Los Angeles County
Biographies
FRANCIS
EUGENE BACON
BACON, FRANCIS EUGENE, Retired Merchant, Los Angeles, Cal., was born in Fulton, N.Y., August 12, 1851, the son of Dr. Charles G. Bacon and Mary M. (Whitaker) Bacon. He has been twice married, his first wife having been Miss Gertrude P. Andrews, whom he married at Lyons, N. Y., in 1872. He was wedded a second time at Clifton Springs, N.Y., on July 3, 1902, to Miss Cora May Hiscox. The Bacon family is of English origin, having been transplanted to New England during Colonial times. The great-grandfather of Mr. Bacon was wounded at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Mr. Bacon’s father, who died in 1906, aged ninety-two years, was the oldest resident of Fulton, N.Y., had served several terms as President of the Oswego County Medical Society and was one of the founders of Falley Seminary at Fulton. He was noted as the only physician in America who had attended every semi-annual meeting of a medical society for fifty years. His death was mourned by the entire city of Fulton, all business houses closing on the day of his funeral in honor of his memory.
The Bacon family had been prominent in medical circles for many generations and it was the wish of his father that Francis E. Bacon should adopt that profession. The latter, however, decided to become a merchant, and when he was about fourteen years old apprenticed himself to a merchant of Fulton.
At the end of eighteen months, Mr. Bacon, following the advice of his father, gave up his work and entered Falley Seminary, where his father at one time was an instructor. His studies there completed, Mr. Bacon accepted appointment as a school teacher and taught for one term, but at the end of the session he returned to the dry goods business as a clerk in the store of B. J. Dyer & Co., of Fulton. Mr. Bacon within two years came to be regarded as an expert, and accepted a better position in another store of Fulton, but ultimately returned to the Dyer establishment as a part owner of the business. While still retaining his interest in the Dyer Company he bought the store where he had worked as a clerk only a few years before, and under the name of Francis E. Bacon & Co. built this up to the point where it was the leading store of the town. When he had placed this new business on a firm basis, he withdrew from B. J. Dyer & Co. and devoted himself to the former.
In 1894 his health became impaired through overwork and he was compelled to give up the management of his store. Having acquired other interests in Fulton, including leather, lumber and the Fulton Machine Works, of which he was President, he retired from the merchandise business and devoted a year to these outside affairs, most of his work in connection therewith being out of doors. Mr. Bacon’s health was restored in this way, and he then availed himself of an opportunity to establish a department store in the city of Syracuse, N.Y. He invited a former partner, Mr. Chappell, to join him in this enterprise and the firm of Bacon, Chappell & Co. was established. They began operations on a comparatively modest basis, but with Mr. Bacon as the directing force, the business finally became one of the principal commercial establishments of that section.
Mr. Bacon continued in active charge of the business until 1910, but his ceaseless activity in private and public affairs again impaired his health and he was compelled to abandon his work. He has wintered in Los Angeles for some years prior, so went there on this occasion to recuperate, but has made that city his home ever since.
While he practically retired from business life in 1910, Mr. Bacon still retained his interests in Syracuse and did not finally dispose of his holdings in the store until the summer of 1912, when, during a visit to Syracuse, he was offered a large price for his business and he sold out. By a strange coincidence, he wound up his business career, after forty years of success, by selling to a man of the same name as his first sponsor in business, Dyer, although the two men were in no way related.
During his residence of fifteen years in Syracuse Mr. Bacon was one of its most prominent men. When he first went to the city in the year 1895, it was greatly undeveloped and it boasted of only two modern paved streets. He immediately became a factor in public affairs and later, as President of the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, led in many movements which aided in the upbuilding of the city and the increase of its commercial importance. He served five years as President of the Chamber of Commerce and with his associates kept up a continual campaign in the interest of Syracuse, being responsible for the location there of scores of manufacturing institutions, thus lifting the city from an obscure place to one among the leading manufacturing cities of the U.S.
Mr. Bacon was tireless in his efforts to advertise Syracuse and was responsible for many noted personages visiting the city. Among others he had as his guests and guests of the city, President William McKinley, President Theodore Roosevelt, the late Senator Mark Hanna, Leslie M. Shaw, Secretary of the Treasury, and numerous others. Largely through his efforts Syracuse was included in the itinerary of Prince Henry of Prussia during his notable tour of the United States and Mr. Bacon figured prominently in the attendant ceremonies.
One of Mr. Bacon’s distinguished achievements for Syracuse was the securing of a new Federal building. He headed a delegation which went to Washington to secure the appropriation of a sum of money for this purpose and aided in the selection of the site. Mr. Bacon placed the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce among the strongest institutions of the kind in the country and for four years was its representative at the annual meetings of the National Board of Trade. He served during that time as a member of the Council of the latter organization.
While he was devoted to the work of upbuilding Syracuse, Mr. Bacon was also active in church and charitable lines. He brought about the organization of the Associated Charities of Syracuse, which, working in conjunction with the Syracuse Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, had charge of all public aid. Mr. Bacon was President of both.
Prior to his removal to Syracuse Mr. Bacon had served for fifteen years as a member of the Fulton Board of Education, and during eight years of the period, as President. He also served two years as President of the Oswego County Sunday School Association and was for many years a member of the Board of Trustees of the First Methodist Church of Fulton, which he had helped to build. He personally procured a large part of the funds used in building the church and performed a similar service for the Methodist Church of Syracuse.
Mr. Bacon, on two occasions, was urged to accept nomination for Mayor of the city of Syracuse, but in each instance declined.
He is a Mason, member of the Citizens’ Club of Syracuse and of the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Transcribed 7-17-10
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 487, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta.
1913.
© 2010 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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