years in office.

He became the agent of the Sacramento Transport- ation Company in San Francisco, and in 1901 he was transferred to Sacramento, and was made the com- pany's general manager. He was recognized as an authority on river conditions for navigation purposes, and on the death of Captain Roberts he became president of the Sacramento Transportation Com- pany, and that responsible office he was filling at the time of his death. He was a man of sterling charac- ter, honest and upright, and his influence was wide and beneficial. He belonged to the Sutter Club, the Sacramento Lodge of the Elks, and the Knights of Columbus, and he was a director and stockholder in the Farmers & Mechanics Bank, at Sacramento.

In 1883, on May 14, Major Harney was married to Miss Mary W. Ryan, a native of Sacramento, and their happy union was blessed with the birth of five children, all daughters. The eldest is Margaret F .; Winnifred M. is the wife of R. T. Hardy, of San Francisco, who has two children, Bernice and Joan;

278

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Regina I., now Mrs. F. J. Sherry, of the Bay City, is the mother of Frederick, Jr., and Patricia Anne; Helen G. married J. C. Wilson, and they live in Sac- ramento and have two sons, Jesse C., Jr., and Warren Harney; and Claire B. is now Sister Mary Patrick, one of the Dominican Sisters. A home-lov- ing man, Major Harney was a real companion to his wife and daughters; and he was always a friend to the working-men, who felt that they could call upon him for assistance at any time.

JOHN J. WORTHINGTON .- Prominent among the hotel men of Sacramento who have made the city worthy of a capital, is John J. Worthington, the genial proprietor of the popular Hotel Worth at 7271/2 K Street. He was born in Grass Valley, Cal., on St. Valentine's Day, 1865, the son of George and Eliza (Farrell) Worthington, who came to Grass Valley in 1864 and stayed there six months. Then they removed to Tehama, Tehama County, where the father was active as a harness-maker. Both of these worthy pioneers died in Tehama, but their good works live after them, blessing others elsewhere.

John Worthington attended the public schools, and then took up hotel work in Tehama. He spent a short time in the real estate field in Red Bluff, but he soon had a hotel at Tehama, continuing there till in 1915, when he removed to the larger center, Sac- ramento. He had charge of the Clayton Hotel for a year and a half, then managed the Colonial Apart- ments for ten months; he has been with the Hotel Worth since 1917. The establishment has eighty-six rooms, a goodly number including baths, and all the equipment is strictly modern. He belongs to the Kiwanis Club, and in politics aligns himself with the Democratic party.

Mr. Worthington's marriage occurred in Tehama County, in the year 1893, when Miss Nellie Lowrey, a native daughter of Solano County, became his wife, and they have two children, Mrs. G. I. Giffen and Jean. Mr. Worthington is a Mason, and belongs to the lodge, chapter, commandery and shrine. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and also belongs to the Hotel Men's Association and to the Chamber of Commerce.

MICHAEL HUGHES .- Among the pioneers of the early sixties who braved the dangers and en- dured the hardships of that period here in California we find Michael Hughes and his brother John Hughes, both born in County Tyrone, Ireland, the former in 1837, and sons of James Hughes. In 1861 Michael Hughes came to America and in Boston learned the trade of stonemason, and after he had earned enough he sent for his brother John, who came to join him in the East, and also came to Cali- fornia two years later than did Michael, who came via the Isthmus in 1863. In San Francisco he found work at his trade with a cousin. John Grant, who owned a large quarry of granite and was a well-to-do man. After John Hughes came West he was em- ployed by Mr. Grant as a coachman for fourteen years. About 1866 Michael Hughes came to Sac- ramento and found work with William Boyne; and he laid out the granite steps at the state capitol building, and these today stand as mute testimony of his expert workmanship.

In 1868, Michael Hughes married Miss Margaret Lynn, who was born in 1840, in County Cavan, Ireland. She accompanied her brother, James Lynn,

to Sacramento in 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes were blessed with five children: John J., who passed away in 1895; Mary Alice, Mrs. Edward F. Coyle of Sac- ramento; James Thomas, a contractor in Sacramento, who succeeded his father and uncle; Margaret M. became the wife of George F. Keefe and died in 1916, and Ann Elizabeth, a twin, died in infancy. In 1870, Mr. Hughes built a residence on the corner of Twenty-third and N Streets, where he owned a quarter of a block, where their spirit of hospitality ever welcomed their many friends and acquaintances. For many years, Michael Hughes and his brother worked together as teaming and grading contractors throughout the city of Sacramento and northern California, continuing until they died. In 1877, Mrs. Hughes passed away, mourned by her beloved fam- ily, and Mr. Hughes cared for and reared his children, who made a very happy group. Mr. Hughes died on August 18, 1916. He was a strong church mem- ber and was considered one of the pillars in St. Francis Parish, being a member of the church council for many years. Politically, he was affiliated with the Democratic party and voted in accordance with its principles.

John Hughes made a trip to his native land after he was eighty-two years old. He passed away at the age of ninety-four years on April 6, 1920. Both Michael and John Hughes lived temperate lives and were Americans in the true sense of the word. The capital city lost, in the death of these two brothers, men worthy of esteem who were deserving citizens.

THOMAS J. MORONEY .- What a progressive, wide-awake rancher may accomplish, both for him- self and the community in which he resides and prospers, with the unexcelled resources of this fa- vored section of the Golden State, is demonstrated in the case of Thomas J. Moroney, who is cultivat- ing a choice farm about one mile south of Wilton. He is thoroughly at home with all the natural con- ditions there, for he was born on the Moroney Ranch, northeast of Hicksville, on March 30, 1862. His fa- ther was Dennis Moroney, a pioneer who came to California in 1858, a native of Limerick, Ireland. In New York, to which city he had come as a hoy, he had married Bridget Sexton, also a native of that part of the Emerald Isle, who had crossed the ocean to New York when she was twelve years of age; and he brought his wife and two daughters, Mar- garet, now Mrs. Keating, a widow of Wilton, and Mary J. Moroney. The family came to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and traveled part of the way on the old-time ship "Orizaba," which was a favorite steamer along the Coast in the late fifties and during the sixties.

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 Sacramento 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, 1923, Part 52

Author: Reed, G. Walter Publication date: 1923 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1026

Author: Reed, G. Walter
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1026