History of Santa Clara 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 103

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928

USA > California > Santa Clara County > History of Santa Clara 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 103

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amanda C. Cunningham

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

They are both liberal and enterprising and are pleased to aid in the growth and development of this favored garden spot of the world.

CAPTAIN EGIDIO G. ZEIRO-A leader among the Italio-American population at San Jose, where he is very popular and where he has lived since 1868, is Egidio G. Zeiro, coming from a family who at one time were among the nobility of Italy, but when the government was overthrown at the time of Napoleon the First, they lost their titles. He was born on January 23, 1854, in Genoa, Italy, and was the son of Giovanni Maria and Caterina (Basteri) Zeiro; the father was a lawyer and both parents have passed away. Captain Zeiro, as he is familiarly called by all who know him, studied at the University of Parma in Lombardi, with the intention of taking up the profession of medicine, but instead he enlisted in the Italian army when eighteen years old, enter- ing the engineer corps, and after four years in the army, he met a friend who was about to set out for the New World and decided to accompany him to California. He and his friend landed at San Fran- cisco about forty-five years ago, and subsequently he became the editor of L'Indipendente, a semi- weekly publication in San Francisco, which was pub- lished in the Italian language, and which is now called the L'Italia, meanwhile studying diligently to perfect himself in the English language. He was en- gaged in newspaper work for eight or ten years, and after that did some work as local correspondent for Italian-American papers at San Francisco. About thirty years ago he came to San Jose and now main- tains offices in the Auzerais Building, where he is engaged in legal work for the Italian-American citizens, and also loans money, and translates legal documents and at times acts as court interpreter, and is perhaps consulted by more clients among the Ital- ians than any other person in San Jose. He has helped build up and is prominent in the Italio-Amer- ican societies and social circles and is president of the Italian Benevolent Society, a new society capital- ized at $60,000. Mr. Zeiro has been one of the prin- cipals in instituting every Italian society in San Jose. He organized the San Jose Hussars, a military com- pany, the equipment of which cost about $8,000. This company was at the Mid-Winter Fair in San Fran- cisco and also has made trips on special trains to important festivals and celebrations in Los Angeles, Stockton and Sacramento. Mr. Zeiro trained them and has been their captain since the organization of the company. In 1896 Captain Zeiro was appointed Italian Consul for the district of San Jose, serving for many years. He has traveled over the state a great deal and so acquired a wide acquaintance all over California.

Mr. Zeiro's marriage, which occurred at Berkeley. Cal., united him with Miss Catherine De Pauli, who is a native of California, having been born in Bear Valley, Mariposa County, where ber father was a pioneer and became a large merchant; and her brother, James de Pauli, was a merchant in Kern and was president of the Bank of Kern. Mrs. Zeiro was a graduate of Notre Dame Convent, in Berkeley, and is a cultured, talented woman, and their union has proved a very happy one. They are the par- ents of one child, Azalia, the wife of Earl L. Alder- man, who is the head of the Earl P. Alderman Com- pany, real estate, loans and insurance. Mr. Zeiro

was president of the building committee that erected The Holy Family Church in San Jose and he and his wife have always been active members. Mr. Zeiro's residence is at Fifteenth and San Fernando streets, and here he has made his home for a number of years. He is a member of the Druids and is its district deputy and has served as its president for twenty years. In national politics he is a Republi- can, prominent and active in county conventions.

URBAN A. SONTHEIMER .- A worthy repre- sentative of a well-known pioneer family who has himself attained to an enviable position in the bustling community of which be is an influential part, is Urban A. Sontheimer, the popular Justice of the Peace of San Jose township. A native son, very proud of his association with the great commonwealth along the Pacific. Mr. Sontheimer was born at San Jose on August 23, 1888, the son of J. J. Sontheimer, who came to San Jose from Wisconsin in 1869, and ten years later married here Miss Anna Kreig, also of an early family. He was engaged in educational work and taught school many years in San Jose. Mr. Sontheimer was then County Clerk, and he gave such satisfaction in the efficient and conscientious discharge of the duties of his office that he served his fellow-citizens three terms in that capacity, after which he followed the busi- ness of a realtor. He was also a member of the board of school trustees of San Jose. Mr. and Mrs. Sontheimer had three children, and Urban was the youngest in the family.

He attended both the grammar and the high school at San Jose, after graduating from the latter in 1907, and then a year later he entered Stanford University. In 1912 he was graduated from the pre-legal course with the A. B. degree, and in 1914 he was made a Juris Doctor by the same institution There- after he practised law in San Jose until he was appointed to his present position in 1916, to succeed Judge John T. Wallace, and in 1918 he was elected for a four-year term. In national politics a Republi- can, Mr. Sontheimer is too good an American to allow partisanship to interfere with his wholehearted support of whatever is best for the locality in which he lives, works, and prospers. He is much interested in all Santa Clara County, and ready and anxious to do all that he can to hasten the day when it shall come to its own.

At San Jose, on August 3, 1919, Mr. Sontheimer was married to Miss Mabel I. Allen, born near San Jose, the daughter of L. S. Allen, who had come to California with his family in 1869. Judge Sontheimer belongs to San Jose Parlor No. 22, Native Sons of the Golden West, being a past president and is a member of San Jose Lodge No. 522, B. P. O. E., serving as exalted ruler from April, 1919 to April, 1920. He was made a Mason in Fraternity Lodge No. 399, F. & A. M., San Jose, is a member of Harvard Chapter No. 14, R. A. M., and of San Jose Commandery No. 10, Knights Templar, and is also a member of Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., San Francisco. He is naturally an enthusiastic member of Santa Clara County Bar Association. At Stan- ford we find him a member of Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, the "Order of the Coif," the scholar- ship law fraternity, and Acacia Masonic Fraternity. During the World War Judge Sontheimer was a member of the legal advisory board for Santa Clara

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County and had active charge of all its work, in- cluding the preparation and supervision of all the questionnaires that were returned from this county. He was one of the four-minute men and a member of the war work councils, taking an active part in the Liberty bond, Red Cross and war drives.

MISS AGNES EMMONS HOWE .- What one woman of high ideals and scholarly education may achieve not merely in professional success, but in be- ing able to accomplish much toward the advancement of a great movement for the benefit of humanity, is well illustrated in the life and career of Miss Agnes Emmons Howe, the experienced and efficient county superintendent of schools, whose popularity through- out Santa Clara County attests to her enviable status in the educational world at large. She was born at Rockford, Ill., the daughter of Lafayette and Mary ( Tisdale) Howe, and was the eldest of six children. She enjoyed a thorough grammar school training, at Owatonna Minn., and afterwards, an excellent high school coursc.

In 1885 she came to California and for seven years taught school in Ventura County. Then in 1892 ma- triculated at Stanford University; and in 1897 she was graduated with the A. B. degree. Then she went to the San Jose Normal School as a teacher, and she re- mained there in that capacity for twenty-one and a half years, during which time she had two years' leave of absence. She did graduate work at the Uni- versity of Wisconsin, which in 1913 conferred upon her the degree of Master of Arts. Half of this period of absence Miss Howe devoted to travel, throughout the United States and Europe, thereby still further enlarging her breadth of vision.

When Miss Howe left the San Jose Normal School in 1918, she was elected for four years to the respon- sible office of county superintendent of schools, and thus made officially a leader in the movements for popular education and intellectual uplift in Santa Clara County; and during her term of office she has specialized in the extension of home agricultural pro- jects and in the bettering of the courses of studies for rural schools, promoted through her by frequent conferences with teachers. Having always the wel- fare of the latter, as well as that of the pupils at heart, it is natural that Miss Howe should be able to proceed rapidly and effectually with these improve- ments and extensions on account of the cheerful and sincere cooperation given her by the teaching body at large. Miss Howe is as much interested in Santa Clara County as if she were a native daughter, and finds inspiration and pleasure in inspiring others with civic pride and rational patriotism. In politics she is a Republican.

Miss Howe has been an active member of the Na- tional Educational Association for years, and she also belongs to the California Teachers Association, and to the State Federation of School Women's Clubs, and she is also identified with the Civic League of San Jose, the Women's Club, the Parent-Teachers Association, League of Women Voters, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Chamber of Com- merce, the Eastern Star and the Royal Order of Am- aranth. In each of these organizations the influence of her mind and personality is felt as the power of a good woman, and one of particular gifts; which may explain her acceptability as both a school official and a representative citizen.

HON. M. P. O'CONNOR .- Occupying a position of prominence among the most influential citizens of San Jose was the late Hon. M. P. O'Connor, well known throughout this section as Judge O'Connor. During the many years of his residence in this city he took an active interest in developing and advanc- ing its highest interests, devoting his energies to this purpose and giving of his means in a generous measure. As an attorney he was well versed in legal lore, attaining success at the bar, and as a rep- resentative of the people he served his constituents in both houses of the California legislature with recognized ability and fidelity.

He was born in Ireland May 8, 1823, and was taken to England in Angust, 1825. At the age of fifteen he came with his parents to the United States, and remained two years in the city of New York. In December, 1840, he removed to St. Louis, Mo. Entering the law office of Maj. U. Wright, in 1842, he studied law with the eminent jurist, and after being graduated from the law department of the Jesuit College, St. Louis, was admitted to the bar there in 1846. Beginning the practice of his pro- fession in St. Louis, the judge remained there three years, and then, in 1849, crossed the plains with mule teams, arriving in California by the Carson route August 17, 1849. He intended to at once open a law office, but there being little legal business of any kind, he turned his attention instead to mining, which he followed for a time. Locating in Nevada County, he subsequently engaged in the practice of law, but at the same time continued his mining operations. A man of strong mental caliber and of much force of character, Judge O'Connor soon ac- quired a place of influence in the community, and in the session of 1859 and 1860 he served in the state assembly, being elected as a Douglas Demo- crat. From 1860 to 1869 he practiced law in Nevada County. In a Republican county he was elected as state senator on the Democratic ticket, and served most satisfactorily to all concerned from 1869 until 1877. His mining operation added materially to his bank account, his name becoming familiar to all the people of that section of the state in which he re- sided. On his election to the senate he gave up his law practice. In 1874, accompanied by his wife, he began traveling throughout this and foreign count- tries, returning from each trip in time to attend the sessions of the legislature. Locating in San Jose in 1884, Judge O'Connor erected a beautiful residence at the corner of Second and Reed streets, and later on built his home, adjoining the O'Connor Sanitarium.

In 1862, in Grass Valley, Nevada County, Cal., Judge O'Connor was married to Mrs. Amanda (But- ler) Young, who was born in Carrollton, Ohio, and came to California in 1854 with her brother, J. Butler, of Grass Valley. A large-hearted, broad- minded woman, Mrs. O'Connor has a warm, sympa- thetic nature, and in the alleviation of the sufferings of others finds her greatest pleasure. She was al- ways interested in young girls, and those left with- out father or mother appealed especially to her tender heart and she longed to do something for them. The large house that she and her husband built at Second and Reed streets seemed to her well adapted for a home for a large number of people, and she and her husband, being devout Catholics, determined to make

agnes E. Home

O'CONNOR SANITARIUM, SAN JOSE, CALIF. Conducted by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul

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it in reality a home for Catholic orphan girls With this purpose in view this generous couple donated their beautiful residence to the Sisters of Notre Dame for an orphanage, and it is now known as Notre Dame Institute. It has accommodation for fifty orphans, and is one of the most noted institu- tions of the kind on the Pacific Coast. Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor also liberally endowed the institu- tion with a sum sufficient for its perpetual main- tenance. In 1889, prior to the establishment of the Notre Dame Institute by Mrs. O'Connor, the O'Con- nor Sanitarium, on the corner of Race and San Carlos streets, was erected by them. This is a large and beautiful brick structure, modern in its furnish- ings and equipments, and, with its attractive grounds, occupies fifteen acres, thic grounds extending from Race to Meridian streets on the one side and from San Carlos to Sansevain streets on the other.

During their residence in San Jose, Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor made many trips abroad, and of the four- teen winters spent in Europe ten were passed in Rome. In their travels on the continent they gath- ered a rare collection of art treasures, and these they donated to Trinity College in Washington, D. C. They also endowed the chair of canon law in the Catholic University of America in Washing- ron, D. C. The benefactions of Judge and Mrs. O'Connor have reached many sections of California, and have proved a boon to numerous Catholic insti- tutions. They contributed liberally towards the up- building and perpetual maintenance of St. Patrick's Seminary at Menlo Park, and also assisted in the building of the Young Men's Institute Building on Market Street, near San Fernando. Judge O'Connor was an active member of St. Joseph's Church, and was a member of the California Pioneers' Society of San Francisco. He passed away June 9, 1909, sur- vived by his widow

It would be only just for the historian to pay a tribute to Mrs. O'Connor, who was one of the most faithful and cheerful of wives and helpmates. The abnegation of all social functions and demands of society in general in order that she could be a con- stant companion to her husband will be a living example for future generations. She went hand in hand with her husband in their princely generosity and the harmony of their natures and loving regard one for the other was as beautiful as it was rare. Thus, in the twilight of her life, while the shadows are lengthening, Mrs. O'Connor is listening for the call, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

THE O'CONNOR SANITARIUM .- Preeminent among the beneficent and noteworthy institutions of San Jose of which the ambitious and appreciative citizens of Santa Clara County are justly proud may well be mentioned the O'Connor Sanitarium, which was taken possession of by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, at the invitation of the Hon. and Mrs. M. P. O'Connor, and the suggestion of the Most Rev. Archbishop Riordan, on March 19, 1889, although it was erected in 1887 by Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor, who wished to provide an institution for the care of the aged, the sick and the afflicted. Since its erection, the growth and development of the insti- tution have been along broad and progressive lines: and as it is purely non-sectarian, with much-needed benefits available to all, the unostentatious relief of the unfortunate poor of the community, as one phase

of its activity, has been far-reaching and effective in its service in the cause of humanity.

Tastefully laid out in lawns, orchards, orange plot and pinery, traversed by concrete walks and driveways affording opportunity for ideal exercise and recrea- tion, the spacious fourteen acres surrounding and forever protecting the Sanitarium are advantageously situated in the beautiful and healthful Santa Clara Valley, at San Jose, within easy access of San Fran- cisco, and upon these grounds are the substantial brick buildings, grouped in architectural harmony, consisting of main building, two wings, nurses home, chapel, kitchen, laundry, power house and garage, while properly apart stands the isolation building, for contagious diseases. Numerous sheltered porches, a solarium and garden pavilion enable the convales- cent to enjoy the benefits of the outdoor air.

Fully supplied with all the modern appointments such as one might expect to find in any up-to-date institution of this kind, the O'Connor Sanitarium, which in 1918 installed a splendid pathological labor- atory, and in March, 1921, secured the latest X-ray instruments, is especially equipped for the care of surgical cases, and the operating rooms are as com- plete as science and mechanical skill can make them. On each of the floors are surgical dressing and treat- ment rooms, and there are two large wards for pa- tients of both sexes, and a smaller ward for chronic diseases. In addition, there is also a children's ward, for here special attention is always paid to the needs of these little sufferers. In the obstetrical division, adjoining the remodeled ward and private rooms is the delivery room with furnishings and equipment planned to provide every convenience for the phy- sician and safeguard for the patient; and the nursery, with its row of basket-beds, open grate-fireplace and sanitary tubs, is ideally arranged for the care of the new-born infant. There is a complete chemical lab- oratory, and a pharmacy in charge of a thorughly- competent Sister pharmacist; and there are dressing rooms and lavatories for the attending physicians, with all the facilities for personal asepsis and anti- sepsis, thus minimizing the liability to incurrence or transference of the disease being treated. Baths, sterilizers, efficient apparatus for fumigation, a dict kitchen and a complete telephone service, all aid in rendering the isolation and other buildings perfect for the purposes for which they were designed. The O'Connor Sanitarium is patronized by the physicians of San Jose of all approved schools of medicine; and in recent years the total number of cases handled have been 1,012 in the year 1911, between 1,000 and 1,100 annually in the years 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1915; 1,171 patients in 1916, 1,538 in 1917, 2,440 in 1918, 1,982 in 1919, and 2,577 in 1920-showing an almost phenomenal recent growth. The San Jose Training School for Nurses, an accredited school, one of the divisions of the Sanitarium activity, was es- tablished in 1898 and incorporated in 1906.

EDWIN H. LEITCH .- Enterprising and capable, Edwin H. Leitch is the type of citizen whose pres- ence in San Jose has been most helpful to the per- manent welfare of Santa Clara County. He was born in Alviso, Santa Clara County, February 15, 1872, and was the son of Isaac H. and Ann ( Mc- Quillan) Leitch. The father was born in New York City and came to California in the year of 1853, where he secured employment as a miller. He first went to San Francisco and then to Alviso, where he

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worked for Bray Bros. and was a miller there for a number of years. He then engaged in farming until his death, which occurred in 1896, the mother sur- viving him until 1913. Mrs. Leitch came to the United States from her native land, Ireland, at the age of fourteen years, and was married to lsaae H. Leitch in San Francisco.

Edwin received his education in the public schools of Alviso and then entered the employment of S. B. Hunkins in a general store. Being ambitious he took the U. S. Civil Service Examinations, and re- ceived an appointment as assistant postmaster at Alviso and later entered the San Jose post office, where he was employed for a period of ten years as chief mailing clerk. He then served two years with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and another year in the wholesale tobacco business in San Jose. In the meantime, being of an ingenious turn of mind, he spent his spare time in inventing and developing an oil burner. Taking a position with C. L. Meisterheim, a dealer in pumps, etc., he was with him for twelve years and was practically in charge of the business, and when Mr. Meisterheim disposed of the business, he continued sixteen months with his successors. He then started in business for himself, establishing the Leitch Pump and Supply Company at 400 West Santa Clara Street and has been very successful.

Mr. Leitch's marriage united him with Miss Eliza- beth D. Parker, a native of Colfax, Cal .. and they are the parents of two children, Marjorie E. and Emer- son H. Mr. Leitch is a member of the Knights of Columbus and of the Catholic Church.

L. R. CODY-Those who have had the good for- tune of intimate association with L. R. Cody, Horti- cultural Commissioner of Santa Clara County, know that his work along the lines of practical and scien- tific horticulture has been a primary factor in the development of the fruit industry. Although his work and interest have been largely confined to California horticulture, the development along these lines in the other states, as well as in Europe and the Orient, has not escaped his attention. Orchard- ists and propagators throughout the Santa Clara Valley cannot value too highly his services in fos- tering horticultural enterprises and disseminating in- formation so necessary for their calling.

Mr. Cody was born in Chester, Howard County, Iowa, on January 31, 1877, the son of Frederick A. and Alta E. (Ray) Cody, who came to California in 1895. He attended the public schools in Con- necticut but was forced to abandon his academic work for the school of experience quite early. He became an assayer for a mining corporation in Mex- ico, and after spending some six years there re- turned to California to take up the study of agri- culture and its allied lines.

After spending four years in viticultural work at Fresno, he moved to the Santa Cruz County moun- tain apple section, arriving in Santa Clara County in the spring of 1907, where he has since made his home. His work at the old California Nursery in the field and as a salesman, as well as his experi- ence as foreman with the San Jose Branch of the Cottage Garden Nursery, developed an intimate knowledge of plant life and methods of propaga- tion which has made him a recognized authority. In connection with this work he has made an extensive study of California flora and is an active member

of the California Botanical Society. Likewise, al- ways interested along entomological lines, he has spent his spare time in the study of insect life and its control in relation to the welfare of California horticulture, as well as pathology with the same practical end in view; thus he has acquired the most complete collection of economic insects of any commissioner in the state.

Attracted by Mr. Cody's ability, Mr. E. L. Morris, County Horticultural Commissioner at that time, per- suaded him to enter the public service as horticultural inspector. Upon Mr. Morris' resignation, he was suc- ceeded by Mr. Cody on June 1, 1918, with reappoint- ment to this responsible position, November 13, 1918.

At Meriden, Conn., Mr. Cody was married to Miss Alice May Smith, who was born in New Haven. They have a promising son, Frederick Russell, now attending the San Jose high school. Mr. Cody has held all of the principal offices of the local Grange, belongs to the W. O. W., Masons and Sciots, and is a consistent Republican in state and national affairs.

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History of Santa Clara 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 103

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846- Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1928

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928