Sacramento County
Biographies
JOHN N. LARKIN
An honored pioneer whose first
identification with California dated back to the 50's, John N. Larkin left the
impress of his forceful personality and keen mind upon the annals of Sacramento
county. Through the influence of his efforts as
a newspaper editor and publisher he accomplished much in behalf of the
permanent upbuilding of the community in which he
held citizenship. Indeed, it would be possible to mention very few names
more intimately associated with early history than was his own, and certainly
no resident was more loyal than he to the county and the commonwealth.
His entire personal influence and also his editorial position were used to
advance the prosperity of the west. As a writer he was clear and
forcible. His meaning was never obscured by complicated expressions, but
was made intelligible to all. In wit he was pungent and in humor
responsive, yet his editorials were not caustic, acrimonious or unkind; on
the other land, his writings usually expressed his own hearty and companionable
nature and gave visible evidence of a disposition so genial as to attract the
admiration of all, from the aged pioneer to the lad just out of school.
John N. Larkin was born in Brooklyn, N.
Y., June 11, 1840, and in 1855 came for the first time to Sacramento, where an
older brother, Henry, was at the time a part owner of the Sacramento Union.
When the birthday number of this paper was published March 19, 1911,
commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the publication, Mr.
Larkin contributed the following article in relation to the early history of
the well-known periodical: "My first introduction to the Sacramento Union
was during the first week in May, 1855, when I faced the 'case' to receive my
first instruction in type-setting. The publishers and proprietors of the Union
were James Anthony, Paul Morrill and Henry Larkin (the latter a brother of the
writer), under the firm name of James Anthony & Co. They were all in
harness at the time, Anthony as bookkeeper, Morrill doing the 'make-up' and
Larkin working at the case. They employed the best writers on the coast,
and the paper soon became a power in the state, the people having confidence in
its honesty and integrity. The office was at that time on J street between Front and Second, and what was then the
counting room is now used by a produce firm as a storage for potatoes, onions
and other truck.
In December, 1859, I left for my home in
New York, arriving there on Christmas morning. The year 1864 again found
me in Sacramento and I found the Union in its new home on Third street. The journal had by this time become known
throughout the country, its fearless attacks on corporate power attracting much
interest throughout the entire Union. Its influence in the state was
certainly phenomenal. Through its efforts Newton Booth was nominated and
elected chief executive of the state, despite the desperate efforts of the
Central Pacific railroad to defeat him. The battle between the railroad
company and the Union was a bitter one, and a paper called the Daily
Record was placed in the field in an effort to crush the Union.
The effort was a failure, and the only way to quiet the Union was to
purchase the plant outright, for its editorial columns were not for sale.
This the company did, and the paper was combined with the railroad journal and
appeared thereafter as the Record-Union, many of the old-timers
frequently referring to it as the 'Wrecked-Union,' and the hybrid heading
remained until a new management tore off the barnacle and restored its old and
respected name. The name looks good and sounds good to the last of the
Mohicans of the tribe of 1855, and may its life be a
long and prosperous one."
During the early years of his residence in
the west Mr. Larkin tried mining without success and he therefore devoted his
attention principally to his trade, being foreman in the composing rooms of the
Bancroft Book Company in San Francisco for several years, also filling a
similar position with the San Francisco Post and the Sacramento Union.
Early in 1875 the men who owned the Union sold out, and Mr. Larkin
then decided to embark in the newspaper business for himself. On the 8th
of March he published the first number of the Sacramento Evening Herald, but
this paper was discontinued at the expiration of four months. Next he
started the Sunday Leader, which for several years in the '80s was the
official county paper and profited from the public advertising. The Weekly
Leader was personally superintended by Mr. Larkin until shortly before his
death, when his son, William H., succeeded to the management. Through all
of his mature years he was a staunch Republican, but with the exception of a
term as clerk of the police court he never accepted political honors. When
Sacramento was a village and he was young, he was considered one of the best
amateur minstrels in the west and sustained a high reputation as a song and
dance artist. However, it was as a promoter and organizer of manly sports
that he will be remembered best by lovers of those relaxations which tend to
build sturdy men and keep them sound. He organized and for a long time
managed the Alta baseball team, the superior of any team on the coast in the
days when a free fight was a fitting close to every game. Until the days
when he was last stricken he occupied a particular seat in the grandstand when
league games were on, freely criticizing the plays, and comparing the artists
with those of old who blazed the way. Few men in the city had more warm
personal friends than he possessed. The newspaper writers of the city
always were ready to rally to his assistance when he announced a special
edition, and it was only a few years before his death when one of those
specials contained an article from each member of the reportorial staff of both
daily papers. After an illness of almost three months resulting from a
paralytic stroke, John N. Larkin passed away May 22, 1911, at the family
residence, No. 1021 Twenty-second street. The
funeral was held under the auspices of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks,
to which he had belonged for years, and interment was made in the city
cemetery. City Justice W. A. Anderson, whose acquaintance with Mr.
Larkin dated back further than that of anyone else in Sacramento, adjourned the
police court as a last testimonial of respect for his old friend, who had once
served as a clerk of that court. In referring to the passing of his
old-time friend Mr. Anderson offered this tribute: "John Larkin was
a remarkable character. Forty years ago, when the call of Abraham Lincoln
came for more troops after the disastrous battle of Bull Run, John Larkin was
one of the men that answered the call: 'Yes, Father Abraham, we are
coming five hundred thousand strong.' I, too, was one of those who ran
away from college and enlisted in the service. John Larkin was part of
the history of Sacramento, where he has always borne a splendid
reputation. Of course, he had those peculiar traits of character that we
denominate crankism, but I think sometimes that crankism is akin to genius. Many years ago he founded
the Leader, and it has reflected his own individual ideas. It is
a pity that a man so useful should be stricken down, but he lived more than his
allotted time of three score and ten (a year over that); still, he is a man who
will be missed in this community. My associations with him always have
been a friendly, social and very intimate character."
Surviving Mr. Larkin are his widow,
formerly Miss Sallie Fern, and a son, William H., and daughter, Florence
E. The son was born in Sacramento December 17, 1866, and attended school
here and in San Francisco and Oakland. For three years he clerked in the
law office of Henry E. Highton of San Francisco,
after which he learned the printer's trade. From that time he was
associated with his father, whom he succeeded as publisher of the Leader and
manager of the job office with its modern equipment and valuable plant.
During 1902 he married Miss Jeannette Cantrell, of Yolo county,
and they are the parents of two daughters, Mary Louise (born in 1904) and
Jeannette Josephine (born in 1907). Mrs. Larkin is a member of the
Tuesday and Saturday clubs, while Mr. Larkin is identified with the Masons,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Improved Order of Red Men, Native Sons of the
Golden West and Fraternal Brotherhood, while in addition both he and his wife
have been connected prominently with the local lodge of Rebekahs.
Transcribed by Sally Kaleta.
Source: Willis,
William L., History of Sacramento County,
California, Pages 644-647. Historic
Record Company,
© 2006 Sally Kaleta.