Sacramento County
Biographies
GEORGE FREDERICK BRONNER
GEORGE FREDERICK BRONNER.—Lying north of Switzerland,
and including the eastern half of the far-famed valley of the Rhine
and the mountains which form its northern boundary, lies the Duchy of
Baden. Here we have the beautiful Lake of Constance, and a portion of the
Black Forests, so renowned in sentimental story, and the River Rhine; and here,
too, is Baden-Baden, the great conter (sic) of
sporting life in Europe; the great "Spa," the resort indeed of
Eastern civilization; and here in February, 1833, the subject of this sketch
was born, the son of George F. Bronner and Sophia Süllerlin. His father was a wine merchant, and was
killed in the Revolution of 1848. George’s schooling was had in Baden, and
to escape the enforced service in the Landwehr,
through the influence of friends he obtained a pass, and at the age of sixteen
escaped to Paris and thence came to the United
States, landing in New York
in 1850. During that winter he remained in Buffalo, New
York, doing anything which came to hand, and in the following
spring went to Norwalk, Ohio,
where he had an uncle living. He remained there, however, but a short
time, when he went to Fremont in that State, at that time only a small village,
where he remained for two or three years as a clerk in a general store. He
there become(sic) acquainted with Mr. F. Fabing, since become one of the wealthiest and most
influential men of Fremont, and owner of the gas works in that city; and
together they came to California via the Nicaragua route, and landed at San
Francisco, coming almost immediately to Sacramento, and later on going to
Mormon Island, where Mr. Fabing had a sister
living. To illustrate more fully the willingness and independent spirit of
young Bronner, it is worthy of note that when he
landed in Sacramento on January 5, 1854, he, having no money, rather than be
dependent or under obligations to his friend Fabing,
at once accepted a position as dish-washer in the Stanford House, on I street,
a hotel at that time kept by a man by the name of Stanford. This spirit
has followed Mr. Bronner through life, it being his
motto to do whatever came in his way, and to do it well. It was not long,
however, before his friend Fabing insisted that he
should join him, and they worked together in Blue Ravine, also at the Western
Diggings, on the American River, where they had an interest in a tunnel, until
the spring of 1855, when he came to Sacramento and entered the employ of Dr. J.
F. Morse, a prominent physician, and editor of the old Daily Union.
After five or six years Dr. Morse removed to San Francisco
and Mr. Bronner engaged with Dr. Cluness,
who had at that time recently come to Sacramento from Petaluma. In
1862 he entered the employ of Wells, Fargo & Co., the office being at that
time under the management of Alexander Hayden, who afterward committed suicide
and was succeeded by Felix Tracy, Mr. G. G. Clark taking charge of the office
until Mr. Tracy was installed as agent of the company there. At the time
of Hayden’s trouble and death, Bronner and the
janitor were the only employes (sic)who
were retained. Bronner continued his position
for some time under Tracy,
resigning in 1870 to engage in business for himself. He
always was interested in politics, and has held many positions of trust in his
party, being peculiarly fitted by nature to control men and to assist in party
councils. In 1876 he was elected public administrator, and re-elected in
1879, filling this important office with marked ability. A prominent
member of the Masonic fraternity, a Knight Templar, a member of Tehama Lodge,
No. 3, Sacramento Chapter, No. 3, Council No. 1, and Commandery
No. 2, he has held offices of trust in these organizations, in which he takes
great interest. He is also a member of Union Lodge, No. 21, A. O. U. W.,
and of the Knights of Honor. He married a Boston
lady in 1866, and with his family resides at Fifteenth and L streets, occupying
property of his own, of 120 feet frontage. They have nine children, six
sons and three daughters; they lost three.
Transcribed 9-28-07 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated
History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 768-769.
Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.
© 2007 Marilyn R. Pankey.