Placer
County
Biographies
ROBERT F. ROONEY, M. D.
Man’s worth in the world is largely
determined by what he has done for his fellow men, and judged by this criterion
the profession of medicine takes first rank among the callings to which
individual effort is given. A well known
representative of the medical fraternity is Dr. Rooney, who has gained prestige
in Auburn, yet his practice has by no means been confined by the limits of that
city. He is a native of the province of
Quebec, Canada, born June 17, 1842, and the blood of Scotch-Irish ancestors
flows in his veins. His paternal
grandfather, James Rooney, emigrated from Belfast, Ireland, to Canada, bringing
with him his wife and their little son, John Rooney, the Doctor’s father. The
grandfather was a practicing physician and was also successfully engaged in
school teaching. John Rooney was
educated in Canada and became a farmer.
He was married to Miss Frances Margaret Sloan, a native of Belfast, and
they became the parents of three children, of whom two sons survive. The other son, James Francis, resides in
southern California. The father died in
the eighty-seventh year of his age, and the mother passed away August 24, 1900,
aged ninety years. The parents were
Episcopalians in their religious faith and the son was baptized and confirmed
in that church.
He was educated in McGill College,
Montreal, Province of Quebec, and was graduated on the 31st of March,
1870, being thus well qualified for the practice of his chosen profession. He opened an office in Stanstead Plain,
Canada, where he remained until 1877.
January 1, 1873, he was married to Miss Ann Eliza French, a native of
the Province of Quebec. They have one
son, Harry B., born July 15, 1890. The
Doctor acquired a large practice in Canada, but his health became impaired
through overwork and this determined him to seek a home in California in 1877. For a year after his arrival on the Pacific
coast he resided in Colusa County and then came to Placer County, practicing
for a short time in Colfax, after which he located permanently in Auburn, where
he has acquired a liberal support. The
public and the profession accord him prominent rank as a medical practitioner
and as a surgeon. He not only has a
comprehensive knowledge of the principles of the medical science, but he is
also thoroughly informed on anatomy, and this renders him very capable in
surgical work. His office is thoroughly
equipped with everything necessary for the successful and safe conduct of his
business, and he has a large library with the contents of which he is very
familiar. He is also a prominent stock
owner of the Jupiter Consolidated mine at Iowa Hill, a valuable property which
is yielding a good return; but he makes the practice of his profession his
chief business.
In politics the Doctor is a
Republican and has served his county as coroner and administrator for a number
of years. He is a past grand master of
the Masonic lodge, past high priest of the chapter, and has taken the council
degrees of cryptic Masonry. He is a past
noble grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is also an active member of medical
associations, belonging to the American Medical Society and the State Medical
Society. He is also a past president of
the California Northern District Medical Society and is the secretary of the
County Medical Society, honors which indicate his high standing in the profession. The Doctor is a man of high literary
attainments and he finds one of his chief sources of pleasure in an extensive
and well selected library which adorns his beautiful home and indicates the
cultured taste of the occupants. The
Doctor and Mrs. Rooney are prominent in social circles and to them are extended
the hospitality of the best homes in Auburn.
A man of strong convictions, of earnest purpose and of sterling worth,
his position in professional, business and social circles is enviable and
indicates his right to be classed among the representative men of Placer
County.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 148-149. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.