USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume II > Part 27
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Later he was transferred to Dakota, serving pastorates at such important centers as Wahpeton, Jamestown and Bismarck. In 1889, on account of the health of his wife, he came to California and ac- cepted a pastorate at Grace Methodist church in Oakland. On the expiration of this pastorate, in 1891, he retired from the active work of the ministry. Indolence and idleness are utterly foreign to his nature, and as he could not content himself to remain without some pursuit or vocation, he entered the auditing department of the gen- eral offices of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in San Fran- cisco, where he remained until June, 1912, when he was pensioned by that company. Since that time he has been engaged in the real- estate business in Oakland and has negotiated a number of impor- tant property transfers.
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On the 10th of September, 1873, Mr. Van Every was united in marriage at Akron, New York, to Miss Fanny Crampton, and they have become the parents of two children: Osmond, now a teller of the State Savings Bank of Oakland; and Irene, who is at home. On the 14th of April, 1903, Mr. Van Every became a member of the Oakland Presbytery, and for fifteen years he has been connected with the Knights of the Maccabees. His life has been strong, pur- poseful and resultant. As the years have gone by he has accomplished much good for mankind and for the organizations with which he has been affiliated. He is today well known in the Bay cities and his substantial traits of character have gained for him the warm regard of all with whom he has been associated.
ANDREW W. McLIMONT.
Through the successive stages of orderly progression Andrew W. McLimont has advanced to his present position of responsibility and importance as manager of the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railways. Previous experience as electrical engineer and organizer of traction properties qualified him for his present position, and his ability brought him step by step upward until he attained the busi- ness heights on which he now stands. His fellow citizens speak of his thoroughness, capability and brilliancy in the control of impor- tant business interests and recognize the fact that the Key Route sys- tem will be carefully managed and directed not only for the benefit of the stockholders but also for the welfare of the general public.
Mr. McLimont is a native of Quebec, Canada, born on March 26, 1872. His father, Andrew W. McLimont, Sr., was also a native of Quebec, in which city he was reared and educated. He engaged in the wholesale dry-goods business as half-owner in the William McLimont Company and figured for many years as a leading and important factor in commercial circles.
His son and namesake attended the public and normal schools and was graduated at the age of seventeen years. He then engaged with the Montreal Telegraph Company as operator in Ottawa, Can- ada, that business being a branch of the Edison Telephone Company of the United States. In that connection he advanced and when he left the service he was acting as inspector of telephones. He next went to Nova Scotia as traveling inspector for the same company and after a year proceeded to Boston, Massachusetts, where he be-
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came inspector of the New England Telegraph & Telephone Com- pany, which he represented in various capacities until he went to Lynn, Massachusetts, in the employ of the Thompson & Houston Electric Company, and an early recognition of his unusual business sagacity brought him quick advancement through the responsibilities of such positions as engineer in charge of construction and installa- tion of traction systems at Boston, Massachusetts, Nashville, Tennes- see, Brooklyn, New York, Coney Island, Springfield, Illinois, Rock- ford, Illinois, Dallas, Texas, Marquette, Michigan, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Houston, Texas, New Orleans, Galveston and other cities. He thoroughly mastered every task assigned him and his broadening powers fitted him for larger duties, while his fidelity won him ad- vancement. He secured a position in the foreign department of the General Electric Company and as such constructed electric sys- tems in Brazil, the Argentine Republic, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico and other foreign countries. He afterward became consulting en- gineer for the Federal Electric Company at New York and later was in the employ of W. R. Grace & Company, by whom he was sent to South America to install electric trolley systems. In 1907, as electrical engineer, he became connected with the public service commission for the first district of New York and as such upon him devolved the task of making recommendations regarding the phys- ical properties of the surface, elevated and subway lines of the greater New York railway companies operating seven thousand electric cars, twenty-four car houses and several large power houses. While thus engaged with that commission he was also prominently connected with making the appraisals of the New York city lines. In 1909 he left the public service commission to take the position of general manager and treasurer of the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad Com- pany. In June, 1910, he accepted the position of vice president and general manager of the Michigan United Railways, which now oper- ate three hundred and sixty miles of interurban and urban lines at Detroit, Michigan. Having become recognized as a standard au- thority in his field, possessing technical and practical skill of superior order, he was called into various districts and became vice presi- dent and general manager of the Georgia Power Company, which operated a one hundred thousand kilowatt plant, located at Tallulah Falls, supplying power in and about Atlanta, Georgia. At Kenosha, Wisconsin, his interests centered in the Kenosha Railway & Light Company, of which he became vice president, and he also occupied the same position in the Vermont Consolidated Lighting Companies of Montpelier, Vermont, and had charge of the operation of the
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plants. All of these different properties are controlled by George G. Moore of Detroit, Michigan, and his associates. The business man- agement of all of these has been directed by Mr. McLimont, whose broad experience, ready adaptability and resourcefulness, whose keen insight and indefatigable energy are features which contribute to the growing and substantial success of any enterprise with which he becomes connected. Removing to Oakland, he took charge of the interests of the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railways, recently acquired by George G. Moore of Detroit, and the policy which he instituted is bringing about excellent results in the development and improvement of the system, in keeping with the progressive spirit which is the basic element of California's rapid growth and develop- ment. After taking charge he instituted plans for the installation of up-to-date rolling stock, for the improvement of tracks and pave- ment, and at once began seeking a solution of the problem brought about by down-town congestion during the rush hours. He also took up the study of the completion of the down-town Washington Street Broadway loop system and has since carried forward the work of improvement and progress to a notable degree.
On the 5th of June, 1895, in New York city, Mr. McLimont was married to Miss Lois MI. Shaffner, and they have a daughter, who bears the mother's name. Mr. McLimont is a member of the Athen- ian Club and the Sequoia Club and also of the Oakland Commercial Club. He is still a comparatively young man, having not yet reached the prime of life. His career, however, is notable in that he has reached positions of management which might well be coveted by many a man much his senior. He seems to grasp all the details of a situation almost at a glance and never loses sight of the important features of any business interest. He is watchful, alert and deter- mined and in his vocabulary there is no such word as fail.
JOSEPH LORAN PEASE, D. D. S.
Prominent among the representatives of the dental profession in Oakland is Dr. Joseph Loran Pease, who is, moreover, a repre- sentative citizen in various other connections. He was born at Boze- man, Montana, May 22, 1873. His father, Joseph Alonzo Pease, was a pioneer of that state and was closely identified with its upbuild- ing and progress. He possessed a broad acquaintance and enjoyed the high regard of all who knew him, for he was a man of unusually up-
DR. JOSEPH L. PEASE
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right character and nobility. He married Orvilla Kimpton and to them were born nine children, all of whom reached manhood or womanhood before she passed away. She was a most devoted wife and mother and she was well known for her activity in church circles.
After attending the grammar schools of his native city Dr. Pease of this review prepared at the Wisconsin Academy in Madison, Wis- consin, to enter the State University, in which he continued his stud- ies. His preparation for the profession of dentistry was made in the Chicago College of Dental Surgery, from which he was graduated in April, 1897. He was a student for a time in Rush Medical Col- lege of Chicago and in 1901 took the degree of M. D. at the Pacific Coast College of Medicine. His educational training was not con- tinuous, however, for in early manhood he had followed stock-raising in Montana and in Chicago he had engaged in clerking in a hardware store. Since entering upon the active practice of his profession he has made continuous advancement and in 1898 was elected clinician in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in San Francisco, which position he filled until appointed a member of the California Board of Dental Examiners, serving as president one term and as treasurer for four terms. For two terms he was honored with the presidency of the Alameda County Dental Society and he was president of the Oakland Dental Club, while recently he has been made an associate of the California Study Club. In addition to his practice, which returns to him a substantial annual income, he is interested in real estate, holding property in Oakland, in Fresno county, California, and in Montana. In January, 1906, he was made a member of the Board of Dental Examiners of California and continued in that office until April, 1914. His high professional standing is indicated in the fact that he has been made a member of the committee of organiza- tion of the Panama Pacific Dental Congress and is a director of the Pacific Dental Congress Commission of 1915. He holds to the high- est professional standards and his own efficiency and skill have con- stituted a stimulating example for others.
In his political views Dr. Pease is a republican but has never aspired to local office, thinking that he can best serve the people of his state and the dental profession by close attention to his duties as a member of the board of dental examiners, with which he was con- nected during the administrations of Governors Pardee, Gillett and Johnson. He recently resigned to devote most of his time to the practice of his profession.
At Oakland, on the 3d of June, 1903, Dr. Pease was married to Miss Mable Thornton Gage, a daughter of Stephen T. Gage, who
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for many years was closely identified with the Southern Pacific Rail- road Company as a director. He was prominent in the early devel- opment of California and Nevada and is the only living electoral messenger who supported President Lincoln, having been sent from Nevada when but twenty-two years of age. Dr. and Mrs. Pease have one son, Loran Thornton, nine years of age, who is a leader in his classes in school and also possesses rare musical talent. He is a pupil of Madame Von Hergott.
The parents hold membership in St. Paul's Episcopal church and Dr. Pease belongs to the Men's Club of the church. Fraternally he is a Mason, holding membership in Live Oak Lodge, No. 61, F. & A. M., and in the different branches of York and Scottish Rite Ma- sonry. He is a past high priest of Aahmes Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also has membership in Oakland Lodge, No. 171, B. P. O. E., and belongs to Psi Omega, a Greek letter dental fraternity. In club circles he is well known as a member of the Commercial Club, serving as a member of the public health commission, and he also belongs to the Mount Diablo Park Club. Along strictly professional lines his associations are with the Alameda County District Dental Society and the California State Dental Association, having served as director and vice president of the same. Dr. Pease was much inter- ested in bringing about the Alameda county free clinic for indigent and needy school children.
GAVIN AITCHISON.
In 1905, after an eventful period of close identification with mining interests in Alaska, Gavin Aitchison came to Alameda, turn- ing his attention to the contracting and building business, in which he has engaged continuously since that time. A spirit of enterprise and progress has actuated him in all he has done and success has steadily attended his well directed labors so that he stands today among the representative and substantial business men of the city. He was born in Nova Scotia, July 9, 1855, and is a representative of one of the pioneer families of that province, his maternal great- grandfather having been one of the first settlers there and his. father, James Aitchison, having come from his native Dumfriesshire, Scot- land, to the province in 1834. He there turned his attention to gen- eral farming and followed that occupation successfully until his death in 1912. The mother of our subject was in her maidenhood
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Miss Ann Bell, a daughter of Gavin and Mary (Irving) Bell, of Scotland.
Gavin Aitchison acquired his education in the public schools of his native province and at the early age of ten laid aside his books in order to learn the carpentering business, completing his appren- ticeship in 1879. He then became identified with mill work, taking charge of the Balfour mills of Waugh's River, Nova Scotia, whence after six months he came to the United States, settling in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1885. There he took up the carpenter's trade but after six months went to Waterbury, Connecticut, returning in 1886 to Waugh's River. There he again became connected with saw- milling, which he followed for one year thereafter, going in 1887 to Spring Hill, Nova Scotia, and there entering the contracting business for himself, thus beginning his independent career. He left Nova Scotia for California on the Ist of January, 1888, and after his arrival in San Francisco obtained work as a carpenter for the Spring Valley Water Company. In 1889 he secured a position in the bridge department of the Southern Pacific Railroad and re- tained it for four years, proving capable, efficient and conscientious in the discharge of his duties. From 1889 to 1898 he engaged in the carpentering business in San Francisco and in the latter year went to St. Michaels, where he worked as a carpenter on the con- struction of the Northern Alaska Transportation Company's hotel. From St. Michaels he went with dog teams to Gollivan bay as a prospector and was with the party that discovered Ophir Creek, a valuable property now owned and operated by the Northern Lights Mining Company. In all Mr. Aitchison made six trips to Alaska but in 1905 returned to California with the intention of remaining permanently. He went to San Francisco and almost immediately afterward came to Alameda, where he established himself as a gen- eral contractor and builder. In this occupation he has engaged since that time and the excellent work he has accomplished is the best evidence of his ability and skill. He has erected many fine homes and other structures in this city and in the neighborhood, his buildings showing always excellent workmanship and artistic design. As a result his patronage has steadily increased and it has now reached extensive proportions, Mr. Aitchison being numbered among the leading contractors and builders in this section of the county.
Mr. Aitchison married Miss Mary Belle Matheson, a daughter of Angus and Margaret ( Monroe) Matheson, of Pictou county, Nova Scotia. Mr. and Mrs. Aitchison are the parents of seven children : James Miller, aged thirty-three; Margaret Belle, thirty-one; John
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Walter, twenty-nine; Alexander Gordon, twenty-seven; Ethel Louise, twenty-five; and Mabel Irene and Gretta May, twins, aged eighteen.
Fraternally Mr. Aitchison is a member of Oak Grove Lodge, No. 115, F. & A. M., and he is president of the Alameda Improve- ment Club, a position in which he has accomplished a great deal of constructive and farsighted work. He is not a politician and the honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him. He prefers rather to concentrate his attention upon his business affairs, in which he has been very successful, and much credit is due to him for the position he has attained among the substantial and represent- ative business men of Alameda.
GEORGE H. HARRIS.
George H. Harris of Oakland is widely recognized as one of the foremost railway and electrical engineers of the coast, being at pres- ent general superintendent of the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railway, with head offices in Oakland.
Mr. Harris was born in Rome, Georgia, October 22, 1873, and is a son of Frank H. and Sarah Harris. He attended the public schools, graduating from the high school at the age of sixteen, and then went to Cedartown, Georgia, where he took his degree from the Harris School of Technology at the age of twenty. Returning to Rome, he entered the engineering department of the Chattanooga, Rome & Columbus Railroad, with whom he remained for six months. He then went to Mississippi, where for a half year he was connected with the engineering department of the Georgia Pacific Railway. The next four months he spent in the same department of the Geor- gia, Florida & Alabama Railroad at Quitman, Georgia, and then was for two months in the engineering department of the Brierfield, Blockton & Birmingham Railroad. After acquiring this valuable experience he removed to Birmingham, Alabama, and engaged in civil and mining engineering, continuing along that line for about half a year. He then became connected with the engineering de- partment of the Birmingham Railway & Electric Company, later becoming chief engineer and remaining with that company until in 1901 they consolidated with several other street railway and lighting companies, Mr. Harris becoming superintendent of transportation and equipment. The company was then called the Birmingham
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Railway, Light & Power Company. Mr. Harris remained superin- tendent until 1903 and then became general superintendent, con- tinuing in this important position until January, 1914. He resigned his office at that date in order to accept the general superintendency of the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railway in Oakland. Al- though he has held this office for a comparatively short time, it is quite evident that his vast experience will be of the greatest benefit to his new company. During the period from 1903 to 1914 he was also vice president and general manager of the Birmingham & Edge- wood Electric Railway Company. Mr. Harris is still a director and a member of the finance committee of the Merchants & Mechanics Trust & Savings Bank of Birmingham.
On December 4, 1901, Mr. Harris married, at Rome, Georgia, Miss Eva V. Camp, and they have one daughter, Josephine. Fra- ternally Mr. Harris is a Knight of Pythias and along professional lines belongs to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the Engineering Association of the South, of which he is a past pres- ident. His religious faith is that of the Methodist church. The city of Oakland is to be congratulated upon having secured the serv- ices of such an efficient and experienced man as Mr. Harris. In his important office he is in a position to greatly improve public trans- portation facilities and there is no doubt that he will use his best efforts in maintaining the standards of his road and in making its expansion keep pace with the fast growth of the city.
LEROY W. POTTER.
Leroy W. Potter holds the important position of freight and pas- senger agent of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in Oak- land. By training and inclination he is a railroad man and has proven himself highly efficient in the office which he fills. He was born near Xenia, Ohio, May 20, 1860, and is the son of S. L. and A. C. Potter. After completing his education he took up the study of medicine for three years, which he was compelled to give up on account of ill health. In 1882 he moved to South Dakota and entered the service of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at Vermilion as assistant agent, later being promoted to agent, and continuing in the service of that company in the various departments until 1897, when he resigned to come to California. The same year he entered the service of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
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in Los Angeles, serving in track, oil and station departments at vari- ous points until 1904, at which time he was transferred to Oakland as cashier and chief clerk, serving in that capacity until 1906, when he was appointed freight and passenger agent of the same system, which position he now holds. His wide experience in railroad work fits him eminently for this responsible position, which he fills to the entire satisfaction of his company, and of the public in general.
Politically, Mr. Potter is a republican, but although interested in the welfare of his party, he is not a politician. He is widely known in fraternal circles, being a Mason of the York and Scottish Rites, having attained the thirty-second degree in the latter. He is also a member of and prominently identified with the Mystic Shrine. In addition to the above he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Foresters and the Modern Woodmen of America and holds membership in both the Oakland Commercial Club and the Nile Club.
Mr. Potter has attained prominence in the railroad world by close application and incessant diligence in the exercise of his duties. These qualities, combined with his high principles, are the founda- tion of his success. He has many friends in Oakland, all of whom respect and esteem him, and he is popular with those who work with and under him, all of whom appreciate his justness and the integrity of his motives.
BENJAMIN H. PENDLETON.
Following a period of progressive and able service as president of the city council of Oakland Benjamin H. Pendleton was made civil service commissioner and this important position he held for a number of years, discharging its duties in a prompt, capable and reliable manner. In addition to this he has held various other positions of public trust and responsibility, and he is besides con- nected with business interests of the city as proprietor of the whole- sale cigar house operated under the name of Horn & Company.
Mr. Pendleton was born in Shanghai, China, October 20, 1862, and numbers among his ancestors several who occupied important places in the early history of the United States. Captain Ben Pen- dleton, from whom he is a direct descendant, fought in the cause of American independence and as a naval officer succeeded in cap-
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turing a British warship. Although born in China Mr. Pendleton has spent most of his life in America. After completing his pre- paratory education he entered Yale University, where he took an academic course, graduating with high honors in 1884, at the age of twenty-two. Soon afterward he became associated with Horn & Company, who conducted a wholesale cigar house at 40 Drumm street, San Francisco. He has been identified with this enterprise since 1885 and is now its sole owner. He has developed this into one of the largest concerns of its kind in the city and is recognized as a man of unusual business ability and progressiveness.
Since taking up his residence in Oakland Mr. Pendleton has always taken an active interest in public affairs and has done effec- tive and lasting work in various positions of public trust and respon- sibility. In 1898 he was appointed on the board of free public library trustees, and he served for four years. In 1903 he was elected councilman on the republican ticket and was for two years president of the council, being the last to hold this office under the old form of government. Mr. Pendleton's record is an excellent one. He was the dominant figure in arranging the details of the Southern Pacific franchise on Seventh street and it was largely on account of his study and his untiring efforts that the matter was finally settled by the payment by the railroad company of a yearly rental for the use of the street, which is greater than is paid for a similar privilege by any other railroad in the United States. Mr. Pendleton was also a strong factor in securing for the city a reduc- tion in the water rates, after a great deal of argument and litigation of long standing. A graduated scale of reduction was brought about, which has meant a saving during a period of four years to the city of Oakland of about nine hundred thousand dollars. He was also very active in bringing about a settlement of the Western water front matter and it was he who suggested that the wharfing- out rights be recognized by the Western Pacific Railway Company by the payment of a yearly rental, which principle, having been established, was later followed out to the great advantage of the city, which exacted a like rental from the Southern Pacific Com- pany and the Key Route. It was Mr. Pendleton's suggestion also that the Oakland Mole and water front rights of the Southern Pa- cific Company revert to the city of Oakland at the expiration of its franchise. After the commission form of government was estab- lished in Oakland Mr. Pendleton was made civil service commis- sioner and he is now chairman of the municipal water commission,
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