USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume II > Part 25
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50
JESSE PROUTY MEEHAN.
Jesse Prouty Meehan, veteran of the Civil war, and today prominently connected with business interests of Oakland as presi- dent of the Yosemite Laundry Company, was born in Fort Edwards, Washington county, New York, January 12, 1843, and is a son of John and Elizabeth Meehan.
In the acquirement of an education he attended school in Albany, New York, to which city his parents had moved, and continued until he was sixteen years of age. At that time he became connected with the New York Central Railroad and engaged in this work until April 29, 1861, when he enlisted in Company R, Twenty-fifth New York Volunteers. After three months' service he himself raised a company for the Forty-third New York Volunteers, and with it served until the fall of 1862, when he received his honorable dis- charge. With a creditable military record he returned to Albany and resumed his connections with the New York Central Railroad, remaining with it until 1868. In that year he went to Chicago, Illinois, where he accepted a position with the Pullman Company. After one year his ability gained him advancement to the position of assistant superintendent, and he held this until 1883, when he was transferred to San Francisco as superintendent of the Pacific division. He has since remained an honored and respected resident of this community, and the years have been marked by continued success in managing the affairs of his responsible position. He retired from active service in 1902, after being with the company thirty-four years, eighteen of which were spent on the coast.
He then associated himself with his brother-in-law, Joseph M. Kelley, and together they founded the Yosemite Laundry Company, of which Mr. Meehan has since become president. Their principal work is for the Pullman Company on all lines terminating in Oak- land, San Francisco and Richmond and they have a large and well managed plant, where seventy people are constantly employed. As president of this concern Mr. Meehan's executive and organizing
1
309
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
ability has been called forth, and the success of the institution is due largely to his ability and foresight.
In Chicago, on the 19th day of January, 1885, Mr. Meehan was united in marriage to Miss Kate M. Kelley. They are members of the Roman Catholic church, and Mr. Meehan gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He belongs to the National Union and is one of the charter members and first ex-president of California Council, also the Society of New Yorkers and is well known in the George H. Thomas Post of San Francisco, of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which post he is a member, thus keeping in touch with his comrades of fifty years ago. He has resided in Oakland for thirty-one years and has won during that time promi- nence and substantial fortune and that true success that lies in the confidence, regard and esteem of many friends. Mr. Meehan's first trip to the coast was in 1870, with the Boston Board of Trade excur- sion, which was the first one made after the completion and connec- tion of the Union and Central Pacific Roads at Promontory. At the present time Mr. Meehan is the oldest living officer of the Pullman Company, as he entered the service August Ist, 1868, forty-six years ago.
JOSEPH CLEMENT BATES, JR.
Joseph Clement Bates, Jr., for twenty-five years a resident of Alameda, is known as one of that community's representative and honored citizens. He has left the impress of his work and person- ality upon the political history of the state and upon the public thought and opinion of the city where he makes his home, and today as cashier of the United States mint occupies a position of distinction which he has won worthily and which he richly deserves. He is one of California's native sons, his birth having occurred in San Francisco, August 10, 1871. His father was J. C. Bates, who came to California in 1863 and who gained more than a local repu- tation as the author of a book entitled "Bench and Bar of California."
Mr. Bates of this review remained in his native city until 1889 and then moved to Alameda, where he has since resided. A few years later he became prominent and active in local public life, winning election to the state assembly in 1903 and again in 1905. In recognition of his able, beneficial and far-sighted work in the lower house he was in 1906 elected to the senate and served during
310
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the sessions of 1907 and 1909. His name figures conspicuously upon legislative records, and he has been a promoter of many projects which have found their way to the statute books of the state. He is a fearless champion of whatever course he believes to be right, and his loyal defense of his honest convictions formed one of the strongest elements in his success in political circles. Mr. Bates left the senate in 1909 to become cashier of the United States mint in San Francisco, a position which he now holds and the duties of which he discharges with ability and conscientiousness.
Mr. Bates married Miss Caroline Williams of Concord, Cali- fornia, and they have two children : Edith, aged nine; and Joseph, six. Fraternally Mr. Bates is well known in the Masonic order, holding membership in the lodge, chapter, Oakland Commandery and the Mystic Shrine. He is identified also with the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Elks and the Woodmen of the World. Few men have done more effective work in the public service, and the record of none has been more faultless in honor.
WALTER R. RIDEOUT.
Walter R. Rideout, who enjoys recognition as one of the leading and enterprising business men of Oakland, has won merited suc- cess as president of the W. R. Rideout Company, engaged in general transportation. His birth occurred in Oak Valley, California, on the 11th of July, 1867, his parents being J. R. and Alvira Rideout.
In 1869 the family home was established in Marysville, Yuba county, and there our subject pursued his education until eleven years of age, when his parents removed to San Francisco, where he attended the public schools until a youth of sixteen. Subsequently he became a fireman in the employ of his father, who owned a river steamer, and later acted as engineer and then as pilot, being the only man holding an engineer's and pilot's license at the age of twenty- one. He served as pilot on the steamer Alvira until 1893 and after- ward acted as pilot of the steamer Trilby for a year and a half or until his father sold it to the Sacramento Transportation Company. He next served as pilot on the Pride of the River for a year and atferward built the steamer Fort Bragg, which he ran for two years and then sold to the Sacramento Transportation Company. Subse- quently he joined his brother, E. V. Rideout, for the conduct of a shipping and transportation business in San Francisco, and in 1910
311
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Walter R. Rideout came to Oakland to establish the trans-bay shipping end of the business, organizing a separate company of which he became president. The company in Oakland is known as the W. R. Rideout Company and does a general transportation busi- ness, operating three steamers, two barges and one tug boat. Walter R. Rideout is the first man to make the transportation business a suc- cess in Oakland.
The following is an excerpt from a publication called Greater Oakland, published in 1911 : "One of the most progressive and larg- est concerns of its kind in Alameda county is the W. R. Rideout Company, whose big warehouse and yards are located on the water- front at the foot of Webster street. The business was established about five years ago, and under the able management of its hustling and progressive president, Walter R. Rideout, it has steadily grown to its present proportions. In 1910 Mr. Rideout established the trans-bay shipping end of the business, and the company is now in a position to handle the biggest contracts for the transportation of freight between San Francisco and Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley. The concern operates the following freight boats: the Alviso, one hundred and fifty tons, and the Juliette, four hundred tons. About a year ago, following out its policy of doing everything possible to increase the efficiency of its service, the company inaugurated the use of auto-trucks for deliveries, and up to date have purchased six of these big trucks, which means the investment of nearly thirty thousand dollars for autos alone. The company gives employment to some seventy-two men, and the annual pay roll amounts to fifty- one thousand, two hundred dollars, which adds materially to the general prosperity of Oakland. The concern transfer from one hun- dred and fifty to one hundred and seventy-five tons of freight per day, doing more business than all the rest of the transfer companies com- bined. The warehouse, which is situated directly on the water front, with excellent shipping facilities, is three hundred and fifty feet long by seventy-five feet wide. In addition to the auto-truck service, the company operate about fifteen teams. The company practically controls the trans-bay freighting business, doing all the work of the Pacific Hardware Company, Dunham, Carrigan & Hayden, Lally & Company, Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson, Haas Brothers, N. O. Nel- son, Whittier-Coburn & Company, Bass-Hueter Paint Company, N. R. Nason, Sherwin-Williams Company, Wellman-Peck Com- pany, J. H. Newbauer, Sussman-Wormser Company, Tillmann & Bendel, L. T. Snow, M. Getz, Getz Brothers, Hooper & Jennings, A. P. Hotaling, Italian-Swiss Colony Wine Company and hun-
312
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
dreds of others. Walter R. Rideout, the congenial head of this con- cern, is one of the best known and most popular business men in the city. He is a man of generous proportions and big ideas. While shrewd and energetic in business matters, all those who know him find in him a good fellow, generous to a fault and a stanch friend."
In politics Mr. Rideout is a republican, while in religious faith he is a Protestant. He is a valued member of the Chamber of Com- merce and the Board of Trade and also belongs to the Woodmen of the World. His fellow townsmen recognize his merit and ability and his business colleagues and contemporaries entertain the warm- est admiration for his many good qualities.
HERBERT P. GLASIER.
Herbert P. Glasier is now president and manager of the Oakland Cream Depot, with which he first became identified as bookkeeper in 1892. His birth occurred in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the 10th of November, 1864, his parents being Rich and Anna Glasier. He attended the graded and high schools until fourteen years of age and subsequently went to Tower City, North Dakota, where he was engaged in farming for two and a half years. On the expiration of that period he made his way to The Dalles, Oregon, where he was employed as a hotel clerk for three years. He then followed farming in Washington territory for a few months and afterward carried on agricultural pursuits in the Sacremento valley of California for two years. Returning to The Dalles, Oregon, he was there employed as a drug clerk until 1892, when he came to Oakland, California, and secured a position as bookkeeper with the Oakland Cream Depot.
In 1893 Mr. Glasier began to institute needed reforms in the milk business. The first thing necessary was an accurate and detailed knowledge of every branch of the business, and he accordingly worked in every department until he knew not only all of the proc- esses used, but their relation to each other, and their effect upon the quality of the product. He then began to institute beneficial changes and among other things did away with the use of preservatives in milk which was then common. Bicarbonate of soda and boracic acid were among those most frequently employed. He eliminated their use entirely in the Oakland Cream Depot and built instead coolers which were found to be very efficient and absolutely without injur- jous effects. His plan is now generally used in this locality. In
-
1
313
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
1894 the enterprise was incorporated and Mr. Glasier became its secretary, while upon the retirement of the president, Mr. Bliss, in 1909, he was made chief executive officer of the concern. It employs thirty-eight people in Oakland, has eight cream buyers in the country and utilizes seven wagons and five automobiles. It is the largest butter manufacturing company in Alameda county and the oldest in the city. It was also the first concern in the state to undertake the centralizing of butter making. Its brand is known as the O. C. D. and is a high grade product in all respects. The fineness of its quality is shown by the rapid growth in the number of pounds sold. The first year the output was two hundred and thirty pounds, but now four thousand pounds are used annually in Oakland and vicinity. Much of the growth of the concern is due to the able management and direction of Mr. Glasier, who is widely recognized as a man of excellent business ability and sound judgment.
In June, 1894, in Oakland, Mr. Glasier was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Hefty, by whom he has three children, namely: Harold, who is sixteen years of age and attends high school; Eunice, a maiden of fourteen, who is a high-school student; and Alice, ten years old, who is also attending the public schools. Mr. Glasier exer- cises his right of franchise in support of men and measures of the republican party, being convinced that its principles are most con- ducive to good government. He is a member of the Woodmen of the World and also belongs to the Junior Order. He is known as a steady, reliable, persevering man and whatever he undertakes he carries forward to successful completion. This reputation has made him a person on whom his associates can always depend and he is known for his upright character and his straight-forward dealings in both social and business circles.
ALVIN W. BAKER.
A period of connection with the Southern Pacific Railroad Com- pany dating from 1877 has brought Alvin W. Baker to a position of trust and responsibility with that great corporation, which num- bers him among its most reliable and worthy representatives. He has risen through department after department in the service and is now land and tax agent for the company at Oakland, a position which he has filled with credit and ability since June, 1910.
314
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Alvin W. Baker was reared at home and acquired a public- school education. He laid aside his books at the early age of six- teen and afterward worked for his brother, who conducted a drug store, postoffice and express office. Later Mr. Baker turned his attention to railroading, becoming connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in 1877 as telegraph operator, working at various points in California, Nevada and Arizona. In 1879 he was put upon the company's regular staff of employes and rose rapidly to a responsible position, being given charge of the main- tenance of way department in Oakland in 1884. For ten years thereafter he did capable and farsighted work in this capacity and at the expiration of that time was transferred to Oakland Pier as chief clerk. He held this position until 1903, when he was made assistant superintendent. In June, 1910, he was again transferred to the city of Oakland and made land and tax agent at this point. He has learned the railroad business through long and practical experience in its various departments, and his executive ability and keen business insight well qualify him for the responsible position which he now holds.
Fraternally Mr. Baker is connected with the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks, the Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is liberal in his political views and has never sought public office, although he is at all times interested in projects to advance the general welfare of the community. He has been instrumental in bringing a number of manufacturing plants and other concerns to Oakland and has done a great deal for the city along lines of progress and growth. He is largely responsible for his own success, which he has gained through his energy, ambition and ability-qualities which have established him among the repre- sentative men of Oakland.
L. E. GRIMM.
L. E. Grimm, a successful and prominent representative of real- estate interests in Oakland, has been a resident of this city since 1906. His birth occurred in Oakland City, Indiana, on the 8th of March, 1874, his parents being George W. and Sarah Grimm. He began his education in the public schools and subsequently attended Princeton College and the Oakland City College of his native town, while later he continued his studies in the Indiana State Normal
315
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
School at Terre Haute. He next pursued a course in law at the John Marshall Law School of Chicago and after leaving that insti- tution in 1894 embarked in the real-estate business in that city, there conducting his interests until 1906. In the latter year he came to Oakland, California, and took the position of manager with the M. T. Minney Real Estate Company, and for a time was the high- est salaried man in the city, receiving a thousand dollars per month. In 1911 he embarked in business on his own account and has since become very successful as a real-estate dealer, ranking among the leading representatives of that business in Oakland.
In July, 1904, in Chicago, Mr. Grimm was united in marriage to Miss Martha L. Moore, by whom he has five children. His polit- ical allegiance is given to the republican party, while fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protec- tive Order of Elks, being a life member of the latter. He also belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and is a charter member of the Oakland Commercial Club. In social and business circles he is recognized as a man of genuine personal worth who well deserves the widespread respect and esteem which he enjoys.
THOMAS KELLY.
Thomas Kelly, a well known and respected citizen of Oakland, has done valuable work as superintendent of St. Mary's cemetery, which position he has held for the past fourteen years. His birth occurred in County Carlow, Ireland, on the 11th of January, 1867, his parents being Thomas and Margaret Kelly. He attended the public schools of his native land until seventeen years of age and then crossed the Atlantic to the United States, first spending eight months in New York city as a freight handler in the service of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad. Subsequently he came to Oakland, California, here working in the car department of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company until 1893, when he was transferred to San Jose as car inspector. In 1899 he returned to Oakland and became superin- tendent of St. Mary's cemetery, the duties of which position he has ably and creditably discharged to the present time. The cemetery comprises thirty-five acres. When Mr. Kelly took charge it was in a state of neglect, but he has since transformed it into a beautiful garden spot, setting out trees and making various other improve- ments.
316
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
In his political views Mr. Kelly is a republican and exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of that party. He is a devout communicant of the Catholic church and also belongs to the Knights of Columbus, exemplifying the teachings of both in his daily life.
HON. GEORGE SAMUELS.
As one of the prominent citizens of Alameda county Hon. George Samuels of Oakland is assisting materially in the development of the best interests of the section, filling the position of judge of the police court, to which he was elected in 1903, and to which he has been continuously reelected since that time. He is a native of Leeds, England, born February 18, 1859, and is a son of Barnet Samuels, who many years previous to his death left England and came to America, feeling that this country offered better opportunities for himself and for his children. He took up his residence in Chicago in 1865 and there engaged in business until he came to Oakland, where he was numbered among the pioneer settlers.
Judge Samuels acquired his education in the public schools of Chicago and in 1875 came to Oakland with the family. As a young man he engaged in the mercantile business here, but being ambi- tious, and following his natural bent and inclination, he began the study of law. He entered law school, where he made an excellent record as a student and passed his examinations with high honors, winning his admission to the bar of the supreme court of California in 1898. Almost immediately afterward he commenced practice, and in the field to which he then turned his attention has remained prominent and active since that time, the years bringing him suc- cess, prominence and many honors. He soon distinguished himself for eloquence, for ability in argument and for comprehensive and exact knowledge of the principles of law, and his excellent qualifi- cations drew to him extensive clientage and gained for him the place he occupies today among the leading jurists in this section of the state.
His record as an able, farsighted and discriminating lawyer drew public attention to his qualifications and accomplishments and led to his appointment in 1899 as assistant district attorney of Alameda county, thus beginning a public career which has extended over a period of fifteen years and which has been high in its purpose and
HON. GEORGE SAMUELS
319
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
beneficial and far-reaching in its results. In 1903 he was elected judge of the police court, and he has been reelected continuously since that time, giving to the people of the city the services of a prac- tical, strong and able lawyer as well as of an impartial, discriminat- ing and incorruptible judge.
Judge Samuels married in Oakland in 1882 Miss Lily Steen, and they became the parents of three children: Mrs. Irving Magnes; Mervyn J., a graduate of the University of California College of Law and now a practicing attorney in Oakland; and Boris L., a student in high school.
Judge Samuels is a member of the Oakland Chamber of Com- merce and is very prominent in fraternal circles, being past supreme representative of the Knights of Pythias, past noble grand of Oak- land Lodge, No. 118, I. O. O. F., and past grand president of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith. He is a member of the Brook- lyn lodge of Masons, belongs to Alcatraz Chapter, R. A. M., and is affiliated also with the Sons of St. George. He holds a high place in the confidence and esteem of the people of Oakland, and this has been won by merit and ability and held by the maintenance of the principles of truth and honor upon which all of his life work has been based. A man of broad and liberal mind and effective public spirit, he does not only seek his personal advancement, but also gives his time and attention to the duties which fall to the lot of a loyal citizen.
CHARLES D. BENNETTS.
Charles D. Bennetts, living in Oakland, is serving as superin- tendent of the commissary department for the San Francisco-Oak- land Terminal Railway. His birth occurred in Ione, Amador county, California, on the 6th of October, 1877, his parents being W. A. and Eva Bennetts. It was in 1865 that the father came to this state, settling in lone, where he conducted a general merchandise store until 1912. During the past two years he has lived retired in San Jose.
Charles D. Bennetts attended the graded and high schools of Oakland until his graduation in 1897 and then returned to Ione, being there employed as guard in the Ione Preston School of Industry for one year. On the expiration of that period he came back to Oakland and for five years was engaged as clerk for Wells Fargo & Company. Vol. 11-17
320
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Subsequently he became identified with the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railway as receiver, later was made storekeeper and after- ward superintendent of the commissary department, in which capac- ity he has since ably served.
On the 16th of April, 1903, in Sacramento, California, Mr. Ben- netts was united in marriage to Miss Hazel Maude Luce, by whom he has two children, Stewart and Ione, who are ten and seven years of age respectively. Both are public-school students. In politics Mr. Bennetts is a stanch republican, while his religious faith is that of the Methodist church. He is also a worthy exemplar of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Live Oak Lodge. He is well known as a man of strict integrity and sterling worth, as well as busi- ness capacity and enterprise, and his many admirable qualities have placed him among the respected citizens of his community.
THOMAS P. EMIGH.
Thomas P. Emigh, engaged in the general insurance business in Oakland, has been continuously identified with that field of endeavor here since January, 1907, and is the county insurance expert. He was born in Rio Vista, Solano county, California, in December, 1878, a son of Thomas P. and Rachel (Lawhead) Emigh, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of Ohio. The father came to California as one of the gold seekers of the '6os, but instead of spending his time in the mines he saw that there were good oppor- tunities in the field of business and engaged in the mercantile and warehouse business at Rio Vista, Solano county, in which he con- tinued for many years, becoming one of the best known men of that county, where he built up a business of large and profitable propor- tions. He afterward removed to San Francisco, where he continued in business for fifteen years and then retired from active commercial life in 1902, having acquired a handsome competence which enabled him to spend his remaining days in the enjoyment of a well earned rest and enjoy the comforts and some of the luxuries of life. From 1874 he made his home in Oakland, there continuing until his death, which occurred in September, 1909, when he had reached the age of seventy-two years. He was a valued and highly respected citizen of Alameda county, where his memory is yet cherished and honored. His widow spends much of her time at Ben Lomond, where she has a summer home.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.