Los Angeles County
Biographies
GEORGE ALLAN
HANCOCK
George Allan Hancock, director of California Trust Company, was born in San Francisco, California, July 26, 1875; son of Major Henry and Ida (Haraszthy) Hancock. His parents were California ‘49-ers.
Student at Belmont (California) College; received the degree of Doctor of Business Administration from University of Southern California; studied navigation and was licensed as Master Mariner; also licensed by Civil Aeronautic Administration, Department of Commerce, holding a transport pilot’s license.
Mr. Hancock organized the Rancho La Brea Oil Company in 1900; organizer (with others) of Hibernian Bank of Los Angeles in 1909, which was reorganized as the California Bank in 1920, of which he is one of the directors; director of California Trust Company; founder of La Brea Securities Co., Santa Maria Valley Railroad Company, Rosemary Packing Company, and Santa Maria (California) Ice and Cold Storage Company; first president of Automobile Club of Southern California; pioneer in good roads movement; chairman of Board of Trustees of University of Southern California.
Member of National Aeronautical Association; American Petroleum Institute; Yachtsmen’s Association of America; Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce; Merchant and Manufacturers Association; and the following clubs; Los Angeles Athletic, California Yacht, Wilshire Country, Santa Maria. Republican.
Mr. Hancock was the financial sponsor of Trans-Pacific flight of “Southern Cross”; established the Hancock Foundation, U.S.C. College of Aeronautics at Santa Maria, California, in May of 1929, one of the Army primary training centers; sponsor of annual Hancock Scientific Expeditions; donor of Allan Hancock Foundation for Scientific Research and motor cruiser Velero III, a 198-foot floating scientific laboratory, superseded by the Marine Laboratory Velero IV, to University of Southern California; founder and ‘cellist of Allan Hancock Ensemble; sponsor of educational motion pictures; donor of a twenty-five acre park to Los Angeles, comprising the nationally known Rancho La Brea Fossil Pits, from which rare remains of Pleistocene animals have been recovered and presented to the Los Angeles Museum.
Mr. Hancock married Genevieve Deane Mullen on November 12, 1901 (died in 1936); children: Bertram Deane (deceased) and Rosemary (Mrs. Charles F. Smur). On October 5, 1947, he married Marian M. Mullin.
Address: 1680 North Vine Street, Los Angeles 28, California.
Transcribed 7-4-14 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Eminent
Californians 1953, by Lee E. Johnson & C. W. Taylor. Pages 367-368, C. W. Taylor
Publ., Palo Alto, California, 1953.
© 2014 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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