Los Angeles County
Biographies
WILLIAM A.
BARNHILL
WILLIAM A. BARNHILL, member of the firm of Lewinson & Barnhill, of Los Angeles, has attained his present high position in legal circles of California entirely by his own efforts. He was born in 1880 at Kansas City, Mo., where he attended public schools until 13 years of age, when he was thrown on his own resources without money or friends. Two years later he signed as ordinary seaman on the American sailing ship "Shenandoah," one of the old clipper ships, under Captain Jim Murphy, from New York to San Francisco. The voyage took 147 days and he arrived in California October 8, 1896.
Shortly after his arrival in San Francisco Mr. Barnhill became Boatswain on the old steamship "Corona." He later moved to Los Angeles, and after working for a short time entered St. Vincent's College, graduating with the B. S. degree in 1899. He returned to San Francisco, and after studying for some time at the University of California entered Hastings College of Law, which conferred on him the LL.B. degree in 1902. The same year he received the degree of M. S. from St. Vincent's College of Los Angeles. During the time Mr. Barnhill studied law he worked as an office boy with the firm of Garber, Boalt & Bishop, later Bishop& Wheeler.
In 1903 Mr. Barnhill became Attorney for the United States in the unorganized district of Alaska, subsequently becoming United States Attorney when the Federal Courts determined that the status of Alaska was that of a territory. He resigned and located at Los Angeles in 1910, entering private practice as a trial attorney in the law firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher. In 1919 he was employed by Gov. Campbell of Arizona to represent that state in its irrigation matters, then pending before Congress. While serving in this capacity he aided Gov. Campbell and other western governors in forming the Western States Reclamation Association and the League of the Southwest. In connection with these associations he gathered much data and did a large amount of preliminary work which afterward formed the basis for Congressional action in connection with the Coolidge Dam on the Gila River as well as the Boulder Dam project. The findings have been extensively used by both sides in the controversy over the latter.
In the summer of 1920 Mr. Barnhill returned to Los Angeles and joined the firm of Lissner & Lewiston, which became Lissner, Lewison & Barnhill, the present firm being formed upon Mr. Lissner's appointment as United States Shipping Commissioner. During the World War Mr. Barnhill volunteered and served as a private first in the infantry and then in the field artillery, United States Army.
He holds membership in the International Law Association, American Bar Association, State Bar of California and Los Angeles County Bar Association, as well as the American Academy of Political & Social Sciences, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and other civic bodies. He is an Elk and Mason, also a member of Los Angeles Post No. 8, American Legion, California Club, Los Angeles Masonic Club, 233 Club, Los Angeles Athletic Club, Pioneers of Alaska and the Arctic Brotherhood. He is a Republican in politics. Mr. Barnhill has been twice married, and has a daughter now Mrs. H. C. Watson, of Seattle, by his first wife. The present Mrs. Barnhill, to whom he was married in 1913, was formerly Winnie Scott.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: "American Blue Book California Lawyers"
by H. James Boswell, Pages
68-69, Produced by H.
James Boswell, 1928.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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