Los Angeles County
Biographies
FREDERICK CECIL FINKLE
FINKLE, FREDERICK CECIL, Consulting Engineer, Los Angeles, California, is a native of Viroqua, Wisconsin, where he was born May 5, 1865. His father was Thurston Finkle and his mother was Sophia (Michelet) Finkle, a descendant of the celebrated French historian, Jules Michelet.
Mr. Finkle was married on September 18, 1901, in San Francisco, to Miss Priscilla Ann Jones, a son being born of the union, Frederick Cecil Finkle, Jr.
After graduating from the public schools of his native town, Mr. Finkle took a special course of engineering at the University of Wisconsin, extending from 1882 until 1887, when he came to California, settling at San Bernardino, where he at once plunged into important engineering employment.
From 1887 until 1888 he was chief engineer for the North Riverside Land and Water Company, the Jarupa Land and Water Company, and the Vivienda Water Company, for irrigation systems costing approximately six hundred thousand dollars.
From 1889 to 1893 he was city engineer of San Bernardino, during the construction of the water works, of streets, and many other municipal improvements, and at the same time as consulting engineer for the State of California for water works and for sewer systems for state institutions.
From 1893 to 1897 Mr. Finkle was chief engineer for the East Riverside irrigation district, the Riverside-Highland Water Company and the Grapeland Irrigation district, and from 1897 to 1906 he served notably as chief engineer for the Southern California Edison Company and allied concerns, in charge of designs and construction of seven hydro-electric power plants costing ten million dollars.
Since 1906 Mr. Finkle has been retained as consulting engineer and expert in hydraulic work for a score of irrigation and water supply companies in California, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Mexico and other regions. He is consulting engineer for thirty or more large corporations, partly mutual water companies and partly public service corporations. Among these are: All the mutual water companies in the Imperial Valley, Cal.; the Southern California Edison Company, Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company, Redlands and Yucaipa Land and Water Company, Mount Hood Railway and Power Company of Portland, Ore., and many others.
Mr. Finkle’s most important works and those which have attracted world-wide attention are the Kern River plant No. 1 of the Edison Company, the largest impulse water wheel plant in the world; Mill Creek No. 3 plant of the Edison Company, operating under nearly 2000 foot head, and Arrowhead Dam at Little Bear Valley, the highest earth dam in the world.
Mr. Finkle ranks as one of but few men who are considered the highest authorities on hydraulic power, irrigation and domestic water supply, and hydrographic geology in the world. He had contributed somewhat to engineering publications on these subjects.
He built and owns the Finkle Building, Los Angeles, a beautiful eight-story reinforced concrete structure occupied by the Hotel Snow; he owns the Monitor Apartments at Ocean Park and other properties.
As a conservative Democrat Mr. Finkle has taken occasional interest in politics. He belongs to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the American Society of Irrigation Engineers, the So. Cal. Engineers and Architects’ Association and the So. Cal. Chapter of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He is a member of the California Club of Los Angeles, the Bohemia Club and Sierra Club of San Francisco, the Denver Club of Denver, the Automobile Club of So. Cal., and the Automobile Association of America.
Transcribed 4-10-09
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 231,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2009 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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