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 With biographies, heretofore unpublished facts, anecdotes and incidents in the lives of the builders 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 8
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Mr. Rindge has not confined his investments wholly to this portion of the State. He has invested liberally in developing
reclaiming lands in much the same manner as employed by the Hollanders. Over 25,000 acres have been reclaimed and placed in a highly productive state by the simple process of building immense dikes along the river, burning and plowing the tule lands and dredging the river, throwing the rich sedi- ment onto the tule lands through long sluice boxes. The most recent purchase is a tract of 8000 acres which belonged to the Ross Sargent estate. Success has attended the efforts of the company, and in one field of potatoes there are over 5000 aeres. Seven dredges and over one thousand men have been employed upon the work at one time, and the enterprise is one of great importance to that section of the State along the San Joaquin River tributary to Stockton.
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF FREDRICK H. RINDGE'S RANCH.
dormant resources in the arid regions, bringing at great expense water to the thirsty soil, and making it possible for orchards and vineyards to grow where formerly the land was given over to the eaetus and sage brush. Besides these com- panies with which his name is connected, he has assisted in the sneeess of many enterprises along similar lines that would not have been launched without his financial support.
In the central portion of the State Mr. Rindge is interested in reelaiming thousands of aeres of peat and tule lands near Stockton. He is president of the Middle River Canal and Navigation Company, a company formed for the purpose of
With such extensive interests in California, including great ranchos, vast stretches of irrigated lands, thousands of acres of peat lands, immense oil interests, and a number of banking and financial institutions, Mr. Rindge finds his time much taken up, but he still retains his manufacturing interests in historic New England, and makes frequent trips to his eastern home.
His Los Angeles residence is on West Adams Heights, one of the newest and most exclusive residence sections of this eity. Here he lives in a manner befitting his station in social and financial eircles.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHIVEST.
STEPHEN MALLORY WHITE.
I N PREPARING a publication of a historical nature in which the lives of some of California's most distinguished citizens are chronicled it is appropriate to devote special space to the memory of the late United States Senator Stephen M. White, for his name is inseparably associated with a host of public measures of unquestioned value. He was probably one of the most widely known citizens of Cali- fornia. While he was in the prime of life he wielded a pow- erful influence in the councils of his State and the nation. Yet his rise was not meteoric, but was a steady development of intellectual powers, a steady ripening of influence and a sure advancement in the shaping of the policy of the political party he represented. In the various high offices to which he was elected he proved himself able, by wise statesmanship, to pre- serve the honor of our State and country, and to conserve the high- est welfare. Strong in attachment to principle and living in times of partisan strife, his ca- reer nevertheless ex- emplified the maxim that " He serves his party best who serves his country best." One of the guiding princi- ples of his life was in- dependence of action, his determination to do his duty regardless of consequences, and a steadfast adherence to the dictates of his con- science, regardless of the shifting sentiment of today or tomorrow. In the course of his long public career he made many enemies, as every man who enters the service of his coun- try is the subject of more or less severe criticism from his op- ponents. But it must be said that the bitter- est political opponent of Senator White always conceded him to be a man of remarkable ability, with a genius for public affairs, and an unlimited force of determination and will power. Such was the late Stephen M. White.
A native son of California, Stephen M. White was born January 19, 1853, in San Francisco, which was then little more than a straggling village. His father was a merchant in that city, having emigrated with his wife early in the spring of '49. Stephen's early boyhood was spent in the Pajaro Val- ley in Santa Cruz county, where his father had removed shortly after his son's birth. Here he received the rudiments
of his education, later being sent to a private school in Oak- land, and at sixteen he entered St. Ignatius College, San Francisco, finally graduating from Santa Clara College in 1871. For ten months after his graduation he read law in the office of A. W. Blair in Watsonville, about one year in a law office in Santa Cruz with C. B. Younger and nearly the same length of time with Albert Hagan of the same place. He was ad- mitted to the bar on the 14th of April, 1874, and the following November came to Los Angeles to practice.
Success attended his efforts, and the future Senator won immediate recognition in professional circles throughout this section of the State. His first political office was accepted in 1883-4, when he served as District Attorney of Los Angeles county, the duties of which he performed in such a manner as to elicit the general at- tention and satisfaction.
On the 5th of June, 1883, Mr. White was wedded to one of the most accomplished and charming ladies of this city, Hortense Sacriste. The marriage took place at the Cathedral on Main street, and was one of the social events of the year. In 1886 Mr. White served with conspicuous ability in the State Senate. Soon after he became State Senator, the Governor, Washington Bart lett, died, and Lieut .- Gov. Waterman became Chief Executive, which caused Mr. White to be presiding officer of the Senate the first session and acting Lieutenant- Governor in the second session. His thorough knowledge of parlia- mentary rules enabled him to fill these posi- tions with fairness to all and in a manner above criticism from any. While a State Senator, Mr. White made his famous canvass for the United States Senate. When, in 1893, there was a vacancy in the national Senatorial office, he was elected to that high office on the first ballot. He took his seat March 4, 1893, and of his career in that great office much is recorded in history.
STEPHEN MALLORY WHITE.
Senator White's death, on February 21, 1901, was a great loss to the people of California, more than they possibly re- alized. City, county, State and national organizations joined in paying respect to his memory. Flags were hung at half-mast throughout the State, and his loss was universally mourned.
MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
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HERMAN W. HELLMAN.
H ERMAN W. HELLMAN was born September 25, 1843, in Bavaria, Germany. His early boyhood was spent with his parents, and was devoted to the studies of the elementary branches now taught in the public schools and grammar grades. He was an ambitious youth, and, when a mere boy, determined to go forth into the world for himself and hew out his fortune. Yielding to the over- whelming impulse, he left home at the age of fifteen and directed his steps to this country, coming directly to 1,os Angeles, then a little Spanish town of less than 3000 souls. The first position held by young Hellman was that of freight clerk in the employ of Gen. Phineas Banning of Wilmington. His in- clinations turned in- stinctively to finance, however, and he short- ly resigned his position to engage in business in the stationery line. As a merchant, Mr. Hellman prospered. After a few years' part- nership he sold out his interest in the business and started for himself in the same line. Suc- cess again attended his efforts, and in March, 1870, he determined to revisit the scenes of his boyhood, and, dispos- ing of his business to advantage, he spent the following year in trav- eling throughout Eu- rope.
Returning to the country of his adoption in the fall of 1871, Mr. Hellman associated. himself with an old school friend, Jacob Haas, and founded the wholesale grocery house of Hellman, Haas & Co., which, under Mr. Hellman's active man- agement, carried on an extensive trade in Southern. California, Arizona, New Mexico and portions of Texas, for nearly two decades. In 1890 Mr. Hellman retired from the firm of Hellman, Haas & Co., and then accepted the position of vice-president and local manager of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, at that time a State institution. No better choice could have been made. His mercantile education was gained in one of the greatest and most successful business
HERMAN W. HELLMAN.
houses of the Pacific Coast, and his experience had been in association with men to whom business was a life pursnit. Under H. W. Hellman the Farmers and Merchants Bank continued to grow - deposits then $2,300,000 --- during an era of prosperity which has known no re- verses. The estimation and confidence in which the bank was held are best shown by the deposits, which, during Mr. Hellman's management, aggregated the enormous sum of $7,500,000. This trust has never been betrayed, and in 1893. when a feeling of insecurity pervaded financial circles throughout the coun- try, the Farmers and Merchants Bank, under the wise direc- tion of Mr. Hellman, stood intact.
Other financial insti- tutions and business en- terprises claimed SO much of his attention, however, that last May Mr. Hellman tendered his resignation of the position he had so long and ably filled with the Farmers and Merchants National Bank. His in- tention was to devote his entire time to pri- vate enterprises, but his purpose was interrupt- ed by the stockholders of the Merchants Na- tional Bank tendering him a unanimous and insistent call to the presidency of that in- stitution. Mr. Hellman was finally prevailed upon to accept the re- sponsibility. Important changes and improve- ments in the bank were promptly decided upon, Mr. Hellman entering upon the work with the energy and ambition so characteristic of the man.
He is a director of the Security Savings Bank, which has recently taken in the Main Street Savings Bank, an institution with which his name had long been connected.
Mr. Hellman has erected an imposing eight-story office building in the heart of Los Angeles, which is absolutely fireproof and modern in every particular, the cost of the structure and grounds exceeding $1,500,000, and making it one of the handsomest buildings on the Pacific Slope.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
JOHN F. FRANCIS.
O NE of America's most brilliant orators and statesmen it was who said that "Over all wealth, above all station, above all the noble, the robed and crowned, rises the sincere man." The man who by his sincerity of purpose and devotion to high ideals wins a place in the hearts of his fellow-men has, after all, won the enduring success. A career which elevates one's own self and at the same time reaches out and helps to raise those with whom one comes in contact has an influence so widespread as to be immeasurable. To the city of Los Angeles has been given such a character in the late John F. Francis, whose recent death in the very prime of his manhood deeply touched the hearts of an immense circle of his fellow-men. In both his life and death hc builded to himself a monument of love for others and devotion to the highest aims of ex- istence that stands bright in the history of Los An- geles citizenship.
John F. Francis was born in Clinton, Iowa, and his earlier years were spent there. On completion of his school work young Francis en- joyed the privilege of a journey to continental Europe, where his keen observation and retentive memory were used to largely add to his store of knowledge and to broaden his views of life. After returning to Amer- ica, his love of military affairs caused him to en- list in the Kansas Volun- teer Cavalry, under the command of Capt. David L. Payne. Mr. Francis served in this military body during the Indian campaign on the Kansas western frontier in 1867, and experienced many of the thrilling phases of frontier warfare.
JOHN F. FRANCIS.
Imbued with a spirit of adventure, Mr. Fran- cis devoted the years following to the experiences of frontier life in the Western plains and mountains. He spent much time in the wildest sections of Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada and California, and gathered a vast fund of infor- mation relative to these countries. After a considerable period of time spent in this rugged life, Mr. Francis again made the journey to Europe, and there he leisurely visited the many points of interest and historical note. He returned to California in 1888, but soon was called to Europe again by the death of a dear friend. He then remained
on that side of the Atlantic until 1891, when he re- turned and took up his life as an active citizen of Los Angeles.
His public life in Los Angeles is a record of devotion to the city's best interests. As a member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce; as an ardent worker for the deep- water harbor at San Pedro; as a manager of the popular local festival, "La Fiesta de Los Angeles;" as a helper in every cause for the development of Los Angeles and of Southern California, Mr. Francis was indefatigable. His ability and means were given with a free hand to further these ends, and with him there was no turning back after putting his hand to the plow.
Mr. Francis had social qualities which endeared him to everyone who knew him. He was an able conversationalist, a royal entertainer ; he had a sweet spirit and a sense of deep loyalty to his friends, and his extensive travel and keen powers of observation made him a welcome comrade with of intellect and men
learning. He was an ardent churchman, a de- voted son of the Roman Catholic faith. He did much for the advance- ment of the church's in- terests. Mr. Francis was one of the founders and, until his death, the presi- dent of that well-known organization of Catholic laymen, the Newman Club. This club was very dear to Mr. Fran- cis, and he devoted much time to it.
Death came to Mr. Francis after a lingering illness of many months- July 4, 1903. The fu- eral services were held at the Cathedral of St. Vibiana, and that edifice could not hold the people who gathered to pay to the noble life of John F. Francis their last tribute of respect. Numerous church dignitaries participated at the solemn Pontifical Requiem Mass, and the various Catholic societies attended in a body.
Perhaps no more fitting expression could be found with which to close this brief account of that beloved citizen than the following beautiful tribute published in the Los Angeles Daily Times :
" Death has robbed Los Angeles of another of her strong, brave and kindly men -a man who was ever in the fore in good works, who was the very soul of generosity and
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
charity, who was sweet of temper, sunny of spirit, buoyant, genial and true.
" Mr. Francis was essentially a good citizen and never a self-seeker. He repeatedly declined to stand for public office, but as a private in the civic ranks, never was there a better soldier. Where there was suffering to be ameliorated, tears to be wiped away, courage to be put into despairing souls, there was John F. Francis with his open purse, his tender sympathy, his sturdy courage. Tireless in the discharge of an undertaking, zealous and filled with
one need have no fear that better days for the race will not come than those which have passed away. While such men as he can live in peace with their fellow-men and prosper, there is encouragement for other good men who are in the midst of the bitter struggle of our civilization.
"Such men as John F. Francis are a blessing to the world, for they give examples that reach out for the betterment thereof. It is such as he who has gone unto everlasting rest who makes proof of the aphorism that 'the post of honor is the private station.'
RESIDENCE OF THE LATE JOHN F. FRANCIS.
enthusiasm for a good and noble cause, discreet, adroit and considerate of the judgments and feelings of his fellow- men, he was alike a spur and an inspiration. Where he walked there was always sunshine; where he worked there was accomplishment; where there were discouragements he helped with a stout heart to discount them every one.
" Upon such men as our dead citizen is the hope of humanity. While the world contains such characters as he
"Los Angeles will miss and mourn this good, kindly, ten- der-hearted man, for his kind is all too few in any com- munity. That his sleep will be sweet and his final reward sure, let no one question. So let him rest among the roses and lilies of the Southland that he loved so well, and let those he has left behind not mourn, for the fragrance of his gentle spirit is with us and about us, and will remain forever.
" A tender farewell, good friend, brave heart, sweet soul."
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
JOHN R. HAYNES.
S OUTHERN CALIFORNIA is one of the world's sana- toriums, and in viewing the influence of its reputation as a health resort on the growth and prosperity of Los Angeles, the casual observer is likely to overlook many other sources of the city's supremacy. Long ago the fame of our climatic and scenic attractions overshadowed that of our min- ing and commercial interests, and it is not surprising that it has almost eclipsed the fame of the progressive and enterprising men who dominate the business field of our city. To these things, not less than to the wealth of natural resources with which nature has endowed this section of the State, Los Angeles owes her development; and it is the purpose to present here the most striking examples of indi- vidual energy afforded by this fertile spot.
John R. Haynes's ances- tors on his mother's side came over to the bleak New England shores in 1635, fifteen years after the May- flower made her famous voyage. The old homestead at Ipwich, Massachusetts, is still occupied by a lineal descendant of the same nanie.
One of the Haynes' grandfathers fought in the King Philip's war, while his great-grandfather, at six- teen years of age, entered the Revolutionary Army, in a corps commanded by his uncle, Gen. Fellows. He was later on the staff of the commanding general in the Black Hawk War, and in the War of 1812 was com- missioned colonel, though on account of advanced
years he never served. This reason also prevented Dr. Haynes's father from tak- ing an active part in the War of the Rebellion, though the family was rep- resented by three uncles, one of whom suffered all the horrors of Anderson- ville Prison.
JOHN R. HAYNES.
John R. Haynes is a na- tive of Pennsylvania, having made his debut upon life's stage in Philadelphia in 1853. He was reared in the "City. of Brotherly Love," being educated in the public schools of the day, and later completing his education at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating from that celebrated institution of learning with the class of '74. He received two degrees, that of Doctor of Philosophy, which was conferred upon him, and later the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Immediately upon completing his studies at the university, Dr. Haynes commenced the practice of his profession in his native city, meeting with gratifying success. Too close
application to his duties finally threatened to undermine his health, and, accordingly, in 1887, he was compelled to relin- quish his practice in the East and seek a more congenial climate. The same year found him establishing himself in Los Angeles, where he has since become a prominent figure, not alone in his profession, but in a business way, through the display of executive ability that has placed him upon the directorate of many of the most successful financial, mining and industrial institutions of this portion of the State.
From his youth to the present time Dr. Haynes has been an earnest friend of education ; he has contributed, from time to time, valuable articles to the Southern California Medical Journal, and to publications of a similar nature in the East, and his opinion is highly esteemed in the Los Ange- les County, the California State, the American and the Southern California Medi- cal Associations, to all of which he belongs. Since opening an office in this city, in 1887, to the present time, Dr. Haynes has faith- fully discharged the duties devolving upon him. He
has met with great success, and has demonstrated his faith in the future 6. Los Angeles by making exten- sive investments in both city and country realty, and his present holdings repre- sent some of the choicest business and residence property in the city. He has done more than buy for speculation - he has im- proved his property and made it revenue-producing.
Among the various con- cerns with which
Dr. Haynes is identified is the American National Bank," of which he is a director. This institution, capitalized with a million dollars, is a most conservative and sub- stantial financial house. The Conservative Life Insurance Company claims Dr. Haynes as one of its directors, and under the present manage- ment this young financial giant is making rapid progress in an entirely new field of insurance work.
The undeveloped mineral resources of the Southwest have attracted his attention, and he is represented upon the direc- torate of the Quartette group of mines in Southeastern Nevada. Dr. Haynes has been one of the foremost promoters of the oil industry in the State since its inception. He is a director of the Simi Crude Oil Company, that has extensive holdings in the Simi Valley. He is largely interested in the Union Oil Company and many others operating in this section of the State, which, through his liberal support, have
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHIVEST.
grown and developed. This brings into prominence the generous side of Dr. Haynes's nature, and it commands the admiration of the character student no less than that element which has made him successful as a financier and prominent in his profession. He is not a man of ostentation. What he does for his fellow-man is the expression of generous and noble impulse, and is done as inconspicuously as pos- sible.
In 1897 Dr. Haynes and a number of the leading physi- cians and surgeons of Los Angeles organized the California
occupying a similar position in the California Resort and Health Company, popularly known as "Idyllwild," which occupies a beautifully-located piece of land among the pines of the San Jacinto range. Both of these enterprises have been remarkably successful, and have done much to advance the interests of Los Angeles as a health and pleasure resort.
Dr. Haynes is a Californian in the sincerest sense of the word. He devotes his energies to the upbuilding of the State that has restored his health and given him the marked success that he has attained in both business and profes-
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RÉSIDENCE OF DR. JOHN R. HAYNES.
Hospital Association, and immediately erected the handsome and well-equipped California Hospital.
Twice since its inception it has been necessary to erect additional buildings, and the California Hospital now has accommodations for several hundred patients, and enjoys the distinction of being one of the best appointed and most modern institutions of its kind in the country. Dr. Haynes has taken an active part in promoting its best interests since its organization; he is a director of the institution, besides
sional circles. And Los Angeles has few citizens who have done more for the general weal than he has. Few progressive or moral movements inaugurated in recent years have lacked his support, in both a material and an influential sense; nor has any enterprise to which he has given his consideration failed of success. He has a beautiful home in one of the choicest residence sections of the city, famed for its hand- some residences. Socially, Dr. Haynes is no less prominent than in the professional or business realm.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
NILES PEASE.
T THE commercial life of Los Angeles and of Southern California has been quickened by the best talent culled from the Eastern business channels; and to have made a marked success in commercial ventures in the midst of such talent of itself speaks volumes for one's business sagacity and
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NILES PEASE.
foresight. To the men of affairs who have come out from the practical, methodical East, and who have cast their lot with this city, freely using their means in giving a permanent base to the city's growth, Los Angeles owes a debt of gratitude.
In the coterie of men whose names have become synony- mous with the business life and larger commercial interests of Los Angeles, is Niles Pease, the veteran furniture mer- chant. The birthplace of Niles Pease was near Thompson- ville, Connecticut; the date was October 13, 1838. He is the grandson of Simeon Pease, a Revolutionary soldier. The first eighteen years of Niles Pease's life were spent in his native locality, where he attended the public schools. He then learned the tinsmith trade, and later he opened a busi- ness establishment in his native town for the manufacture of tinware and the sale of stoves and heating fixtures.
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