Los Angeles County
Biographies
THOMAS HUMPHREY BENNETT VARNEY
VARNEY, THOMAS HUMPHREY BENNETT, Outdoor Advertising, Los Angeles, and Oakland, Cal., was born at Petaluma, Cal., Nov. 12, 1858, the son of Robert Varney and Elizabeth Hathaway (Bennett) Varney. He married Elizabeth Isabel Hall at San Francisco, Feb. 9, 1895, and to them were born three children, Walter T., Maud Ella, and Eva May Varney, now Mrs. Smith.
Mr. Varney, who at the present time is one of the master advertisers of the world and an important link in the chain of modern business, was educated in the public schools of San Francisco, leaving high school when he was 17 years of age. He began as office boy for the wholesale grocery firm of Newton Bros. & Co., California and Front streets, San Francisco, and later became bill clerk, shipping clerk and bookkeeper, remaining with the firm eight years, or until it retired from business, at which time he was head bookkeeper.
He then became a member of the firm of Morris & Varney in the heavy hardware business, having the Coast agency for Sweets & Sanderson’s steel and a general wholesale trade with machinists and blacksmiths. Later Mr. Varney became sole proprietor of the business. In 1888 bicycles were added to his stock and eventually became his sole business. He had the Coast agency for the Rambler bicycle and G. & J. Clincher tires, and in both did an enormous business. During this time bicycle racing was the rage and the Rambler was victorious in many of the most important events.
About this stage of his career Mr. Varney engaged in an enterprise which later was to make his name and fame known from ocean to ocean. He became a silent partner of Len D. Owens in the street car advertising business and later a heavy stockholder in the California Adsigns Co., which he and his partner subsequently bought. At that time and for about eight years Mr. Varney was president of the Bank of Livermore, Livermore, Cal.
Owens & Varney consolidated with Siebe & Green, forming the corporation of Owens, Varney & Green. The latter two bought out the interest of Owens and also acquired several concerns in Southern California, thus becoming the exclusive owners of the outdoor advertising business in San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, San Jose, Los Angeles and a number of smaller towns in Southern and Northern California.
About the time of this great centralization of the business by Varney & Green, San Francisco was visited by the terrible fire which reduced the city to ruins, and in the general disaster they lost thousands of dollars by the destruction of their billboards. Many were chopped down and used as firewood by the sufferers, there being no other wood available. With characteristic energy Varney and Green immediately turned their talents to good. While the ruins were still smoking the people of San Francisco were given great relief and new heart to rebuild the city by a poster which read:
WORK
Morn, Noon and Night
And Make Dear New
San Francisco 1,000,000 by 1915
These posters covered smoking brick walls all over the city and served to rejuvenate the spirit of the stricken people. Mr. Varney has never ceased to praise his men who erected these signs of hope, because they walked over hot bricks with torn and cut shoes in order to perform their duty. In the rebuilding of the city of San Francisco Varney & Green erected the New Orpheum, the Princess and the Valencia theaters. Later they dissolved partnership, and Mr. Varney became the sole owner of the outdoor advertising plants in Los Angeles, Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley.
Mr. Varney is and has been for many years a director of the National Poster Advertising Association of the United States and Canada, and also served as President of that organization for the full term allowed.
To his work and energy can be largely attributed the great advancement and improvement in this great advertising medium and in the service and results given the advertiser by outdoor publicity.
He is a persistent and consistent advertiser of his home State, and has lent himself to numerous movements for the upbuilding of California. He has never taken an active part in politics and consequently has never held public office. He is, however, an advocate of clean government.
Mr. Varney is a life member of the Union League of Los Angeles.
Transcribed
by Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 641, International
News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston,
Atlanta. 1913.
© 2011 Joyce
Rugeroni.
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