Butte County
Biographies
WILLIAM P. LYNCH
WILLIAM P. LYNCH.—A
native son of California, William P. Lynch was born at Oregon
City, Butte
County, June 15, 1861. He is a son of James and Mary (Hallanan) Lynch, natives of Ireland,
who came, while they were young folks, to Massachusetts,
where they became acquainted with each other and were married. In 1853, seized with the gold fever, they
came to California via Panama. After their arrival Mr. Lynch mined in Butte
County, at Lynchburg,
near Ophir (now Oroville). He later took up farming and stock-raising;
he also set out a vineyard at Oregon City,
where he owned a farm. He added to his
holdings from time to time, until at the time of his
death, in August, 1900, he had eight hundred acres. His wife died at Oregon
City. Mr. and Mrs. Lynch became the parents of six
children, five of whom are living: James E., the eldest, died at the old home
in March, 1917; Katie E., Maggie, Mary (all teachers), John F., and William P.,
of this review.
The youngest
child in the family, William P. Lynch was brought up on the home farm; attended
the public schools at Oregon City,
and then engaged in farming and stock-raising with his father until he was
appointed deputy county assessor under W. S. B. Wilson, in 1887. He filled the position to the satisfaction of
all concerned and in the fall of 1890 was nominated on the Democratic ticket
for county assessor. He was elected by a
good majority, receiving the unanimous vote of his home precinct, and in
January, 1891, took the oath of office.
During the four-year term in the office such service did he render the
citizens that he was induced to run for reelection. He was again elected and served till January,
1899, and was not a candidate for a third term.
Mr. Lynch engaged
in mining and later leasing and operating the Cherokee Hydraulic Mine for a
time, then with Charles Helman, promoted a sale of
the property to Messrs. Mellens of Pittsburgh,
Pa.
Mr. Lynch then associated himself with the representative of the
company, L. J. Hohl, who had been sent here to look
after the property, and they operated the mine for two years, after which they
negotiated a sale of the property’s water rights to the Valley Counties Power
Company, now the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Mr. Lynch next bought from the Mellens’ the Cherokee mine and the lands owned by them, the
entire property including some three thousand eight hundred acres. He disposed of the land for a stock range,
and the mine to T. L. Vintin.
It was about this
time that the Diamond Match Company came to Butte
County and Mr. Lynch accepted a
position with them, entering upon his duties in February, 1902, at the same
time that other well-known officials started.
He was one of the organizers of, and active in the management of, the Stirling Mercantile Company, and was a director and later
president of the company. He was also
one of the organizers of the Stirling City Bank, and
was one of its original directors, and later president. This bank was later sold to the First
national Bank of Chico, the
transfer taking place in March, 1915.
The mercantile company was sold to F. M. Thatcher.
On account of
better school facilities Mr. Lynch had moved his residence from Stirling City
to Chico. In October, 1915, with J. H. Lucas and G. R.
Snow, he established the Chico Meat Company.
They purchased the market owned by Lucas and Crowder on Second
Street.
After the incorporation of the company, of which he became president,
they remodeled the old market, installed a complete refrigerator plant, and
established a slaughter house on Humboldt road.
They also opened the California market on
Broadway and one at Stirling
City. At these three markets the company conducts a
large wholesale and retail business, besides dealing extensively in stock,
cattle, sheep and hogs, which are shipped North, East and South. They run about a thousand head of cattle on
their six-thousand-acre ranch in the Pentz district,
while they also lease considerable land.
Individually Mr. Lynch is interested in farming and grazing lands; as
also in lumber manufacturing, being a member of the firm of Hintz and Lynch
that built and operate a saw mill at Luce Station on the Butte County
Railroad. He is a director of the Moran
Company, which owns packing-houses in San Francisco, Sacramento
and Marysville. Mr. Lynch leaves nothing
undone that he can do to advance agricultural interests in California.
At Marysville,
September 15, 1897, Mr. Lynch was united in marriage with Miss Kathryn Whelan,
born in Cherokee, Butte County;
and they have three children: William P. Jr., Kathleen and Muriel. Fraternally Mr. Lynch is a member of the Chico
lodge of Elks. Since early manhood he
has been active as a Democrat in politics, serving as delegate to county and
state conventions. He was a delegate to
the National Democratic convention at Denver, Colo.,
in 1908, when Bryan was nominated
for the third time. Mr. Lynch was a
member of the County Board
of Freeholders that framed the present county charter of Butte
County; he is also serving as a member of the butte
County Council of Defense. He is a man of versatile abilities and
possesses a high degree of intelligence and is well-informed on the resources
and possibilities of Californian and is eager to aid in their development. Throughout the northern part of California
he is well and favorably known for his sterling integrity and worth. Still in the prime of life, he has already
attained a (sic) a prestige seldom reached by others through long lives of
useful endeavor.
Transcribed 4-4-08 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "History
of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 853-854, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
©
2008 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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