Los
Angeles County
Biographies
CHARLES HULBERT TOLL
A member of the Iowa colony of Los
Angeles, Charles Hulbert Toll has here made his home for a period of
forty-eight years, witnessing the development and progress of the city and contributing
thereto through his activities in connection with the large institution now
known as the Security-First National Bank, with which he has long had official
relations. He was born in Clinton, Iowa,
November 24, 1858, a son of Charles Hulbert and Elizabeth (Lusk) Toll, who were
natives of New York state. The father, an Iowa pioneer, figured
prominently in industrial circles of Clinton as head of a prosperous
manufacturing concern and played an important part in the upbuilding of that
city. For several years he was
postmaster of Clinton and at one time represented his district in the Iowa
legislature. At the outbreak of the
Civil War he enlisted in the Tenth Iowa Infantry and rose to the rank of major. He was placed in charge of the commissary department
and served until the close of the conflict, when he was honorably
discharged. The last two years of his
life were spent in California and his death occurred in Los Angeles in 1887.
Charles H. Toll, the youngest of
five children, attended the grammar and high schools of his native city,
completing his education in Cornell College at Mount Vernon, Iowa. His first position was that of a clerk in the
Clinton post office and he was next deputy clerk of courts of Clinton
County. He came to Los Angeles in 1885,
when this was a small community, and has progressed with the city. He was credit man for several firms and held
positions of responsibility in Los Angeles before associating himself with the
Southern California Savings Bank in 1900, at that time the oldest and largest
institution of the kind in southern California.
He was cashier and a director of the bank until the merger, when he
became vice president of the Security-First National Bank, and has since acted
in that capacity. He is one of the most
capable and best known officials of the bank, which has benefited by his
financial acumen and broad grasps of affairs.
This is one of the strongest moneyed institutions in California, with
many branches throughout the state, particularly in the southern part.
On the 4th of September,
1901, Mr. Toll was married to Miss Eleanor M. Joy, of Los Angeles. Their children, all natives of Los Angeles,
are: Charles Hulbert (III), a graduate
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Gerald Sidney, a graduate of the
University of California at Berkeley; Maynard Joy, who graduated from Berkeley,
taking his law course at Harvard; and Carroll Costello, a graduate of Stanford
University, Class of 1933. The wife and
mother passed away on February 2, 1926.
She had taught school for several years before her marriage. Socially prominent, Mrs. Toll was elected the
first vice president of the Ebell Club of Los Angeles and in community affairs
she was active, serving as president of the grammar school board of Glendale. On October 18, 1927, Mr. Toll married Mrs. Marilla P. Dunmoor of Los
Angeles, who was the mother of three daughters and a son.
Mr. Toll gives his political
allegiance to the Republican Party and on its ticket was elected without
opposition to the city council of Los Angeles, serving acceptably from 1896 to
1900. He belongs to the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce and loses no opportunity to exploit the resources,
attractions and advantages of his city.
A loyal Californian, he is well informed on matters pertaining to the
history of the state and was one of the sponsors of Mr. McGroarty’s
Mission Play during its successful season at San Gabriel, ending May 4,
1919. He is a member of the Los Angeles
Athletic Club and the Automobile Club of Southern California.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. III, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 281-283, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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