Los Angeles County
Biographies
PATRICK JOSEPH McDONALD
M’DONALD, PATRICK JOSEPH,
Manufacturer and Contractor, Los Angeles, California, was born in Ireland,
St. Patrick’s Day, 1863. His father was Lawrence McDonald and his mother Margaret
(Foley) McDonald. He married Carrie Louise Mann at Fresno, California,
January 28, 1891, and to them have been born four children, Lawrence
Earl, Ethel May, Jennie Beal and David Eugene McDonald.
He attended the National School of Ireland for three
years and followed that with eight years at St. Michael’s College, at New Ross,
County Wexford. His textbook education finished, he left college and became an
apprentice in the carpenter and contracting business. After four years of
service he received his license as a competent artisan and began work when he
was eighteen years of age.
Soon after he became a licensed workman,
Mr. McDonald bade farewell to the Emerald Isle and sailed across the sea
to America. He first located in Chicago, Illinois, going to work in 1881 for a
building firm known as Hennessy Brothers. With them he remained three years, then quit the construction end of his trade to learn mill
work.
He was employed in the mill of Campbell Brothers,
Chicago, and stayed with them three years, the last twelve months of which he
was foreman of the cabinet department of the plant.
With six years of actual experience in all branches of
the business, Mr. McDonald went to the great Southwest. He located in San
Diego, California, where he obtained employment with the L. A. Fitch
Company, builders, of that city. He stayed with them two years, and was foreman
of construction and superintendent of the mill department.
Upon leaving Fitch and San Diego, in 1889, he went to
Fresno, California, where he was put in the dual position of foreman and
estimator for the Mechanics’ Planing Mill Company, in
which capacities he continued for three years. From Fresno Mr. McDonald
moved to Madera, California, where he was given the superintendency
of the Madera Flume and Trading Company. He was in charge of the factory and
yards of the company for two years, but in 1895 he was offered the post of
superintendent and estimator for the San Pedro Lumber Company, at San Pedro,
California, one of the largest lumber receiving ports in the United States and
the place where Los Angeles gets an outlet to the sea. He became an important
factor in the business of the lumber company and remained there for five years.
In 1900 Mr. McDonald bought the Los Angeles Planing Mill Company. He is president and general manager
and his wife is vice president. For five years after he purchased it the
company operated in a small plant, but in 1905 a reincorporation was effected with $200,000 capital and himself and family as
sole owners; a new mill, equipped with modern machinery and covering sixty
thousand square feet, was completed and the business moved. Under
Mr. McDonald’s management it has become one of the most important
industrial concerns in Southern California.
Four years ago Mr. McDonald added a general building and
contracting department to his business, and today numerous beautiful residences
and public buildings stand to the credit of the firm.
Mr. McDonald is active in trade circles, being a member
of the Master Builders’ Association, Builders’ Exchange, Credit Men’s
Association, Merchants and Manufacturers’ Association, Southern California Mill
Owners’ Association and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
He holds memberships in the Elks, the Jonathan Club and
the Newman Club of Los Angeles; he is also a member of the Knights of Columbus
and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
13 October 2011.
Source: Press Reference
Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 687, International News Service,
New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2011 Marie Hassard.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES