California Genealogy, Author at California Genealogy

Biography of Edward Power Colgan

Edward Power Colgan, born January 10, 1856, in Santa Rosa, California, served his fourth term as state controller of California and had been in public service since 1887. Colgan, the eldest of six sons, was educated in Santa Rosa and trained as a blacksmith before entering politics. He served as sheriff of Sonoma County and was first elected state controller in 1894. His long tenure reflected his integrity and dedication. Married to Mary E. Smith in 1880, they had four surviving children. Colgan was also active in various fraternal organizations, including the Masons and the Elks.

Biography of Lewis F. Coburn

Lewis F. Coburn, senior member of the well known Yreka law firm of Coburn and Collier, is representative of the enterprise and progressive spirit which have been stimulating the growth and development of the industries and material resources of Siskiyou county and northern California during the last decade, thus placing this section of the state on its proper plane as one of the most profitable fields for capital and industrial and commercial exploitation in all California. Mr. Coburn has been a practicing lawyer in the state for the past twenty years, and is thoroughly identified with the western spirit and … Read more

Biography of James A. Clayton

James A. Clayton was for many years a leading and influential citizen of San Jose and his activity in business affairs, his co-operation in public interests, and has zealous support of all objects that he believed would contribute to the material, social or moral improvement of his community kept him in the foremost rank of those to whom the city owes its development and present position as one of the leading metropolitan centers of California. His life was characterized by upright, honorable principles, and it also exemplified the truth of the Emersonian philosophy that “The way to win a friend … Read more

Biography of George Harvey Clark

George Harvey Clark, who is engaged in the undertaking business in Sacramento, was born April 24, 1864, in Florin, Sacramento county, his parents being J. Frank and Dilly A. (Lowell) Clark, both of whom were natives of the Empire state. The father came to California in 1852, crossing the plains with an ox team and locating at Florin, nine miles from the city of Sacramento. He was an expert accountant, but after coming to the west he abandoned his profession and tuned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He was also secretary of the Capital Woolen Mills and later engaged in … Read more

Biography of Dr. F. P. Clark

Dr. F. P. Clark, who has charge of the Clark’s Sanitarium at Stockton, one of the oldest and best known institutions of the state, is one of the progressive and able physicians of Stockton, and has been connected with the sanitarium almost since he entered the ranks of the medical profession. Clark’s Sanitarium was established in 1871, Dr. Asa Clark, the father of Dr. F. P. Clark, being the leading spirit in the enterprise. It was originally intended for the care of patients from Nevada territory, and Dr. Clark made a contract with Dr. Samuel Langdon to this end. The … Read more

Biography of Asa Clark

In reviewing the list of officials who have devoted their energies and best efforts to some particular department of the state government, there is no one who stands out more prominently than Dr. Asa Clark, the honored superintendent of the state hospital at Stockton. All those who have been familiar with the conduct of the institution since its inception unite in the statement that its development under the present management has been little short of marvelous, and its high ranking among similar institutions of the United States is unquestionably due to the executive ability combined with the thorough knowledge and … Read more

Biography of Frederick Conrad Chinn

Frederick Conrad Chinn, of Sacramento, is a man who entered upon a special business career with large ideas and ambitions for the future. Now at the age of thirty-four years he has what is probably the largest optical business in the United States, having retail stores in several California cities, and daily extending his trade into new sections. Mr. Chinn unites with professional zeal the executive and organizing ability of a captain of industry, and has built up in an incredibly short time an enterprise which is well known in business circles throughout the country, and of which he is … Read more

Biography of James U. Castle

James U. Castle, who resides at 505 South California street, Stockton, is a typical California pioneer and representative in a high degree of the enterprise and business capacity of those who cast in their lot with this country during the early days and were eminent factors in its growth and development and likewise shared in its prosperity and wealth of resources. He is one of the most influential citizens of San Joaquin county as it exists to-day, but the story is often told of him that when he arrived on the western coast during the palmy days of the fifties, … Read more

Biography of Judge John Tyler Campbell

Judge John Tyler Campbell, who took up his residence in Santa Rosa thirty years ago, has from the first stood among the most prominent and public-spirited citizens. His career both previous and subsequent to that time has been marked with highest ability and executive energy, so that not only his immediate community and city but the state and country have felt the power of his influence. His public career has been especially honorable and useful, and California is happy and fortunate to number him among her most noted citizens. The biographer cannot do better in this connection than to quote … Read more

Biography of Alden W. Campbell

Whether the elements of success in life are innate attributes of the individual, or whether they are quickened by a process of circumstantial development, it is impossible to clearly determine. Yet the study of a successful life is none the less profitable by reason of the existence of this uncertainty, and in the majority of cases it is found that exceptional ability, amounting to genius, perhaps, was the real secret of the pre-eminence which many envied. So it appears to the student of human nature who seeks to trace the history of the rise of Alden W. Campbell, a typical … Read more