Sacramento County Archives - Page 2 of 7

Biography of Alfred J. Johnston of Sacramento

Alfred J. Johnston, born in Nevada County in 1857, was a prominent businessman in Sacramento. He headed the A. J. Johnston Company, the largest stationery and printing firm in the city, and managed a successful cannery on his foothill ranch in Eldorado County. His parents, David and Nancy S. (Glass) Johnston, were Pennsylvania natives who moved to California in 1852. Alfred pursued a career in printing and served as the state printing office superintendent for twelve years. He married Luella Buckminster in 1884, and they had five children. Johnston was active in Masonic, Elks, and Native Sons of the Golden West fraternities.

Biography of Grove Lawrence Johnson of Sacramento

Hon. Grove Lawrence Johnson, born March 27, 1841, in Syracuse, New York, was a distinguished lawyer and Republican leader in California. Educated in public schools and admitted to the bar at twenty-one, he moved to California in 1863. Johnson served as a state legislator, state senator, and congressman. Known for his legal acumen, he played a key role in major litigations and legislative reforms. He was also active in various fraternal organizations. Johnson married Annie Williamson de Montfredy in 1861, and they had five children. His career was marked by dedication to both his profession and public service.

Biography of Joseph William James, M. D. of Sacramento

Dr. Joseph William James, a physician in Sacramento, was born on January 1, 1876, in Cornwall, England. His father, Thomas James, a former miner, moved the family to America in 1880, eventually settling in Sacramento. Dr. James received his medical degree from Cooper Medical College in 1900. He initially worked at the Sacramento County Hospital and the Southern Pacific Railroad Hospital before starting his private practice. Dr. James is a medical examiner for the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company and Union Lodge, A. O. U. W., and actively participates in the American Medical Association and the Sacramento Society for Medical Improvement.

Biography of William Irelan, Jr.

William Irelan, Jr., born on August 7, 1842, in Wilmington, Delaware, is a notable mining and consulting engineer. Son of William Irelan, a sea captain and inventor, and Elizabeth Hancock Clark, Irelan pursued extensive education in Delaware, London, and Leipzig. Moving to California in 1870, he contributed significantly to the state’s mining industry and served as state mineralogist and engineer. Irelan managed the California mining exhibit at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. He married Linna Vogel in 1870 in Germany, and they have one son, Oscar. Linna is an esteemed artist and pioneer in California art pottery.

Biography of Benjamin F. Howard of Sacramento County

Benjamin F. Howard, born in Sacramento on October 11, 1851, is serving his fourth term as county superintendent of schools in Sacramento County. Son of Marcus Jay and Jane Howard, early settlers from Vermont and Northern Ireland, Howard has significantly advanced local education. He began teaching at eighteen and was principal of Washington School in Yolo County for seven years. Elected superintendent in 1886, his tenure has seen marked improvements in school standards and enrollment. In 1881, he married Sarah Morton, a notable music teacher. Howard is active in the Native Sons of the Golden West and is a dedicated Republican.

Biography of Earnest Martin Hoen

Ernest Martin Hoen, an accomplished architect, was born in Santa Rosa, California, in 1872. He is the son of Berthold (“Barney”) Hoen, a German immigrant and city founder of Santa Rosa, and Marie Andersen Gade Hoen, a Danish immigrant from a distinguished family. Ernest graduated from Washington University’s Manual Training School in St. Louis in 1889 and established a successful architectural career in San Francisco and Sacramento. In 1899, he married Edna Lewis of Sacramento, and they have a son, Martin Lewis Hoen. Ernest is active in the Masons and the Elks, and is a dedicated Republican.

Biography of Lester J. Hinsdale of Sacramento

Lester J. Hinsdale, an attorney and counselor at law of Sacramento, was born in Clarksburg, Yolo County, California, on the 18th of October, 1870. His father, Seymour S. Hinsdale, is a native of Vermont and a representative of an old Connecticut family that was founded in America by ancestors who came from England in the early part of the seventeenth century. Representatives of the name fought in the Indian wars during the colonial period and also in the war for independence. Through many generations the family was represented in New England, and Seymour S. Hinsdale continued to make his home … Read more

Biography of John M. Higgins of Sacramento

John M. Higgins, born on September 3, 1863, in New Jersey, is the foreman of the bindery department at the state printing office and a member of California’s General Assembly. He was educated in San Francisco, where he completed high school at seventeen. Higgins apprenticed under bookbinder A. Buswell, later buying and running the business until 1889. Moving to Sacramento, he joined the state printing office, becoming foreman in 1903. An active Republican, he has served in the thirty-fifth General Assembly and is involved in the Bookbinders’ Union, Elks, and Eagles.

Biography of Frederick W. Hatch, M. D.

Dr. Frederick Winslow Hatch, born December 4, 1849, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been a distinguished physician in California for over fifty years. After graduating from Jefferson Medical College in 1873, he practiced in Sacramento and later served as assistant physician and superintendent at Napa State Insane Asylum and Agnew’s State Asylum. Appointed general superintendent of state hospitals by Governor Budd and reappointed by Governor Gage, Dr. Hatch has significantly contributed to the state’s medical field. He married Florence Folansbee in 1882, and they have one daughter. Dr. Hatch is a dedicated Republican and a member of the Elks and Masons.

Biography of William J. Hassett

Hon. William J. Hassett, born on November 7, 1839, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the mayor of Sacramento known for his dedication to public service and reform. Starting as a printer at fourteen, he moved to California in 1863 and worked in San Francisco before relocating to Sacramento in 1885. There, he managed A. J. Johnston’s printing business for eighteen years. Elected mayor in 1903, Hassett’s administration was marked by business-like methods and progressive reforms. A Democrat, he was deeply involved in local and state politics. He married in 1866 and returned to California with his wife, contributing significantly to Sacramento’s development.