Riverside
County
Biographies
WILLIAM GAGE IRVING
William Gage Irving, numbered among
the most prominent attorneys in southern California and enjoying a position of
distinction in professional circles as one of the best informed men in the
state on the subject of water problems, maintains well appointed offices in the
Evans Block in Riverside, where he has been continuously engaged in practice
during the past thirty-six years. He was
born at Kingston, Ontario, Canada, May 16, 1870, his parents being William and
Eliza (Gage) Irving, the latter a sister of Matthew Gage, deceased, whose
career is reviewed at length elsewhere in this work.
William Irving, the father of
William G. Irving, was closely identified with the constructive enterprises
that developed the rich horticultural area around Riverside. He was born near Annandale, Dumfries,
Scotland, in 1833, the son of William and Elizabeth (Browe)
Irving. At the age of twelve years, in
company with his parents, he crossed the Atlantic to Kingston, Canada, where he
received his education as a civil engineer.
Until his father’s death in 1874, he was associated with him in the
designing and erection of many of the public and collegiate buildings which
distinguish Kingston among Canadian cities.
In 1881 he organized and became president and manager of the Kingston
Car Works. He was chosen a member of the
city council of Kingston, Ontario, and made a most commendable record in his
aldermanic capacity. In 1887 on the
invitation of Matthew Gage, Mr. Irving came to Riverside, California, to act as
engineer of the Gage Canal System. Under
his direction the Gage Canal was constructed from the Terquisquito Arroyo to
its present terminus and Arlington Heights was laid out in its present
form. Later, upon the organization of
the Riverside Trust Company, Limited, in 1890, which company acquired Mr.
Gage’s interest in Arlington Heights and the Gage Canal he became the engineer
of that company. Immediately following
the organization of the Riverside Trust Company the planting of Arlington
Heights was begun and continued until upwards of five thousand acres of desert
were converted into prolific citrus groves.
Mr. Irving became manager of the company in 1894 and continued to act as
such until the year 1901 and thereafter as consulting manager until his
death. In 1901 Mr. Irving was requested
by the United States government to make an investigation and report upon
irrigation practice in southern California.
Upon this work he was engaged at the time of his death, which occurred
September 23, 1904. He was a trustee of
the Presbyterian Church and took an active part in its work. A contemporary biographer wrote: “Mr. Irving was widely read in all branches
of literature. His chief pleasure,
however, was found in philosophical and scientific studies, and in the
discussion of such subjects. Of a clear
and logical mind, he followed the course of reason with relentless precision,
regardless of the results to generally accepted dogma. The solution of the problems of life in the
light of truth was everything to him, and no demand of expediency could cause
him to hesitate in putting his decisions into action.”
In 1867 at Kingston, Canada, William
Irving married Eliza Gage, who was born in Coleraine, Ireland, in 1839, the
daughter of James and Margaret (Orr) Gage.
Mr. and Mrs. William Irving had a family of six children, all of whom
are still living, namely: Elizabeth Browe, who in 1897 became the wife of John M. Mylne, successor of Mr. Irving as engineer of the Gage
Canal System; Margaret Eva, who in 1901 became the wife of Stewart E. Malloch, of Hamilton, Canada; Kathleen, the wife of Edward
W. Trevelyan; William Gage, of this review; Robert M., who is engaged in
horticulture; and J. Norman, who is engaged in the bond business in Riverside
as a member of the firm of Irving & Conrad.
William G. Irving, whose name
introduces this article, was reared and educated in Kingston, Canada, attending
the Collegiate Institute, and received his more advanced intellectual training
as a student at the University of Queens College in
Kingston, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in
1893. Coming to California, he was
admitted to the bar in 1896 and took up the work of his chosen profession in
Riverside, where he has practiced throughout the intervening period of more
than a third of a century and has built up an extensive and gratifying
clientage. He has won an enviable
reputation for his comprehensive understanding of California’s water problems,
specializing in litigation of this character, and his practice is
state-wide. He represents the cities of
Santa Barbara, Pasadena, Riverside and many other important communities as
attorney in water cases, served as referee in bankruptcy by federal appointment
for five years and was city attorney of Riverside for seven years.
Mr. Irving gives his political
support to the Democratic Party and is deeply interested in government
affairs. During his early youth in
Canada, he served a private in C Company, Princess of Wales Own Rifles. When the United States became involved in the
World War he turned over his office force and his entire time to the Red Cross
chapter of Riverside, of which he was chairman, and to the Food Administration,
which he represented in Riverside County.
He served as a member of the board of education in Riverside. Appreciative of the social amenities of life,
he belongs to numerous clubs, including the California Club of Los Angeles,
University Club of Los Angeles, the Presidio Golf Club of San Francisco and the
Victoria Country Club of Riverside.
On the 19th of February,
1913, in Los Angeles, Mr. Irving was united in marriage to Maude Louise,
daughter of Matthew Gage, whose biography, as previously stated, may be found
in another part of this publication.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. III, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 211-214, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles,
Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S RIVERSIDE BIOGRAPIES