Biographies
WALTER THEODORE FOSTER
The
intimate ties of ancestral and personal identification with England were
severed when the Foster family became established in the United States during
the early half of the nineteenth century. With the head of the household came
his family, which included a son, John then eight years of age. Reared
amid frontier conditions in Missouri, he became associated with general farm
pursuits in Pike county, that state, where his parents remained until their
deaths; but he, with the adventurous spirit of the pioneer, sought newer lands
in the far west. Establishing himself near Capay,
Yolo county, he bought a small tract of land and later
added to his possessions from time to time until he had the title to about two
thousand acres of raw land. A portion of this has been sold, but he still owns
fourteen hundred acres, representing the energetic efforts of his lifetime.
Retired from active labors, he and his wife reside in Berkeley, where they are
surrounded by the comforts rendered possible by their own laborious and
long-continued efforts.
Among
the seven children comprising the family of John Foster there was a son, Walter
Theodore, whose birth occurred at Woodland, Yolo county,
Cal., in September, 1872, and whose education was secured in the public schools
of that county, and a business college from which he was graduated in 1892. His
marriage, September 8, 1893, united him with Miss Maggie Kirtland, and they
settled on a farm in Yolo county. For a time he leased
fifteen hundred acres owned by the Bank of Woodland and while acting as foreman
for that institution he also became the personal owner of three hundred and
twenty acres of valuable land in Yolo county. For a
time he operated both his own property and that of the bank, but at the expiration of twelve years he began devoting
himself exclusively to his own tract. Two years later he came to Sacramento and
settled in Oak Park in October, 1906, since which time it has been taken into
the incorporation of Sacramento, but at that time was outside of the
corporate limits.
Coming
to Oak Park in 1906, Mr. Foster was a member of the real-estate firm of Becker
& Foster until 1908 and since the latter year he has conducted real estate
activities alone, having his office on the corner of Thirty-fifth and Cypress
streets. When he first became a resident of the suburb he bought for $800 a
tract 40 x 75 feet in dimensions and on this site he erected a
two-story modern office and store building, for which after its completion
he was offered $25,000. Opposite the block he owns another corner, which
likewise has become very valuable. Recently he paid $12,000 for a location near
his office building, and here he is now erecting a modern fireproof
moving-picture theatre, containing all the latest ideas in such buildings and
leased for three years to C. E. Hoffman, of Reno.
The
family of Mr. and Mrs. Foster consists of four children, namely: Lester, Grace,
Meryl and Ruth. The son is not only a student in
school, but also successfully superintends the insurance business in charge of
his father. In politics Mr. Foster has been a lifelong adherent of the
Democratic party and a stanch supporter of its
principles. Although enjoying the opportunity of holding office he has never
aspired to such positions, his tastes inclining him rather toward business
pursuits. In fraternal relations he is connected with the Eagles and the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. From early life he has been a believer in the
doctrines of the Christian Church and has identified himself with its
missionary and charitable movements. No one has more faith than he in the
future of the Sacramento valley and the expansion of a Greater Sacramento,
enjoying all the advantages and conferring all the opportunities within the
power of a capital city that is progressive, prosperous and far-reaching in its
activities.
Transcribed by Sally Kaleta.
Source: Willis,
William L., History of Sacramento County,
California, Pages 884-886. Historic
Record Company,
© 2006 Sally Kaleta.