Los Angeles County
Biographies
FREDERICK PATRICK GREGSON
GREGSON, FREDERICK PATRICK, Traffic Manager of the Associated Jobbers of Los Angeles, California, was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 17, 1861, the son of John Proctor Gregson of Waterford, Ireland, and Marie Laramie. He received his education in the public school of Cairo, Illinois.
At the age of thirteen years he quit school and became a messenger for the Illinois Central Railroad at Cairo, studying the telegraph business at the same time. A year later he became an operator and agent at a small station. From that time on he occupied various positions on various roads, with a view of getting a thorough practical education in the various branches of railroading.
In 1887 he came to Los Angeles from Texas and entered the service of the Southern California Railway. He filled positions in the train and station branches for eleven years and in 1898 was appointed Chief Clerk of the Traffic Department of the Santa Fe Railroad at Los Angeles, under Edward Chambers. He remained in the position until 1908, when he resigned to take his present position.
Since his tenure of office his city of Los Angeles has waged a struggle for commercial recognition, and for a share of the markets of California and the adjacent inland states. Railroad freight rates had been so adjusted by the railroads entering California as to make it practically impossible for Los Angeles to transact any jobbing business. The high rates on products from the East made living high. Mr. Gregson has always been at the forefront of the fight to get for Los Angeles the rates it thought it deserved. Appeals were made to the Interstate Commerce Commission and to the Railway Commission of California. In the framing of the appeals, in the gathering of the data, Mr. Gregson has been of great help on account of his experience with railroad traffic.
Transcribed 4-14-10
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 398, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta.
1913.
© 2010 Marilyn R. Pankey.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES