Nevada
County
Biographies
GEORGE FLETCHER
The general passenger agent of the
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad is George Fletcher, who for thirty-six
years has been numbered among the leading businessmen of Grass Valley, and is
closely identified with the history of the city as a representative of two of
its important business interests. He is
a man of keen discrimination and sound judgment, and his executive ability and
excellent management have brought to the corporations with which he is
connected a large degree of success. The
safe and conservative policy which he inaugurated commends itself to the
judgment of all and has been an important element in the successful conduct of
the business of the road.
Mr. Fletcher was born in London,
England, on the 14th of July, 1837, and is a son of Francis and
Charlotte (Towse) Fletcher, both of whom were of
English birth, their ancestors for many generations having resided in that
land. The father was for many years an
officer in the custom-house, and died in 1856.
George Fletcher is the youngest in the family of eight children, and
after completing his education he entered upon his business career as a salesman
in a mercantile establishment, where he was employed for three years. He then came to the United States in 1855,
being at that time a young man of eighteen.
He located in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he continued for eight
years, being connected with business interests in New York during that
period. In August, 1863, he took passage
on the sailing vessel, Mohegan, which made the voyage around Cape Horn to San
Francisco.
After a short time spent in the
metropolis of the Pacific coast he made his way to the mining district of
Aurora, in the state of Nevada, where he continued until the fall of 1864, when
he located permanently in Grass Valley.
For two years he was actively engaged in mining here, and in 1866 opened
a mercantile store which he conducted until 1875, during which time he became
associated with railroad work as secretary and treasurer. In this day of marked commercial activity and
wonderful business enterprises there is no more important factor in business
life than the railroads, which almost annihilate time and space by furnishing
rapid transit for passengers and quick transportation for freight. In addition to the offices mentioned, Mr.
Fletcher is the general passenger agent for the railroad company, and the
volume of business detail under his immediate charge demands superior executive
ability in its care. His resources are
not limited to one line alone, for he has made extensive and judicious
investments in mining properties, which are yielding good returns and which
will prove even more profitable as they are developed.
On
the 22nd of August, 1866, Mr. Fletcher was united in marriage to
Miss Mary E. Farrell, a native of New Jersey, whose father was a California
pioneer of 1856. Two years later he was
joined by his family in this state, and Mrs. Fletcher has since made her home
on the Pacific coast. By her marriage
she has become the mother of four children, namely: Elizabeth, now the wife of Charles G.
Lindsey, of Nevada County; George H., an employee in the custom house at San
Francisco; Agnes and Louis K., who are still at their parental home. Politically Mr. Fletcher is an active
Democrat, identified with the gold wing of the party. Socially he is connected with the Ancient
Order of United Workmen and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in
the former he has filled various offices.
Although a native of the old world he so readily adapted himself to the
manners and customs of life in this country that he is today a high type of the
American businessman, his energy and enterprise having enabled him to rise to a
position of eminence in business circles.
In all that he has undertaken through his long career he has met with
success, owing to his careful direction and perseverance and his keen
discernment. He commands the respect of
his fellow men by reason of his upright life, and Nevada County numbers him
among its valued citizens.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 310-311. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Nevada County Biographies