Los Angeles County
Biographies
FRANK D
M’CLURE
M’CLURE, FRANK D., Attorney-at-Law, Los Angeles, Cal., was born in Fremont County, Iowa, July 11, 1871. He is the son of E. G. McClure and Harriet A. (Britton) McClure. He married Angie C. Nugent at Kokoka, Missouri, June 1, 1896.
He was brought to Visalia, Cal., in 1884. He graduated from the Stockton Normal in 1891. After completing his course there he entered the Valparaiso, Indiana, University, where he received his degree as Bachelor of Science in 1894. He took up the study of the law at the same institution and received his L.L.B. in the spring of 1896.
His first independent venture was at Stockton, where he opened an office in 1896. The following year he moved to Visalia, Tulare County, and at that place, he practiced his profession until 1900. There followed the Bakersfield oil boom and the rapid growth of that city, to which he moved his business and became acquainted with oil litigations in all their many phases. He practiced there until 1907, when he went to the larger opportunities offered by Los Angeles.
His first location was in the Union Trust Building, but later he moved to the Douglas Building. He very quickly made himself acquainted with the business and legal fraternity, and in less than a year was appointed city attorney of Wilmington.
It was while City Attorney of Wilmington that his labors have attracted the greatest public attention. Los Angeles, and what was then Wilmington and San Pedro, were fighting for the development of the harbor. Locally the importance of the harbor was appreciated, but the national government knew little about it. There was an immense amount of work to be done, in the construction of the harbor, and in the establishment of the harbor lines, and it could be done only with the help of Congress. There were also factions which were against the development of the harbor. Attorney McClure worked hard and soon found himself in the midst of the fight. He was sent to Washington as sole representative in 1908, and argued the case of the Los Angeles harbor before the war department of the government. He succeeded in his efforts in having the harbor lines established, and the government is at the present time busier in the development of the San Pedro and Wilmington harbors than in any other harbor in the country.
He held his position as City Attorney of Wilmington until the consolidation of 1909, when the entire harbor district became part of the City of Los Angeles.
While at Wilmington he was not only City Attorney, but actively assisted in the dredging work.
Meanwhile his private practice was maintained. He was chosen as the attorney for the Consolidated Lumber Company. He still looks after the legal affairs of that company.
He is now a member of the law firm of Woodruff & McClure, general legal practitioners of Los Angeles. He specializes in corporation, oil and mining law, aside from the general practice.
While at Bakersfield he helped to organize many of the oil companies, so that he became fully acquainted with the corporation laws of California and the various states, and he took part in many of the important trials in which the oil laws of the State of California were developed.
He has represented clients before the Circuit Court of the United States on a number of occasions, and his office handles a great deal of legal business from outside the State.
Mr. McClure is a member of the Lodge of Elks and a Mason, and he is also prominently identified with the various legal fraternities of the city and the State of California.
Transcribed
11-21-09 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 355, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta.
1913.
© 2009 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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