Few men have been more intimately associated with the great cattle interests of California than Robert R. Diaz. He was born in the city of San Francisco, October 3, 1857, of Spanish parents. His father, Thomas Diaz, was born at Santiago, Chili, and his mother, whose maiden name was Maria Torres, was also a Chilean, having been born in the city of Valparaiso. They were married in their native land and came to California in the early ’50s. Locating in San Francisco, then a straggling village of only a few thousand inhabitants, the father engaged in business as a cattle dealer, which he followed for the greater part of his life.
Robert R. Diaz received a high school education and at a comparatively early age became identified with some of the largest cattle ranches in the state. Starting as a cowboy, he rose to be foreman of the Atherton ranch at Menlo Park. From there he went to the Milpitas ranch at Jolon, California, where he was foreman for twenty-four years. This ranch contained forty-four thousand acres and during the time he was foreman thousands of cattle were shipped to market.
When Mr. Diaz decided to quit the cattle business he came to King City and established a livery stable. Stocking his stable with good horses and comfortable vehicles, he built up a profitable business, which continued until the automobile came into general use. In 1919 he was appointed cattle inspector for the district including King City, San Lucas and Metz. His long experience on cattle ranches gave him all the necessary qualifications for the discharge of his duties and he still holds the position.
Mr. Diaz is and has been a member of the city council ever since King City was incorporated in 1912. At the present time (1925) he is chairman of the committees on finance and firemen. As a councilman he has always favored every movement for the general improvement of conditions in King City and is recognized as a man of sound judgment and executive ability far above the average. He belongs to the Roman Catholic church, the Native Sons of the Golden West, and the Chamber of Commerce. He was married in 1884 to Miss Elizabeth Murphy, and they have one daughter, Inez, a graduate of Notre Dame College, of Santa Clara, California, and now the wife of a prominent stockman of San Mateo county.
Source: History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California : cradle of California’s history and romance : dating from the planting of the cross of Christendom upon the shores of Monterey Bay by Fr. Junipero Serra, and those intrepid adventurers who accompanied him, down to the present day. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1925.