USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > Men of achievement in the great Southwest Illustrated. A story of pioneer struggles during early days in Los Angeles and Southern California. With biographies, heretofore unpublished facts, anecdotes and incidents in the lives of the builders > Part 7
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In Arizona Mr. Bixby is interested in the Chino Valley Cattle Company, of which corporation he is president. The company does an extensive sheep raising business at Ash
extensive holder of city property, hoth here and in Long Beach, and most of his property is revenue-producing and retained for permanency of investment rather than specula- tion. He is president of, and heavily interested in, the National Bank of Long Beach, and is prominent in every move tending toward the upbuilding of its best interests.
Of the above mentioned corporations, Mr. Bixby is the president of all, and is assisted in directing their affairs by his son, George H. Bixby, who, since his graduation from Yale in the class of '86, has been actively engaged in assist- ing in the management of the extensive interests of his father, who, despite his seventy-two years, is enjoying the vigorous manhood which so well befits the dauntless spirit which won him a place in the history of the Pacific Coast.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHIVEST.
ISAIAS W. HELLMAN.
O F ALL the distinguished men who have borne a hand in the upbuilding of the great modern city of Los Angeles, few have borne a more conspicuous part than the subject of the following sketch. For more than forty years, from the time this was a frontier village to the present day of its magnificence, he has been in the foreground of most enterprises undertaken in all the work of develop- ment tending to make this one of the handsomest cities of the land.
Isaias W. Hellman was born in Bavaria, in 1842. In 1859, while still a mere boy, he crossed the ocean, came to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama and settled in Los Angeles. Here was his home for more than thirty years, and much of that time was devoted to the public good in many ways.
The boy came here as a stranger, and he had no advantage on earth outside of his own per- sonality by which to make his way in the world. He had neither money nor friends. His capital consisted in a fairly good education, an indomitable will, a clear, natural insight into busi- ness. a firm determina- tion to do his duty prop- erly, and an indefatigable industry. His first em- - ployment was in a store - on Los Angeles street, at the head of Aliso street, in the Arcadia building, erected about that date by Don Abel Stearns. The business center was there in those early days. The employment was not in an exalted position. The duties were exacting. and the pay was small. But I. W. Hellman was not the kind of young man to stay at the bot- tom of the ladder in any circumstances. He never proposed to stay there.
It would not subserve any important purpose to dwell on the early years of effort, earnest and persistent though they were, on the part of this young man to make his way upward in the world. It is superfluous to say that he met with dif- ficulties many in number and some of them hard to surmount. The important fact is that none of them proved sufficient to discourage a spirit so strong and persistent. With admi- rable patience and tireless energy all these stumbling blocks in the way were successfully passed, and year by year a place of greater trust and dignity and of larger remuneration was gained. Business men discovered faithfulness, industry, tact
and intuition in the youth, and saw that it would be a good investment to put more confidence in him.
Barely nine years passed from his entrance into Los Ange- les, and at the early age of twenty-six, when I. W. Hellman had so impressed his personality on the community of which he was a member, that he was able to secure capital enough to organize a bank in the city, which at that time numbered 6000 inhabitants. This was in 1868, and the institution was known as the Hellman, Temple & Co. Bank. From its incep- tion Mr. Hellman was manager of the institution. He has been in the banking business ever since, and today his name is known in every financial center of the globe. He is even better known in San Francisco than in Ios Angeles, and as well known in New York, London, Paris and Ber- lin. He stands among bankers as one of the leading financiers of the world. Three years later the Farmers and Mer- chants Bank of Los An- geles was organized, and Mr. Hellman, who was still under thirty years of age, was made cashier and manager of the new institution. In the course of the next few years he was elected president of this bank, and for thirty years has held this posi- tion through the grow- ing, unwavering confi- dence of the stockholders, who at all times have been composed of the leading, most substantial and progressive men of the city at all stages of its development. With
ISAIAS W. HELLMAN.
every step of advance in population, in business and in wealth made by the city, under Mr. Hell- man's guidance this in- stitution has grown at a rate greater than the growth of the community in any respect. Soon after its organization it became the leading financial institution of the State outside of San Francisco. Today it holds a position wholly unrivaled among the banks of the State outside of the metropolis. And there are but very few banks in San Francisco which in any respect take precedence of the Farmers and Merchants Na- tional Bank of Los Angeles. The deposits amount to over $7,000,000, and its assets nearly $10,000,000.
Mr. Hellman has the genius of finance. That is, he was born with an insight into the principles which underlie bank- ing. This is a very simple business to the man who has this inborn genius for it. Nor are its principles very complex.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
Absolute honesty and a deep and abiding consciousness of the great responsibility attaching to the handling of other people's money are the corner-stone of successful banking. Success depends upon a ready ability to produce the money of depos- itors whenever it may be called for. The rule of the Farm- ers and Merchants National Bank from the time of its founding has been to carry 60 to 75 per cent. of the deposits where they are always available for the use of those who own them, without a moment's notice.
In 1891 the stockholders of the Nevada Bank of San Francisco found it necessary to reorganize that institution, which had passed through several trying crises during the previous few years. In looking over the field for a inan to put at the head of this institution, the stockholders turned to Los Angeles and made such flattering overtures to I. W. Hellman that he very reluctantly consented to expatriate himself from Los Angeles, the scene of his business suc- cesses, and dear to him from many associations and close friendships.
In the spring of 1870 Mr. Hellman had married Miss Esther Neugass, of a prominent New York family. In the same year he had bought a handsome piece of ground on the corner of Main and Fourth streets, and here he had built a very attractive home. In this house his family had been increased from time to time, until it consisted of one son and two daughters, all bright young people of great promise. As the years passed the banker of such sterling qualities and unswerving integrity had woven around his life and home a great many strong friendships. His business interests in Los Angeles were many and great. To leave the sacred precincts of the home of his younger days and to disrupt so many ties of friendship, as well as of business, was no easy thing. But the business men of San Francisco would not be put off, and they made so determined an effort to secure the services of a man in whom so much confidence reposed that they induced him to make the change. For twelve years Mr. Hellman has borne the great responsibility of the presidency of both banks. His home is in the metropolitan city on the bay, but it is safe to say that half his mind and attention centers in Los Angeles. There is a direct wire between the two banks, and by this means the president, 500 miles away, is in daily touch with the vice-president and manager of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Los Angeles. He makes frequent visits here, and is at all times cognizant of all important transactions affecting the well-being of the bank and the interests of its many patrons. With nearly one thousand depositors and over $7,000,000 in deposits, Mr Hellman's oversight in this way is considered of great im- portance, able and faithful though his loyal lieutenants at this end of the line are.
The twin institutions are growing apace. The Nevada Bank has become a tower of financial strength since Mr. Hell- man assumed direction of its affairs. The Farmers and Merchants National Bank has increased in all respects year by year as the growth of the city has made it possible. Within the past year the Farmers and Merchants Bank has
been converted into a national bank, and at this very moment its capital stock has been doubled, making the capital fully paid up $1,000,000. Subscriptions to the increased stock were subscribed three times over, so eager were the people of Los Angeles to secure so desirable an investment. Preparations are now going on to erect a new home for the bank on the corner of Main and Fourth streets, where thirty years ago Mr. Hellman built his home and his friends made a jest of his "moving out of the city." so remote from business was that point in the little city of a generation ago. Another improvement, but of a private nature, Mr. Hellman has on hand at the present time, is the putting of two additional stories on his great business block on the corner of Broad- way and Second street. This will make a modern five-story building of larger area than any other one building in Los Angeles.
Banking and other business interests, however, have not monopolized I. W. Hellman's whole time and attention. In the course of so busy a career he has found time to accom- plish what not one man in a million can do. He speaks fluently four languages, and is one of the most keenly intelli- gent men on current topics on the Coast. For many years he has been a useful member of the Board of Regents of the State University, and his views on all that affects the well being of that institution are highly valued by his associates on that board.
In his home life and in all his domestic relations, Mr. Hell- man has been happy far beyond the lot of most men. His eldest son, I. W. Hellman, Jr., now of man's estate, is happily married, and stands in the foremost ranks of business men in San Francisco, as the head of the Union Trust Com- pany. The second child, a daughter, is happily married to one of the brightest and most promising lawyers of the younger generation in that city. The youngest daughter still graces as a precious ornament the parental home, known as one of the most refined and enjoyable to a host of friends, of all the homes of the great city. The Hellman summer residence in the heart of the mountains on Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place, where, as the weight of years begins to accumulate, the busy financier seeks a rest from cares, and renewed strength for his multifarious and pressing duties, among the whispering pines of the mountain top, and by the music of the waves that break on the shore of the beautiful lake.
Only a brief and imperfect sketch of Isaias W. Hellman is here presented. His many services rendered Los Angeles would take twice the space here occupied to recount. Among the very latest and greatest, perhaps, mav be mentioned the part he took in joining Henry E. Huntington and others in the wonderful enterprise now being pushed forward to give Southern California one of the most complete systems of rapid transit in the country. Still in the prime of life and usefulness, I. W. Hellman stands ever ready to further any scheme for the benefit of Los Angeles, where his greatest achievements were won, where so many of his great interests center and where hosts of his friends reside.
54
MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
GEORGE I. COCHRAN.
I T IS interesting in reviewing the careers of men who have made signal success in Los Angeles to note the various stations in life from which they come. While Fortune has chosen her sponsors from all ranks of society, as established by difference of means and education, it is a conspicuous fact that the favored ones represent, as a rule, the conservative, persevering and deserving element. The subject of this biography was possessed of superior educational resources before entering professional circles in this State, and is one whose experience has evidenced a marked fitness for the obligations imposed by success. The writer in compiling a select list of representative citizens who have accomplished most for their city and State, joins the public in paying re- spectful homage to George I. Cochran, one of the city's most progressive and suc- - cessful men of affairs.
George I. Cochran was born near Toronto, Canada, July 1, 1863. He had hardly received the first impressions of boyhood, however, when his parents removed to Japan, where the family lived from 1873 to 1879. In the latter year his father, the Rev. George Cochran, D. D., returned from his missionary labors to his former home at To- ronto. The Rev. Mr. Coch- ran was one of the first Methodist missionaries sent to Japan, and took a promi- nent part in church work, being president of the To- ronto Methodist Church Conference, Dean of the University of Southern California, and occupying many other important posi- tions in the Methodist Church.
Upon the return of the family to Toronto from their residence in Japan, young George entered the Toronto University and later was called to the bar at Osgood Hall, To- ronto. He commenced practice
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GEORGE I. COCHRAN.
as a barrister and
met with gratifying success even at that time. His parents were of Scotch and Irish descent, also related to the now famous Wesley family on his mother's side of the house, and George inherited the sterling quality of character predominant in both races. His mother was a devout woman and a true helpmeet to her husband. Having equipped himself for life's battle, the young man came to Los Angeles in March, 1888, at the age of twenty-five, and at once identified himself with the best interests of his adopted home. He met with immediate and gratifying suc-
cess, and won prominence for his knowledge of the law, and for his untiring efforts in behalf of clients. Soon after he was happily married to Miss Alice McClung, also a Canadian and old-time acquaintance.
It was in 1893, during the financial panic which overtook the country, that Mr. Cochran first came into wide banking prominence. As attorney for the Los Angeles Clearing House he directed the legal affairs and counseled the business interests of that organization at that time, when an error would have meant ruin to thousands. No more flattering testimonial could have been tendered Mr. Cochran in recognition of his valuable service than the one adopted by that body after the crisis had been safely passed.
He took an active part in organizing and incorpo- rating the Broadway Bank and Trust Company, and has been its first vice-presi- dent since its inception. Under good, conservative management this banking house has attained a repu- tation as one of the most substantial and progressive concerns in the city and State as well. Recently its growing business demanded larger quarters, and another thirty feet was added to the counting room, which occu- pies the larger part of the Broadway side of the im- posing Bradbury building.
Among the most success- ful of Mr. Cochran's indus- trial promotions is that of the Conservative Life In- surance Company, of which body he is vice-president and one of the largest stockholders. In associa- tion with other Los Ange- les capitalists, Mr. Cochran organized this company but two and one-half years ago, and during that period of time it has eclipsed all pre- vious records held by in- surance companies, both as to insurance in force and surplus attained.
While much of Mr. Cochran's time is necessarily engaged by the demands of his law practice, he is interested in the Los Angeles Trust Company, and is upon its directorate. The company does a business along the lines of the great trust companies of the Eastern cities, and has built up a handsome business in this city. The Rosedale Cemetery Association, which owns one of the most beautiful plots of ground in Southern California, claims Mr. Cochran as its vice-president and one of its directors, while the Seaside Water Company, which supplies water for Long Beach, San Pedro and Wilmington for irrigation and domestic purposes
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
as well, is another of the successful companies that have been launched by Mr. Cochran and associates. As a direc- tor and secretary of the United Gas, Electric and Power Company, he has done much to advance the interests of that corporation and the patronage it serves, and latterly was largely instrumental in consolidating it with the well-known Edison Electric Company.
The Santa Barbara Consolidated Street Railway Company, operating the car lines in the entire city of Santa Barbara, claims Mr. Cochran as a director, while the Artesian Water Company, a local corporation that has been expending money with a lavish hand in developing water for near-by towns, is indebted to Mr. Cochran for his legal and business advice at board meetings.
One of the most recent and withal the most successful of
churches in this city that promises to soon rival Brooklyn as a "City of Churches." Prominent and foremost in busi- ness enterprises, the same progressive spirit and executive ability are noted in Mr. Cochran's church work. He is a member of a commission of fifteen appointed by the last General Methodist Conference to consider and report upon a plan if feasible to consolidate the big benevolences of the church. This most important matter will be con- sidered at the next General Conference, which will be held in Los Angeles in May, 1904.
In educational matters, Mr. Cochran takes an active part and does much to advance the interests of not only the city but the State as well. IIe has been one of the trustees and treasurer of the University of Southern California for many years, and is one of the university's most loyal supporters.
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RESIDENCE OF GEORGE I. COCHRAN.
his promotions is that known as the West Adams Heights Association. This is one of the show places of the city, and one of the choicest residence sections. The addition gives about half a mile square of fine residence property to the city, and the class of residences that are being erected insures a maintenance of Los Angeles' reputation as a city of beau- tiful homes. Among the number already erected few are more artistic from an architectural standpoint than that owned by Mr. Cochran on Harvard Boulevard, an engraving of which accompanies this article.
Despite business and financial cares, Mr. Cochran has never blinded himself to the spiritual needs of Los Angeles' citizens. His early training was undoubtedly instrumental in his con- nection with the founding of the Westlake Methodist Episco- pal Church, one of the most prosperous and fashionable
Politically Mr. Cochran is a staunch Republican, and an able defender of the tenets of his party. He has never sought political office, his ambitions not lying in a political pathway. He has always stood for good citizenship, and has been a member of the Executive Committee of the County Central Committee for many years.
George I. Cochran has the capacity for solving aright the business problems of an eventful career, and his unerring judgment has been the fulcrum on which has turned the suc- cess of great enterprises. As a promoter of industrial enter- prises he has met with a success that has been manifestly the reward of business ability of the highest order, an ability that has made him one of the foremost promoters in the city, giving to Southern California a means of develop- ment and prosperity well befitting her vast natural wealth.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
FREDRICK H. RINDGE.
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A NATIVE of Cambridge, Massachusetts, of old New England ancestry, Fredrick H. Rindge's debut upon the stage of life was most auspicious. Born in 1857, his early boyhood was spent mid the scenes of that historic old town, where he received his education and prepared for Har- vard. Graduating with the class of '79, he was in college with Theodore Roosevelt and many other distinguished men of affairs. Some time after receiving his degree from the university, Mr. Rindge succeeded to the possessions and man- agement of the extensive estate left by his father, and the ensuing few years found his time and atten- tion occupied with the de- tails of its management.
Business and financial cares have never blinded Mr. Rindge to an apprecia- tion of the duties of good citizenship, and he has con- tributed liberally to all causes calculated to benefit the public weal. He gave to the city of - Cambridge its imposing City Hall, later presenting it with a Public Library building that is a handsome structure. His latest and possibly greatest gift was the Manual Train- ing School, which he con- ducted at his own expense for a period of ten years, finally turning it over to the city. A direct result of this benefaction was the passage of a law by the State Legislature making compulsory the establish- ment and maintenance of similar schools by all cities of over 20,000 population in the State.
In 1887 Mr. Rindge came to Los Angeles, and at- tracted by its genial climate as much as by its undevel- oped resources, decided upon a residence here for at least a part of the year. His first investment of im- portance was the purchase - of a beautiful and historic old ranch, which he still maintains. The location of the property near Los Angeles is most desirable, and the ranch is in a highly productive state, being largely devoted to raising grain and cattle. It stretches along the coast for a distance of twenty-five miles, and has the distinction of being one of the largest ranches in this country of princely domains, where 15,000 acres is considered nothing unusual.
As president of the Maclay Rancho and Water Company he has been instrumental in opening up to settlement, under
the most favorable conditions, a 4000-acre tract of land located in the famous San Fernando Valley, that is being marketed in small tracts already set to citrus fruits. A large portion of the property is now in trees, while the balance is all highly productive and beautifully located. It is inter- esting to note in this connection that the land lies entirely in the frostless belt, and is free from scale and other pests which frequently prove such a drawback to orchardists 111 this section. A frequent service on the Southern Pacific makes the location most de- sirable, being within forty minutes' ride of Los Ange- les.
It is probably as president of the Conservative Life In- surance Company that Mr. Rindge's name is most fre- quently before the public. As president of the company he has been largely instru- mental in the upbuilding of the company's financial strength. The Conservative was incorporated under the laws of California with a capital stock of $200,000, at a par value of $too, with a surplus of $100,000, all paid in. The basis of the organ- ization on its insurance operations is that accepted the world over as the only true, scientific calculation for safely offering such in- demnity. It is technically known as the " old-line legal reserve " system. In finan- cial circles throughout the State and the country as well, the company was im- mediately recognized as having started under the most auspicious circum- stances, and within a short time after its incorporation its stock was quoted at 60 per cent. above par. Its growth has been remarkable, even unprecedented, in the history of insurance com- panies in this country. No company of the same age ever showed so much insur- ance in force, so much sur- plus or so much assets as the Conservative Life, now little over three years old.
FREDRICK H. RINDGE.
Mr. Rindge's interests are by no means confined to the enterprises above mentioned. He has purchased liberally of the best business and residence realty in Los Angeles, and, through his enterprise in the erection of expensive, modern improvements, has contributed in a generous degree to the growth and upbuilding of the city. He is interested in a number of the most substantial banking houses in the city,
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
and in various other private enterprises too numerous to mention in detail. As a director in the Edison Eleetrie Company he has been influential, and is at present interested, in developing Kern River power, it being the purpose of the company to bring 10,000 horse-power into Los Angeles in less than two years from this source alone. As president of the Artesian Company he and his associates have laid the foundations of a water system of great usefulness, and incidentally the company has developed water for irrigating purposes for the Palms and Ballona. He is also vice- president of the Union Oil Company of California.
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