Los Angeles
County
Biographies
BYRON
CALVIN HANNA
One
of the leading lawyers of Los Angeles and a man who is very prominent in civic
affairs throughout the state as president of the Southern California Business
Men’s Association, is Byron C. Hanna. He
has been a resident of California since he was four years of age, having been
brought here by his parents, Phil K. and Florence E. (Townsend) Hanna, upon
their removal from Kansas City, Missouri, in 1891 to take up their residence in
the Golden state.
Byron
C. Hanna was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 2, 1887, and received
his education in the public schools of Los Angeles. His first work after completing his schooling
was with the Wells, Fargo & Company Express, and later he was an accountant
and stenographer with Fairbanks, Morse & Company. Early in life he had decided upon the law as
a profession and while employed he took up the study of jurisprudence in the
law department of the University of Southern California and was graduated with
honors in 1907. On his birthday
anniversary in 1908 he was admitted to practice before the California bar by
the appellate court in Los Angeles. On December
1, 1910, Mr. Hanna became a member of the law firm of Thorpe and Hanna,
continuing until 1915, when he became a partner with John D. Fredericks under
the title of Fredericks and Hanna, which continued until 1932. During this period Mr. Hanna served as city
attorney of Venice, California, and for two and one-half years was chief deputy
district attorney of Los Angeles County, receiving the appointment on February
1, 1911. In 1932 he organized the law
firm of Hanna and Morton, with offices in the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance
Building. The firm is recognized as one
of the leading law firms in Los Angeles and specializes in trial work. Mr. Hanna has devoted considerable of his
time to civic matters and his advice is sought on all leading civic activities.
On
July 16, 1917, at Riverside, California, Byron C. Hanna was united in marriage
to Miss Daisy May, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Boycott, and they have
a daughter, Ruth Hanna. Mr. Hanna is a
very active progressive Republican and wields a strong influence in party
affairs. He is a member of the Los
Angeles Bar Association, the California Bar Association, the Los Angeles
Athletic Club, the Elks and the Masons.
He belongs to the Delta Chi college fraternity. In line with his civic activities Mr. Hanna
is a director and a vice president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and
president (1934) of the Southern California Business Men’s Association. It has always been the aim of Mr. Hanna to
consider the welfare of the people and his state paramount to all other matters
and he is to be found in the van in progressive movements to these ends. The most recent activity was his connection
with the Bar’s presentation of “Making the Constitution,” which elicited wide
approval from a patriotic viewpoint.
Transcribed
by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. V, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 341-342,
Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V.
Gerald Iaquinta.
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BIOGRAPHIES