San Diego County
Biographies
ALBERT VINCENT MAYRHOFER
Albert Vincent Mayrhofer, native son
of San Diego, is special representative in public relations and business
extension for the Bank of America National Trust & Savings Association. He was born September 28, 1889, of German
parents, Anton and Elizabeth (Feichtner) Mayrhofer, both of whom were natives of Tyrol, Austria, the
former born July 19, 1856, and the latter November 19, 1866. Mrs. Elizabeth Mayrhofer is deceased. Wendell Mayrhofer, the paternal grandfather
of Albert V. Mayrhofer, served as burogmeister
(mayor) of Ropen, Tyrol, for many years.
Albert V. Mayrhofer completed the
work of the grammar grades in St. Joseph’s Academy and subsequently attended
St. Vincent’s College of Los Angeles, California, until obliged to discontinue
his studies on account of a severe sickness which he suffered in 1906-07. He gained his initial business experience as
a clerk in the hardware department of the Western Metal Supply Company, by
which he was employed from June to November, 1907, and next worked as a clerk
in the shipping department of Hardy’s Bay City Market from January to May,
1908. From the latter date until
December, 1909, he served a superintendent of the Lakeside Inn and Ranch and
thereafter was director of collections (funds) with the Panama-California
Exposition until May 15, 1911. During
the succeeding two and one-half months he devoted his attention to his duties
as organizer and secretary of the committee planning the exposition
ground-breaking celebration and as personal representative of Rt. Rev. Thomas
J. Conaty for the Catholic part of the
celebration—the solemn high mass, the blessing of the ground and mission and
the historical pageant. Mr. Mayrhofer
next entered the real estate field, in which he remained active from August 1,
1911, until June 1, 1917. For the past
twenty-two years, or since 1911, he has been special agent for the Roman
Catholic bishop of Los Angeles and San Diego.
It was on the 9th of July, 1927, that he entered the service
of the California Savings and Commercial Bank, with which he remained until
July 23, 1930, and since August 9, 1930, he has been identified with the Bank
of America national Trust & Savings Association as public relations and
business extension representative.
On the 31st of December,
1919, in San Diego, California, Mr. Mayrhofer was united in marriage to Miss
Marie Louise Howley, who was born in El Paso, Texas, January 26, 1897, her
parents being Edward B. and Mary Louise (Sweeney) Howley, now residents of San
Diego. Edward B. Howley, who was born in
Wolcott, New York, August 14, 1856, served as councilman and police
commissioner of El Paso, Texas, in the ‘90s.
Mrs. Mary Louise (Sweeney) Howley was born in San Antonio, Texas, March
12, 1871, and her parents were numbered among the first white families in El
Paso, that state. Joseph Sweeney,
brother of Mrs. Mary Louise Howley, served as mayor of El Paso. Mrs. and Mrs. Mayrhofer are the parents of
three children, Mary Louise, Albert Vincent, Jr., and Elizabeth Anna, who are
ten, nine and seven years of age, respectively.
The mother was soloist of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in San Diego for
a number of years and is still active in church work.
Since attaining his majority Mr.
Mayrhofer has taken an active part in every political campaign and has
neglected no opportunity to exercise his fright of franchise. He has managed many campaigns for candidates
in San Diego and in 1928 organized the Al Smith campaign in San Diego city and
county. The following year he joined the Republican ranks to organize the Rolph
gubernatorial campaign, of which he was treasurer. During the five-year period between 1918 and
1923 he held the offices of San Diego County deputy assessor, deputy auditor
and deputy tax collector. His record at
the time of the World War covers service as treasurer of the Red Cross war fund
in the San Diego County campaign in 1917; chairman and organizer of the Red
Cross salvage department in 1917; chairman of the rodeo benefit for the Red
Cross war fund in 1917; and solicitor for subscriptions in Liberty Bond drives
in 1917-18.
As grand organizer of the Native
Sons of the Golden West from January 15, 1923, to March 1, 1927, Mr. Mayrhofer
brought the membership of the order to the greatest number in members since its
founding in 1875. A Catholic in
religious faith, he is a member of St. Joseph’s Parish in San Diego. In the Holy Name Society he holds the
positions of diocesan vice president, San Diego Union vice president and St.
Joseph’s Holy Name president. In the St.
Vincent de Paul Society he is treasurer and secretary of St. Joseph’s St.
Vincent de Paul Society. He was
appointed trustee of the Diocesan Board of Charities by Bishop Cantwell. He is also chairman-treasurer of the Mission
San Diego de Alcala restoration committee; member of the Third Order of St. Francis;
member of the Bankamerica Club; member of the San
Diego Advertising Club; chairman and director of the Catholic Welfare Board;
trustee, chairman of landmarks committee and chairman of historical street
naming committee of the San Diegans; treasurer and director of the Community
Chest of San Diego; chairman of the publicity committee and chairman of the
public education committee of the American Institute of Banking; president of
the Beacon Club; trustee of the Crusaders; director of the Democratic Club;
trustee of the San Diego Centennial Exposition; president of the Sons of the
Pacific; trustee and director of the Hall Association of San Diego County, No.
1349, Knights of Columbus; deputy grand president and member of the Grand
Parlor publicity committee of Grand Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden West;
treasurer, recording secretary, chairman of the history landmarks committee and
chairman of the publicity committee of San Diego Parlor, No. 108, N. S. G. W.;
member of the advisory board of San Diego Aerie, No. 244, Fraternal Order of
Eagles; vice president of the California State Historical Association; member
of the San Diego Historical Society; and San Diego special agent for the Most
Rev. John J. Cantwell, D. D.
Mr. Mayrhofer directed the marketing
of the following historical places: flag
pole and bronze plaque at Fort Stockton, Presidio Hill, San Diego, California;
monument on the spot of Father Jaume’s death,
California’s first Christian martyr, Old Mission, San Diego; and the monument
on Albert Smith’s grave, Bennington Cemetery, Point Loma, San Diego. Albert Smith raised the American flag while
under gun-fire in the Old Town plaza.
Mr. Mayrhofer spoke throughout the state of California in behalf of the
restoration of the Santa Barbara Mission, destroyed by earthquake in 1925. He was chairman of the Native Sons in Ventura
of the campaign which helped to raise money to repair the Ventura Mission,
damaged by the Santa Barbara earthquake in 1925. He assisted the restoration and marking of
the following historical places: flag
pole and bronze plaque on the summit of Fremont Peak, San Benito County,
California; planting of trees and placing of bronze plaque in memory of Father
Palou, the Franciscan historian, on Presidio Hill, San Diego, California; flag
pole and bronze plaque in El Monte Park, San Diego County, California (this
site was the general meeting place of the Indians of San Diego County);
Butterfield stage station, Warner’s Ranch, San Diego, California; Southwest
Overland Stage system of the early days; Punta de los Muertos
(Point of the Dead), San Diego, California; Vizcain’s
monument on the site of the first religious service, 1602, in California south,
Ballast Point, Point Loma, San Diego, California (at this time San Diego was
named Vizcaino); San Pasqual battlefield; monument and fence surrounding major
portion of the battlefield, located near Escondido, San Diego County,
California. As chairman-treasurer of the
Old Mission restoration committee, Mr. Mayrhofer alone carried on the campaign
for the restoration of Mission San Diego de Alcala and assumed the expenses of
the campaign. Since 1920 he has taken
very active interest in the development of water in southern California. He is chairman of the Board of Water
Commissioners of San Diego and also of the Municipal Association of
Commissions. He has written many studies
on local water development and is considered an authority on this subject by
many people.
Transcribed
by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. III, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 351-355, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles,
Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V.
Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN
NUGGET'S SAN DIEGO BIOGRAPIES