USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume II > Part 2
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Indianapolis and was honorably discharged from the service, June 25, 1864.
With this creditable military record Judge Gibson returned home and took up the study of law, a profession which had always attracted him. For a time he read in the offices of Hamlin and Wickersham in Indianapolis and in the autumn of 1865 entered the law depart- ment of Columbian University, now George Washington University, Washington, D. C., from which he was graduated in 1868. He was appointed a clerk in the department of the interior and was later transferred to the third auditor's office in the United States treasury department.
He was in Washington when President Lincoln was assasinated and Andrew Johnson became president, heard his impeachment trial, and knew personally General Benjamin Butler who had much to do in bringing the impeachment proceedings ; was in Washington during the trial of Mrs. Suratt, who was tried and executed for conspiracy resulting in the shooting of President Lincoln and he was also present at Ford's Theatre the night of the assasination and saw the martyred president carried from the building. Among his friends were many of the illustrious men of that time, and his personal acquaintance embraced such men as James A. Garfield, Senator Oliver P. Morton, Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner. Schuyler Colfax, General Wil- liam T. Sherman, General John A. Logan and many other noted men of that period.
In 1870 he came west to California and in this state made his first location at San Jose and after a short stay removed to San Francisco. Remaining for a time in that city he came, in 1874, to Oakland where he made his home. Here he took up the active prac- tice of law and soon became widely and prominently known as a resourceful, strong and able practitioner, whose knowledge of legal principles was comprehensive and exact, and whose application of points of law was generally correct and logical. Turning his atten- tion to politics he soon won a position high in the councils of the republican party, to which he gave the aid of a powerful, convincing and eloquent speaker and a versatile and able politician. As a plat- form speaker he travelled to various parts of the state in political campaigns and did a great deal to insure the election of his party's candidates. In recognition of his legal and political ability he was in 1878 appointed district attorney to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Henry Vrooman, and one year later was elected and later reelected to the office which he filled with credit and dis- tinction for four years. After being defeated for the office of railroad
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
commissioner and for that of mayor of Oakland, he was elected judge of the superior court of Alameda county and served for six years, accomplishing much effective work. Upon the expiration of his term he again took up the practice of law in Oakland, where he is today recognized as one of the leading members of the legal fraternity. He is well versed in every branch of his profession and has won distinc- tion in all. although he does his best and most effective work in the court, especially in jury cases, where his commanding eloquence, his striking presence and attractive personality hold the attention of his listeners. He has been connected with a great deal of important litigation and has won many hotly contested cases, his powers con- tinually expanding and developing with the added calls made upon them. Not wholly has his time been devoted to his professional and political labors for the financial interests have for some years held claim to his valued services. He is president of the Bank of Com- merce.
In Washington, D. C., in 1869, Judge Gibson married Miss Irene E. Brashears, a native of that city, of French and German ancestry. They have three children: Augusta; Clara, the wife of Ben F. Woolner, city attorney and junior partner of Judge Gibson; and Grace. For a number of years the family occupied a beautiful country home beyond Piedmont but they now reside in the city.
Mrs. Gibson for many years has been an active factor in the social life of this vicinity being a member of the Ebell Society, one of the oldest and most influential woman's organizations of Alameda county. She is also a member of the Oakland Club; the Women's Relief Corps of California and Nevada, being past president of this department; and the Daughters of the American Revolution, having served as regent of the Oakland chapter, besides being a member of several other societies. She has evinced a marked interest in all matters tending to social uplift and improvement and possesses a wide circle of friends.
Judge Gibson holds membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, and, being public-spirited, patriotic and loyal himself, is justly proud of his ancestors who fought for the cause of freedom. He is a most ardent admirer of Abraham Lincoln, classing him above all other men of any age and has developed in himself much of Lin- coln's broad sympathy and wide understanding. He is so familiar with the history of the great emancipator that he has made his life and character the subject of many interesting lectures. An inde- fatigable worker, a hard student, a deep thinker, Judge Gibson has throughout his life systematically developed his powers, talents and
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
abilities and in so doing has won success-a success important in its material and tangible manifestations and important also by reason of the standards, ideals and principles upon which it is based. His charities have been most liberal yet unostentatious and with it all his honesty of purpose and absence of misleading pretense have been characteristic virtues.
WILLIAM J. BACCUS.
William J. Baccus, serving in a creditable and able manner as commissioner of streets of Oakland, has demonstrated his ability during a period of nearly ten years in the public service, rising rapidly to his present place in official circles. He was born in San Fran- cisco, November 17, 1869, and is a son of Benjamin Baccus, one of the pioneers in California, who came overland by team to the coast in 1851. The father worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and was afterward engaged in the plumbing business in San Francisco.
William J. Baccus came to Oakland when he was ten years of age and acquired his education in the public schools of this city. Following the completion of his studies he engaged in the teaming business with W. H. Parrish and later learned the bricklaying trade, which he followed for several years. Recognizing, however, the greater opportunities which were to be found in the contracting busi- ness, he turned his attention to this line of work and soon met with excellent success in it, for he had a thorough knowledge of general construction work, acquired through practical experience, and the insight, integrity and ability necessary for success in any field. By virtue of these qualifications and his thoroughness and promptness in filling his many large contracts he has now become one of the fore- most men engaged in this line of work in Oakland, many of the most important structures in the city being built by him. His most recent contract was for the reconstruction of the Syndicate building and he was also identified with the reconstruction of the Kahn Brothers building.
Mr. Baccus began his public career in 1903, when he accepted the nomination on the republican ticket for member of the city coun- cil, receiving the indorsement of the union labor forces, with whom he is closely affiliated. He was elected by a large majority and after- ward served four terms by reelection, during four years of which he was chairman of the street committee. He has always been a hard
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
and consistent worker for better streets in Oakland and has accom- plished a great deal of valuable work along this line, as it has been largely through his efforts and influence that the number of paved streets has been so greatly increased. So acceptable was Mr. Baccus' record on the city council that when the primary law went into effect he was nominated by direct primary vote for the office of commis- sioner of streets under the new charter and was elected by a large majority. He has continued his intelligent and constructive work in this office and is regarded today as one of the most able men in the service of the municipal government.
In San Jose, California, in 1896, Mr. Baccus was united in mar- riage to Miss Catherine Muir, daughter of an early pioneer in this state. They have become the parents of three children: Volma, William J., Jr., and Robert. Mr. Baccus is a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West; Council No. 7, I. O. R. M .; the Loyal Or- der of Moose, and other fraternal orders and clubs. In all essential respects he is a self-made man, the foundation of his success being plain, honest hard work. Most of his opportunities he has himself created, and he has utilized them in an intelligent and capable way, being ranked today among the men of worth and substance in the city where he makes his home.
JUDGE JOHN ELLSWORTH.
Judge John Ellsworth, who in January, 1913, declined to be a candidate for reelection to the position of judge of the superior court of Alameda county, which he had filled with credit and distinction for twenty-four years, has had a long and varied career in public service, his worth and fidelity in positions of trust and responsibility being indicated by the wide-spread confidence and esteem in which he is held today. For forty-six years he has resided in Alameda county and may be termed the dean of the legal fraternity of the county. He is now engaged in the general practice of law in Oakland.
Mr. Ellsworth was born at East Windsor, Connecticut, on the 7th of January, 1842, a descendant of one of the old and prominent families of New England, who settled in Connecticut in 1646. He is a son of Abner Moseley and Lucy W. Ellsworth. His early labor was that of the farm boy and the public schools of his native com- munity afforded him his first educational opportunities. He was
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JUDGE JOHN ELLSWORTH
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
afterward a student in Phillips Academy, but he responded to his country's call for troops in the great Civil war, enlisting in the Twenty-fifth Connecticut Regiment, and proceeded to the south. He served nine months under General Banks in Louisiana and was present at the surrender of Fort Hudson, which had been besieged for six weeks. After his honorable discharge from the army he returned to Phillips Academy at Andover, Massachusetts, and there pursued such studies as would prove advantageous to his subsequent study of law, as he had decided to devote himself to that profession. He was graduated in 1864, but although he had fitted himself for Yale University financial conditions prevented his going there, so after spending one year in Williams College at Williamstown, Massa- chusetts, where ne took senior work, he began to study law, enter- ing the law office of Hubbard & McFarland in Hartford, Connecti- cut. He read there for two years, winning his admission to the bar in October, 1867. In the same year he came west to California, estab- lishing his residence in Alameda county, his home being at Alameda and his office in San Francisco, where he engaged in a general legal practice until 1876, when he moved his office to Alameda. The same year he became city attorney of that community. This position he resigned in 1886, after ten years of able and effective service, in order to accept a seat in the state assembly, to which he had been elected. After two years of progressive work in that capacity he was elected in 1888 and in January, 1889, took his seat as judge of the superior court of Alameda county and by reelection he served four terms, holding the office in all twenty-four years and accomplishing during that period a great deal of constructive, beneficial and far-reaching work and leaving the impress of his personality and ability upon the judicial history of this section of California. His last term expired on the 5th of January, 1913, and he declined to be a candidate for reelection, turning his attention to the general practice of law in Oak- land. He is known in this city as a strong and able practitioner, well versed in underlying legal principles, able in his appeals before the court and concise in his presentation of a case.
On the 17th of April, 1892, Judge Ellsworth was united in mar- riage to Miss Ada L. Hobler, of Alameda, and both were well known in social circles of this city until April 15, 1906, when the wife died. Fraternally Judge Ellsworth is identified with the Odd Fellows, the Masonic order and the Grand Army of the Republic, and he is a member of the Athenian Club. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, which he has served capably and well through- out his entire connection with public life, upholding always its prin- Vol. II= 2
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
ciples and policies, in which he firmly believes. Throughout a period of residence in Alameda dating from 1867 he has securely entrenched himself in the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens, his public career having been varied in service and faultless in honor, and his professional and personal life beyond reproach. It has been said of him that "He has established a record that few public men can equal, not only for continued public service, but for the able and faith- ful manner in which he has performed the duties entrusted to him."
GEORGE E. GROSS.
Oakland numbers among its most progressive and successful native sons George E. Gross, who since 1901 has been connected with the treasury department of the city government and is now serving in a capable manner as auditor and assessor. He was born in this city, March 14, 1872, and acquired his education in the public schools. Following the completion of his studies he went into business with his father, who was engaged in the marble and granite industry in Oakland.
On the ist of May, 1901, Mr. Gross entered public life as deputy in the city treasurer's office and during his three years of service in that capacity exhibited an unusual aptitude for the work and mas- tered the details of the management of the office. His ability led to his appointment in 1904 as chief deputy treasurer and it was while he still held that office that he accepted the republican nomination for city auditor and assessor, receiving the indorsement of the demo- crats and the Municipal League. He was elected by an overwhelm- ing majority and assumed his duties at the time of the charter elec- tion. About two years ago the office was raised from being one in which the county auditor's figures were accepted as the basis of the city assessment rolls to a department in which the entire work of the city was handled carefully and justly. The change was made by charter amendment but the work of bringing the office up to the new standard has been undertaken carefully and slowly, new men being employed from time to time as necessity required. These are now employed on a permanent basis instead of being appointed by a blanket ordinance from time to time for successive periods. The handling of the auditing and assessing by the city instead of accepting the county figures raised the assessed valuation for the city as a whole over ten million dollars above what it would have been under the
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
county figures and resulted in a more equal distribution of the burden of taxation in the city. An ordinance was introduced and passed to print under suspension of the rules of the last council, placing the auditor's office on a permanent basis. The ordinance provides for the following: The fixing of the salaries of the first and second deputy auditors at one hundred and fifty dollars; the appointment by the auditor of one additional deputy at a salary of one hundred and twenty-five dollars; the fixing of the salary of the deputy assessor in charge of personal property at one hundred and seventy-five dollars, and the appointment of three additional deputy assessors. Mr. Gross proved his popularity in the direct primary election of 1911, when he was nominated by the people direct and elected by an overwhelming majority with practically no opposition. He is assisted by Deputy Auditors A. V. B. Davus and H. C. Hencken. W. H. Dwyer is also affected by the new ordinance, having been appointed permanently with the title of deputy assessor in charge of personal property.
Mr. Gross married Miss Ethel Gage, of Oakland, and his home and social life has been particularly pleasant, for during a life's resi- dence in Oakland he has made a wide circle of friends. He is con- nected fraternally with the Woodmen of the World and belongs to the Native Sons of the Golden West. In all the relations of life he has held steadily to high standards and his sterling worth makes him well known in his native city both as a public official and a private citizen.
EDWIN MEESE.
No more able and conscientious public official can be found in Alameda county than Edwin Meese, city treasurer of Oakland, who in the course of twelve years' connection with the municipal govern- ment has fully demonstrated his intelligence, executive ability and initiative spirit. He was born in San Francisco, March 28, 1857. and is a son of Hermann Meese, one of the pioneers in California, who came to the coast in 1850. In the early days the father engaged in carpentering and later went into business as a contractor and builder. He also enjoyed the distinction of having been one of the first men to engage in the sugar business in the west, having been one of the pro- moters of the Bay Sugar Refinery and was prominently identified with business interests of Oakland for thirty years.
Edwin Meese acquired his early education in the public schools of San Francisco and later attended the College of Fort Wayne,
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Indiana, and Heald's Business College, of which institution he is a graduate. Following the completion of his studies he accepted a position as assistant secretary of the Bay Sugar Refinery and when he resigned went into the mercantile business in Sacramento, building up a large and profitable enterprise. In 1879 Mr. Meese came to Oakland and almost immediately began to take an active interest in civic affairs. In 1898 he accepted the nomination on the republican ticket for the office of city councilman and served in this position by reelection for a number of years. He stood always for progress and improvement along municipal lines and has always been a strong advocate of the consolidation of the city and county governments. During his membership on the city council he was identified with the street committee and in this capacity accomplished a great deal of constructive work looking toward the improvement of the public streets and highways. While Mr. Meese was still a member of the council a vacancy was created by the resignation of the city treasurer, and he was appointed to fill the position. His appointment was not one of political preferment but came to him because of his unques- tioned integrity and proven ability. He has held the office since that time and his record has been one of conscientious, intelligent and able service. In the election of 1907 his nomination for the position of city treasurer was indorsed by all parties and he had no opponent, this being a gratifying tribute to his popularity and efficiency.
In politics Mr. Meese is a stanch republican and has been a con- stant worker for the principles and candidates of that party. He is a member of the Nile Club of Oakland and well known in social circles of the community which has for the past thirty-five years num- bered him among its most public-spirited and progressive citizens.
ARCHIBALD G. TAFT.
Archibald G. Taft, occupying a position of distinctive precedence in financial circles of Oakland as president of the Harbor Bank and in business affairs as founder, secretary and manager of the Oakland Box Factory, was born in Elko, Nevada, March 26, 1877, and is a son of George W. and Millicent Taft. In the acquirement of an education he attended public school until he was sixteen years of age and then entered the University of California, from which he was graduated in due course of time. Immediately afterward he came to Oakland and here engaged in various occupations until 1898, when
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
he moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, establishing there a box factory which he disposed of after conducting it for one year and a half. Returning to Oakland at the end of that time, he founded a similar enterprise in this city, organizing the Oakland Box Factory, of which he has since been secretary and manager. His ability and resource- fulness have been prominent elements in the growth of this institu- tion, and his work in its upbuilding has been rewarded by a success which places him in the front ranks of substantial and representative business men of the city.
This prominence has resulted in the extending of his interests into other fields for in January, 1910, he became connected with the Harbor Bank of Oakland as vice president and in January, 1912, was elected president, a position which he now holds. During the four years of his association with this institution he has proved himself a reliable, forceful and discriminating financier and has conducted the affairs of the bank in a conscientious and able way, continuing the policies upon which it was founded but inaugurating the necessary changes. He is also a past president of the Merchants Exchange of Oakland, and his signal ability is widely recognized in financial and business circles.
In Oakland, on July 4, 1905, Mr. Taft was united in marriage to Miss Katharine Alexander, and they have become the parents of a son, Harold, seven years of age. Mr. Taft is a member of the Benevo- lent Protective Order of Elks and is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to the shrine. He has been since 1900 treasurer of the local lodge of the Woodmen of the World and is a stanch republican in his political beliefs. During the period of his residence here he has taken an active interest in community affairs, and his labors have been an element in the substantial growth and progress of the city, while his efforts in business circles have brought him substantial returns.
PHILIP M. WALSH.
Philip M. Walsh, a prominent and successful attorney of Oak- land, was born in California, May 1, 1870, and is a son of Maurice D. and Mary Walsh, natives of Ireland. The father served in the Civil war as a corporal in the Sixty-ninth New York Volunteer Infantry, forming a part of the Irish Brigade. One year after the close of hostilities he and his wife came to California. In their family were
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
three sons and one daughter, the subject of this review being the first in the order of birth.
Philip M. Walsh acquired his education in the Oakland public schools and afterward turned his attention to journalism, becoming a reporter on the Oakland Times. In 1890 he was made court reporter and in this way became interested in the legal profession, which he determined to follow. Accordingly he read law during his spare time and in 1895 was admitted to the bar of California. After four years he was made deputy district attorney of Alameda county and in 1900 was appointed chief deputy, serving under John J. Allen. He was elected to the state legislature in 1902 and served as a mem- ber of that body for two years, his vote and influence being always on the side of right, reform and progress. Mr. Walsh is now engaged in the general practice of law in Oakland, where he is numbered among the foremost representatives of the bar, his knowledge and ability bringing him a large and growing practice which he is very successful in conducting.
In 1894 Mr. Walsh married Miss Annette Lefevre, a daughter of Dr. A. Lefevre, a leading dentist of California. Mr. Walsh is con- nected fraternally with the Order of Elks and the Native Sons of the Golden West. In all official, professional and social relations he has adhered steadily to high ideals and has the confidence and regard of the entire community.
ASA V. MENDENHALL.
Asa V. Mendenhall, who since 1898 has been in the active and successful practice of law in Oakland, was born in Danville, Contra Costa county, California, August 1, 1866, a son of William M. and Mary (Allen) Mendenhall, pioneers in this state. He acquired his education in the public schools of Santa Clara county and in Liver- more College at Livermore. At the age of eighteen he drove stage in Amador and Alameda counties and continued at that occupation for three years, after which he embarked in the mercantile business in San Francisco. He also acted as traveling salesman for A. Shill- ing & Company and carried on his legal studies at the same time under the direction of his brother-in-law, G. W. Langan, of Oakland. He was admitted to the bar in 1898 and began practice as a member of the firm of Goodcell & Mendenhall, which partnership was dis- solved in 1903. He was then alone in practice in Oakland until
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