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 59

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

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In 1907 he was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, to succeed Judge A. L. Rhodes, in which position he served six years, when he was appointed by Governor Johnson to the posi- tion of Associate Justice for the District Court of Appeals for the First District. Since then, Judge Richards has been twice re-elected to the eminent position which he now holds. In 1918, he served a year as Justice pro tem of the Supreme Court, dur- ing the illness of one of the members, and since that time he has been several times recalled to that court for a like service. In state and national affairs Judge Richards is a life-long Republican, but in local affairs he has never permitted politics to interfere with his support of the best measures and the best men.

At San Jose, on November 23, 1881, Judge Rich- ards was married to Miss Mary Wallace Westphal, a native of San Francisco, where she was born in 1858, the daughter of John T. and Mary (Percy) Westphal. Her father was at one time County Clerk for San Francisco, while the Percys are of Scotch- English extraction, sprung from the Percys of Nor- thumberland. Miss Westphal attended the schools of Santa Clara County, and afterwards became an instructor in the public schools in the vicinity. She has always been, and still is active in the women's

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

social, religious and education movements in the community. She is one of the earliest and most devoted members of the Monday Club. She has also been treasurer of the Pratt Home for many years, and is an active member of the Woman's Guild of the Trinity Episcopal Church, and was its president for a number of years. Two children blessed this happy union of Judge and Mrs. Richards. John Percy Richards, who is in business in San Francisco, and Donald Wallace Richards who is an attorney at law, with offices in San Jose. Judge Richards is a member of Golden Gate Lodge No. 30 of the Masonic order, in San Francisco. He is also a member of the Observatory Parlor of the Native Sons, and Modoc Tribe of Red Men of San Francisco; and he is also an active member of the Society of California Pioncers.

Judge and Mrs. Richards live in a quaint old home on South 10th Street, built in 1862 by J. H. Flick- inger, and in the beautiful garden of which are still to be seen some of the trees which the latter planted in that year. Forty-one years later, the Judge bought the place, and he has lived there ever since. There is a great cherry tree on the place, the largest in the region; the trunk measuring thirty inches in diameter, and the limbs spreading more than fifty feet. In 1918 this tree bore a thousand pounds of luscious cherries. The Judge also has a ranch of seven acres in the foothills six miles east of San Jose, mainly devoted to an orchard, but the grounds about the house are given over to the cultivation of wild flowers. upon which Mrs. Richards is an authority and is often called to deliver talks upon in different parts of the state. The garden is really glorious during most seasons of the year, due to the interesting effort on the part of its owners to assemble every available species of California wild-flower life. Both Judge and Mrs. Richards are sincere and earnest students, fond of reading and lovers of books; and not a month passes but what some valuable work in classics in science, in philosophy, in poetry or in general liter- ature is added to their large and valuable library.

S. F. LEIB .- For more than half a century associ- ated with the jurisprudence of Santa Clara County, Judge S. F. Leib forcibly impressed his personal and professional worth upon the community. A native of Fairfield County, Ohio, he was born in the year 1848, his parents. Joseph and Clarissa ( Allen) Leib, being natives of the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively.

S. F. Leib received his preliminary education in the public schools of Ohio; later at a private academy before entering the University of Michigan, where he was graduated in 1869, receiving his degree of LL. B. In the spring of 1864, at the age of sixteen. he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred Fifty-ninth Volunteers, Ohio Infantry, serving in the last year of the war. He is now a member of the John Dix Post No. 42. G. A. R. In 1869 he removed to San Jose, where he entered the law firm of Moore and Laine, and later D. M. Delmas entered the firm. This partnership was dissolved in 1879. During the year of 1903, Mr. Leib was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, but resigned before the end of the year to resume his private practice. For years he has served as vice-president of the First National Bank of San Jose; also as director and attorney for the bank. The attainments of this fine and noble early settler are such as to

enroll him for all time with the history builders of the beautiful Santa Clara Valley.

His marriage December 15, 1874, united him with Miss Lida Campbell Grissim, and to them have been horn five children; Lida C .. the wife of Chas. D. Armstrong of Omaha; Elna, the wife of Professor H. W. Wright; Frank A., manager of one of the Leib orchards; Roy C., attorney at law and partner of Mr. Leib; Earl, a resident of Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Leib also have four grandchildren. Politi- cally Mr. Leib is a stalwart supporter of the Repub- lican party; religiously he was born and reared a Methodist. He occupies an enviable position in the community in which he lives, as a man who .serves wisely and well as a jurist, and commands the highest esteem of those with whom he has been associated. Aside from his legal practice, Mr. Leib is extensive- ly interested in orchard property.

WILLIAM G. ALEXANDER .- A man of force- ful character and brilliant attainments, William G. Alexander is an acknowledged leader in the business world, having throughout the years of his commer- cial career met with such success that he now occu- pies a merited position of power and influence throughout the state. He was born in St. Louis, Mo., February 25, 1867, the son of the late John Hender- son Alexander, a native of Tennessee, who migrated to California as one of the Argonauts of 1849. He tried his luck at mining for two years and then was in business in Sacramento and later in San Francisco. He returned to St. Louis in 1853 and 1863, in De- catur, Ill., married Susan Edmundson, a native of that state. In 1880 the Alexander family came to California and settled in San Jose, where the father became secretary of the Independent Mill and Lum- ber Company. His death occurred on November 26, 1893; Mrs. Susan Alexander passed away July 8, 1917. There are three survivors of the family: a daughter, Mrs. Nellie A. Keith, and two sons, William G. and John E. Alexander, the latter a resi- dent of San Francisco.

William G. Alexander, who has made his own way from boyhood, was graduated from the San Jose high school, class of '83; and later he entered the College of the Pacific, but on account of impaired health, he was obliged to discontinue his studies. He then took up work in the office with his father, where he learned bookkeeping; and afterwards he was employed as bookkeeper by the Crystal Palace Tea Co., a grocery firm. In 1887 he entered the em- ploy of the Central Milling Company as an account- ant, and when this company was incorporated with the Sperry Flour Company in 1892, he was made manager of the San Jose office. In that capacity he developed his wonderful executive ability, which was soon recognized by his employers, and in 1906 he was made a director and general sales manager as a reward for his fidelity and valued services.

In 1909, Mr. Alexander accepted the position of president and general manager of the Keystone Com- pany, one of the largest wholesale grocery firms in Santa Clara County, at a time when they were oc- cupying rented property with a frontage of forty feet; and such has been the extraordinary growth of the business under his leadership that today they have their own concrete building with a frontage of 178 feet and extending from Market to San Pedro Street, with entrances from both streets. They have

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

one of the most complete coffee-roasting plants on the Pacific Coast, and they carry an extensive line of staple and fancy groceries, as well as a complete line of paper and wooden ware. They employ eight salesmen at present, who carefully cover the terri- tory from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo, all working systematically under Mr. Alexander, who has devoted much thought and time to the perfection of the best business methods and plans. One more characteristic that makes Mr. Alexander stand preemi- nent in San Jose is his thoughtfulness for the comfort and welfare of his employes at the Keystone Company. At considerable expense he equipped a well-appointed, sanitary lunch room for their convenience, overlook- ing nothing that would add to their comfort. The highest wages are paid by him and each employe of the large plant has shown a loyalty to him that is most commendable. He is also president and gen- cral manager of the Alexander-Balart Company of San Francisco, an exclusive coffee company which has built up a very lucrative trade in the Pacific Coast states.

Mr. Alexander has been a director and the secre- tary of the Garden City Bank and Trust Com- pany for the past twenty-three years, and is a member of the executive committee-a very im- portant factor in building up the bank's exten- sive business. He is the president of the Conser- vative Realty Company, which has built up South First Street. For nearly fifteen years he served as vice- president and director of the San Jose Mutual Build- ing and Loan Association, and during that period this concern was an important factor in furnishing funds and helping its members to acquire suitable homes, thereby building up the city. Later, he withdrew from this association and engaged in the banking business because of the larger opportunity offered.

He was one of the organizers of the California Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc., is secretary of the executive committee and a member of the board of director's, and was appointed by Governor Stephens as the state's representative on the board. When the local association was in course of organization, Mr. Alexander made speeches all over the state in its in- terests and did much to insure its organization. He is a live wire in the Chamber of Commerce and a past member of the board of managers, and has ap- peared before various chambers in the county and elsewhere in the interest of community welfare work for several years past. He is one of three men who bought the lot and erected the Alexandria building, named in his honor, on the corner of Second and San Antonio streets. Mr. Alexander has the distinc- tion of being one of the frecholders who drafted the charter for the commission form of government for San Jose. He is a member of the Lions', Coun- try and Commercial clubs of San Jose. As one of the organizers and for fifteen years the president of the San Jose Coffee Club, a philanthropic enter- prise of the community, he aided in building up, from a small beginning to a large business undertaking, a philanthropy that has rendered a necessary and valuable service to many.

Mr. Alexander is a Mason, belonging to San Jose Lodge No. 10. F. & A. M., Howard Chapter No. 14, R. A. M. San Jose Commandery No 10. K. T .. of which he is a past commander; is a member and past patron of both San Jose Chapter No. 31. O. E. S. and Sainte Claire Court No. 31, Order of Ama-

ranth. Mr. Alexander was one of the incorporating directors of the Masonic Hall Association and elect- ed the first president, holding office from 1902 to 1911, when he resigned on account of pressure of private business. He was one of the leading spirits and most prominent factors in building the Masonic Hall in San Jose, one of the best appointed and finest temples on the coast and to no one is more credit due for this beautiful edifice than he. He was formerly a Presbyterian, serving for years as an elder of the Second Presbyterian Church of San Jose; was active on various important

church committees for thirty years and did his full share to build up the membership; was once elected Moderator of the San Jose Presbytery and at one time was the representative at the General Assem- bly in St. Louis; but is now a member of the Christian Assembly. He was a charter member and one of the most active workers in the local Y. M. C. A. and served as its president; in fact has served on every committee and did yeoman service to main- tain the association, was one of the few who stood behind it and reorganized and put the present body on its feet, serving as the first president after re- organization. He has contributed liberally of both time and money to maintain the organization, and is also a past president of the State Y. M. C. A.

Deeply interested in the welfare of the young peo- ple, Mr. Alexander was for seven years superintend- ent of the Intermediate Christian Endeavor Society of the Presbyterian Church and during those years never missed a meeting. He was one of the organ- izers of the Santa Clara County C. E. Union, ac- tive in the work of that and the state organization. and has served as president of both. During the World War he was an active member of the county executive committee and threw himself whole-heart- edly into the work of the organization for raising funds and conserving the resources of the county in the cause of the Allies and largely through his in- fluence Santa Clara County went "over the top" in every loan and benefit drive. As a 100% Ameri- can he subscribed liberally to every bond issue and contributed to every cause. He was one of the "Four Minute Men" and stumped the state for the various causes necessary to win the war.

Mfr. Alexander was united in marriage on Decem- ber 23, 1890, in San Jose, with Miss Edith Cory, a native daughter born into the family of Dr. Ben- jamin Cory and his wife, pioneers of 1847 in Cali- fornia. She attended the public schools and the Col- lege of the Pacific and grew up in San Jose. They have an adopted daughter, Ruth L., who married Merle A. Elliott of Chico on July 4, 1918, and there is a granddaughter, Ruth Edith Elliott.

It will be seen from the foregoing that Mr. Al- exander contributes generously of both his time and means to advance the moral and educational, as well as the commercial life of the city, county and state He is a firm believer in progress in all things, is public spirited to a high degree and always ready to lend his aid to every worth-while project where the welfare of the people is concerned. He gives for the joy of giving and for the pleasure it brings to others, all charitable organizations find in him a warm friend and his philanthropies are many and varied. His neighbors have always been his warm- est friends-a pretty fair test of a self-made man's

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real worth, and the esteem he enjoys-and all with whom he has been associated have felt the force and influence of his large and generous nature.

EVERIS ANSON HAYES .- The traits of char- acter that have brought distinction and success to the representatives of the Hayes family are a direct heritage from a long line of forefathers possessing the sterling qualities of the Scotch race. The family genealogy shows that many generations gone by, some of the name crossed the border from Scotland to the north of England, from which locality in 1683 George Hayes immigrated to Connecticut and be- came the founder of the family in America. Nu- merous of his descendants bore a valiant part in the events culminating in the independence of our nation, and in every generation the family has evinced the ut- most loyalty to country and a high type of public spirit. Following the trend of emigration westward, early in the nineteenth century the family became established in what was then the frontier, beyond the pale of civilization as it then existed.

During the residence of Anson and Mary (Fol- som) Hayes at Waterloo, Jefferson County, Wis., their son, Everis Anson Hayes, was born March 10. 1855. The various industries with which his father was connected, that of railroad contractor, merchant and farmer, proved sufficiently profitable to enable him to give his children the best advantages of that day and locality, and the son, after having com- pleted the studies of the public school, matriculated at the University of Wisconsin, from which he re- ceived the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1879 and that of Bachelor of Letters in 1882. Previous to receiving the latter degree he had made his home in Madison, Wis., where he was a member of the common council and a practitioner of growing prom- inence. During 1883 he removed to Ashland, Wis., and formed a partnership with his brother, Jay Orley Hayes, and Col. John H. Knight. In the spring of that year their mother, a remarkable woman, who was away with her son, Jay O., for a needed rest, heard a voice that said for her sons not to invest their money in pine lands which might be destroyed by fire, but that there was vast wealth awaiting them in iron ore to the east. East of Ashland there was an unbroken wilderness, and Jay O., to whom his mother first communicated, said that he knew of no mines in that direction, but he had implicit faith in his mother. Again she heard the voice and she said to her son, "You have a client-a Captain Moore -who will understand and know about it. Going to Captain Moore, Mr. Hayes inquired of him if he knew of any iron ore deposits to the east, to which the Captain replied in the affirmative-that he had made explorations there and that the indi- cations had convinced him that there were valuable deposits in that locality. Mr. Hayes then told Cap- tain Moore that if there was an opportunity to in- vest that he and his brother, E. A. Hayes, would go in with him.

A short time after this, Jay O. Hayes, while out in the pine woods became very ill, and E. A. suc- ceeded in getting him back to Madison, Wis., to their mother's home, where in time he recovered, though he doubtless would have passed away had it not been for her care and help. During this time Captain Moore came to E. A. Hayes' office in Ashland and said that he was going to organize an exploration

company in which the eight people comprising it would have an equal interest, each paying $250. On inquiry Mr. Hayes found that one share was held by a saloonkeeper and he asked Captain Moore if he might not have that eighth instead, so that his mother might have an interest, but the captain said that he could not go back on his promise. When Mr. Hayes told his mother of his wish to secure an interest for her and his inability to do so, she replied that if it were intended that she should have it, that she would get it. Some time after this the brothers met the saloonkeeper who told them that their money was being wasted and used for other purposes. Jay O .. said to him, "If that is the case, I presume that you would like to get out." To this the man agreed and Jay O. paid him $250, thus securing an eighth inter- est for his mother. The brothers later purchased an- other eighth, and still later a fractional share more, so that they had obtained a controlling interest be- fore any ore was discovered. Their mother assured them, however, that out of it would come all the money they would ever need, and this has indeed materialized, for it has brought untold wealth. They sent men to explore the Gogebic region in Michigan and in due time iron ore was discovered and mines opened and successfully operated.

They took up their residence at Ironwood, Gogebic County, where they made a fortune, and in 1887 they came to California, taking up their residence in Santa Clara County, where they purchased a valuable ranch property. However, the panic of '93 that brought dis- aster to many men and corporations did not miss them and in 1895 they lost all they had in California, including their ranch, besides being in debt. By crooked manipulation their mines had also passed out of their control, so in 1899 they returned to Gogebic County, Mich., and through the aid of their old-time friend, Mr. Longyear, brought suit and the mine was recovered. E. A. Hayes assumed the su- perintendency and in two years' time had made such a success that they leased the mine, receiving a pay- ment of $900,000. The brothers then returned to San Jose, looked up their old creditors and paid principal and interest in full. One bank to which they were indebted had already charged their account to profit and loss and as a result of the payment made by the Hayes brothers they were able to declare a special dividend of twenty per cent. Square and honest, al- though these notes and obligations were legally out- lawed, Messrs. Hayes did not look upon it in that light, for the accounts were not outlawed as far as they were concerned. The mines in Michigan are still yielding big returns and they are now opening up a larger body of ore than they have ever had before, so that their mother's prophecy is being fulfilled and the mine continues to yield all the money they need

No event in the business history of the brothers has surpassed in importance their connection with lo- cal journalism. In 1900 they acquired the San Jose Herald and the following year their journalistic in- terests were greatly increased by the purchase of the San Jose Mercury, the only morning paper in the city. Under their keen business management, unsur- passed tact and sagacious judgment, these papers have become the most important in the state, out- side of San Francisco and Los Angeles, and wield an influence that is not limited to the Santa Clara

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Mary B. Hayes

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Valley, although their circulation is largest and their power strongest in the home locality.

A stanch supporter of the Republican party, Mr. Hayes held the office of chairman of the Republican Central Committee of Santa Clara County, and fre- quently "stumped" the state in the interests of the party. In the summer of 1904 he was nominated for Congress by the Republican party, and in November of that year he was elected a member of Congress and has been reelected to succeed himself six times. While a member of the House, Mr. Hayes served his district, state and nation with marked ability and was tireless and unceasing in his work. During the whole fourteen years of his service he was a member of the banking and currency committee and also of the immigration and naturalization committee, the last six years being ranking Republican member of both of the above committees and very active in their measures. In the drawing up of the Federal Re- serve Act he was very active and had much to do with its formation, as the draft was submitted to him each day for suggestions and some of them were incorporated in the act. He was also a mem- ber of all conference committecs, and legislative rep- resentative of the House forming these committees. In forming the immigration bill, now in force, he represented the House on the conference commit- tee of the Senate and House. The most interesting piece of work in connection with his legislative duties was the reorganization of the rules of the House of Representatives which had come into being dur- ing the long tenure of Joseph Cannon as speaker. Mr. Hayes organized the fight against these iron- clad Cannon rules of the House and was chairman of the insurgents and also of the steering commit- tee during the whole fight. He was ranking Repub- lican member of the sub-committee that drafted the Farm Loan Act passed by the Sixty-fourth Con- gress, and had more to do with its drafting than any other man in the country. He was also on the sub-committee that drafted the Postal Savings law and next to Chairman Glass was the most active in its formation and ultimate success.

Mr. Hayes' first marriage, in 1884, united him with Miss Nettie Louisa Porter, who passed away in 1891. Two years later he was united with Miss Mary Louisa Bassett of Whitewater, Wis. Mr. Hayes is the father of three children by his first marriage and three by his second, as follows: Sibyl Charity of Edenvale: Anson Clinton of San Fran- cisco; Harold Cecil, in business in San Jose; Phyllis Celestia, the wife of Capt. Robert A. Griffin of Carmel-by-the-Sea: Loy Bassett, connected with the Mercury; Abraham Folsom, engaged in ranching in this county.

Mr. Hayes is a prominent member of the Union League Club of San Francisco, where he has a host of friends, and in addition to being president of the Mercury Publishing Company and vice-president of the Herald Publishing Company, he retains his interest in the Michigan mines, holding the office of president of the Hayes Mining Company, owners of the famous Ashland iron mines at Ironwood, Mich., and is president of the Harmony Iron Company, which owns valuable iron properties in Iron County. Diversified as are his interests, no detail is neglected conducive to their success and no efforts are spared to make each enterprise the peer of others in the

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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 59

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