Los
Angeles County
Biographies
WILLIAM LACY, SR.
It was men of great enterprise as
well as magnificent natural resources that made California a great empire of
wealth and culture. One of the men of
the past who contributed in notable measure to some phases of the early
development of this section of the state was the late William Lacy, Sr. He was one of the pioneers in the development
of the great oil fields of southern California, and was interested in a number
of other business enterprises in Los Angeles.
He was born in London, England, June
11, 1835, was reared and educated there studying architecture. As a young man he came to America in search
of his fortune. For several years his
home was on a farm in Cook County, Illinois, where he met and married Miss
Isabelle Rigg. She was born in the
historic city of Carlisle, Northumberland, England. In 1863 William Lacy and wife with their
infant daughter set out for California, traveling around by the Isthmus and
landing in San Francisco, and soon located at Bolinas in Marin County. William Lacy, Sr., was a general merchant
there four years, and selling his business, moved to southern California. For a number of years his home was at San
Diego, where he practiced his profession as an architect. In 1874 he removed to Los Angeles, when there
were only about 10,000 inhabitants and for nearly a quarter of a century was
closely associated with business in that city and surrounding territory. He was a hardware merchant, and was also
interested in banking, serving as the first cashier of the old Commercial, now
the First National Bank of Los Angeles, and afterwards serving as director of
that institution. He became associated
during the ‘80s with William Rowland in developing the second oil field in
southern California, the Puente Oil Company.
He was the chief mover in organizing
this company, and after financing it started the prospecting and development of
wells which for many years has made the name Puente synonymous with the
petroleum wealth of southern California.
These holdings have since been acquired by the Shell Company. Mr. Lacy was president of the company for
several years, but on account of other interests resigned that office and
thereafter divided his time among many enterprises. He was interested in real estate, and laid
out several additions to the east side of Los Angeles, materially extending the
corporate limits. He also had extensive
mining interests in old Mexico, and his death occurred in Mexico, August 7,
1897, at the age of sixty-two.
He was a Democrat in politics, and
was always ready with his time and means to further any community projects,
though never seeking personal recognition in public office. However, he served for years as a member of
the Los Angeles Board of Education. He
was a vestryman in the old Episcopal Church that stood where the county
courthouse now stands, at the corner of Temple and New High streets. Mr. Lacy always did his part to advance the
civic welfare of his city. His widow survived
him and passed away in Los Angeles in February, 1905. They were the parents of six children: William, president of the Lacy Manufacturing
Company until his death in 1932; Richard H., now president of the Lacy
Manufacturing Company; Edward J. who has extensive mining interests in Mexico;
Fred G., who died when twenty-eight years of age; Sophia and Isabelle, both
residents of Los Angeles.—California and Californians, 1926.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. III, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages
49-50, Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES