San
Bernardino County
Biographies
GRANT HOLCOMB
Closely applying himself to the work
of his profession, Grant Holcomb is classed with the most talented and
successful lawyers of San Bernardino, his native city, and represents the third
generation of the family in California.
Born October 8, 1888, he is a son of William W. Holcomb and a grandson
of William F. Holcomb, the discoverer of Holcomb Valley, a spot in the San
Bernardino mountains now known for its picturesque character and setting.
It was in 1849 that William F.
Holcomb crossed the plains to California.
Of him it was said: “He was a
fine type of the frontiersman, one accustomed to the hardships of a lonely
mountain in the lonely desert, and pursuing fortune for the sake of the
adventure rather than the money itself.
When he uncovered the placer gold deposits in the valley that now bears
his name he did more than anyone else to attract people to San Bernardino
County. Within six months after his
discovery there were two thousand men in the valley. This valley lies in
the adjacent mountains, just north of Bear Valley, now the great summer resort
of Southern California. William F.
Holcomb in his adventures as a hunter and miner prospected over nearly all the
country from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Arizona. He was one of the discoverers of the famous
Vulture mine in Arizona, from which more than eight million dollars were
taken. He sold a third interest in this
property for one thousand dollars, and afterward, in relating the experience,
he referred with a quiet humor rather than any bitterness to the fact that he
was cheated out of half the amount of the sale.
His partner at the time was Dick Gird, discoverer of the mines at Tombstone,
Arizona. William F. Holcomb, after the
discovery of gold in Holcomb Valley, worked successfully at mining for several
years. He was then elected county clerk,
treasurer and assessor. This office he
filled for several terms. He was a type
of official who was not hampered by traditions or precedents, and he was guided
first of all by the necessity of getting the thing done required by his
official duty. Among other duties, he
had to levy and collect the personal tax.
When the railroad refused to pay, this man of action secured some logging
chains and, accompanied by a number of deputy sheriffs, went to the Santa Fe
depot and proceeded to make an attachment.
The most available property was a locomotive standing on the main track
in front of the depot. The wheels were
secured with the chains and he placed padlocks on them and then left the
deputies in charge until the law should be complied with. This summary action naturally caused great
excitement among railroad officials, and there was a tremendous buzzing of
telegraph wires until the necessary orders could be complied with for paying
off the tax. This incident was in a
manner characteristic of the west, and especially of the upright and
straightforward character of William F. Holcomb.
“This splendid old pioneer died
about 1900. He married Nancy Stewart at
San Bernardino. She had come across the
plains with her father from Utah.”
Their son, William Winfield Holcomb,
was born in San Bernardino and attended the local schools. He served as a deputy clerk under his father,
afterward devoting many years to the lumber business, and subsequently was a
dealer in feed and fuel. He then resumed
an official routine as deputy sheriff and is now acting as bailiff of the
superior court of San Bernardino. In
Santa Maria, California, he married Miss Isabella Grant, a native of San
Bernardino and a daughter of John and Margaret (Nish) Grant, whose farm was
utilized for the raising of cattle as well as the growing of the crops best
adapted to this region.
Grant Holcomb, an only child, was
graduated from the San Bernardino high school in 1907, soon afterward
matriculating in Leland Stanford University, from which he won the A. B. degree
in 1911 and that of J. D. in 1913.
Admitted to the bar in 1913, he at once joined the legal fraternity of
San Bernardino, which has been the scene of his professional labors for nearly
two decades. His suite of offices is in
the Andreson Building and he has a large clientele. While a general practitioner, he does
considerable probate work, excelling in that department of the law. Outside the path of his profession he has
served as a director of the California State Bank, the Gill Storage Battery
Company, the San Bernardino Building & Loan Association, and on the
advisory board of the Bank of America National Trust & Savings Association.
On June 15, 1916, at San Francisco,
Mr. Holcomb married Miss Eleanor Frances Burkham, a
native of California and a daughter of S. B. and M. L. Burkham,
of Bodie. In
the early days Mr. Burkham owned the stage line and
the general store at Bodie, and operated a stage between Bodie and Carson City,
Nevada, where the transportation of passengers and mail was constantly beset by
the danger of highwaymen. Mrs. Holcomb
was graduated from Sanford University as a member of the class of 1914,
receiving the A. B. degree. By her
marriage she became the mother of four children: Grant, Jr., Kathryn Lee, William Robert and
Theodore. Mrs. Holcomb passed away in
1928. She was a member of the Young
Women’s Christian Association and a director of the Woman’s Club of San
Bernardino. For his second wife Mr.
Holcomb chose Miss Beulah Hartman, to whom he was married in 1931.
In religious belief Mr. Holcomb is a
Baptist and has served as treasurer of his church. A strong Republican, he has been active in behalf
of the party and is now vice chairman of the county central committee. Elected mayor of San Bernardino, he served
from 1926 until 1928 and gave to the city a progressive, efficient
administration, productive of much good.
Former he was president of the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce and
chairman of the committee that secured the funds for the erection and equipment
of the Sisters’ Hospital. In the work of
the San Bernardino Young Men’s Christian Association he takes a keen interest
which finds tangible expression as its president. As a youth he gained knowledge of military
tactics, joining the National Guard while in high school. He became a charter member and director of
the San Bernardino Rotary Club, with which he is still connected, and is a
Knight Templar Mason, an Elk and an Odd Fellow.
His college fraternity is Delta Chi.
Steadily progressing, Mr. Holcomb has attained high standing in his
profession, as indicated in the fact that he is a member of the advisory
committee of the state bar to the judicial council. He also belongs to the San Bernardino County
Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. III, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 123-126, Clarke Publ., Chicago,
Los Angeles,
Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN
NUGGET'S SAN BERNARDINO
BIOGRAPIES