Sacramento
County
Biographies
JOHN
BLACK
John Black, the father of Andrew Black,
Supervisor of Sacramento, has had an eventful and interesting history, a brief
outline of which is given below. He was
born in County Sligo, Ireland about the year
1836. He emigrated
with his parents to Toronto, Canada, when a boy,
and in 1850 we find him a cabin boy on one of the lake vessels; later on,
before the mast in a voyage of six or seven months to the Bermudas. He then came to San Francisco and obtained
employment as a clerk at $150 per month.
In July, 1851, he came to Sacramento and was
employed as roustabout in unloading a cargo of flour. Whether this early dealing with the staff of
life had any connection with his after occupation, we leave for some other
chronicler to record; suffice it to say that very soon after we find him
engaged with William Crowley, the joint owner of a lunch stand on Front street,
between J and K, and doing a lucrative business. They called this place the Union House, and
after eight months of prosperity, sold out just before the great fire of
1852. Then, securing a contract for
furnishing the Navigation Company, he bought the property on L street and started a
bakery, and for twenty-five years he continued in the business. In order to supply his trade he bought a
cracker machine and began the manufacture of crackers. In 1862 he moved to his present quarters, No.
1119 Front street, putting in the most approved machinery, Roger’s Centennial
Self-Scrapper and Hall Bros.’ Reel oven.
His trade now extends over the entire coast. In 1856 Mr. Black was married to Rosa Leavy, a native of Ireland, who died in
1883, leaving two sons and two daughters, the eldest of whom, Andrew Black, is
the youngest member of the Board of Supervisors of Sacramento County. He was
born July 12, 1858, in this city,
and is a graduate of the public schools.
He early became interested in the business of his father, and in 1874,
after his return from a visit to Australia, he settled
down to business and was foreman of the shop for several years. Although a young man, he has already made his
mark as a politician, being on the County Central Committee of his party from
1884 to 1888, at which time he secured the endorsement of his party for the
office of Supervisor, receiving a handsome majority vote at the ensuing
election over his Republican competitor, Mr. S. J. Jackson.
Transcribed by Karen Pratt.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An
Illustrated History of Sacramento County,
California. Page 510.
Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.
©
2005 Karen Pratt.