W. A. BEATTY

 

 

W. A. BEATTY is one of our young lawyers of whom much may be expected in future years.  He is an earnest man in all things, has a proper ambition to make a success of his life, is very energetic, and is well satisfied to work up to his aims.  He well recognizes that in the law there is no royal road to position and practice, but that both must be conquered, it may be after years of effort by ability in the profession aided by unflagging industry.  For four years he has been practicing his profession and he has followed in the footsteps of those who left good precedent for his guidance, that is, our most successful lawyers.  In each instance we may say of all these men they were for years working with zeal, patiently before the reward came, but then it came in full measure.  The times now are more conservative than in the beginning and the reasons that guided our best lawyers applying now with more force than ever.  In his line of action Mr. Beatty has followed excellent example, and his four years of steady work have been productive of good results.  Well read in the law in the beginning he has had the necessary practice.  He is painstaking, careful, and in court his arguments are to the point and convincing.  That he is well regarded in his profession is therefore natural, and in it he certainly should have a most credible and successful history.

 

W. A. Beatty was born in this city.  His father came here in the early fifties.  The Beattys are of Scott-Irish extraction, a people remarkable for their energy, and for the success that attends them, through the possession of all those traits necessary to it.

 

The elder Mr. Beatty resided several years in New Orleans before coming to this city.  In California he had the usual experience of the Argonaut.  He went to the mines and visited many sections of the coast.  During the Fraser river excitement he went there and lost heavily in consequence.  He was also on the Comstock in early times.  He conducted important milling operations and achieved large fortune several times.  In this city he engaged in real estate.  For many years he has not been actively engaged in business, having indeed a sufficiency of this world's goods.

 

W. A.  Beatty was educated in our public schools.  He afterward entered the High School in Oakland, going from there to the University, where he graduated in 1884.  Following this he entered the Hastings College of Law and was graduated there in 1887.

 

Then he began his practice here and this has been a general civil one and in it he has been as successful as he could hope for.  By great care in his cases, by the use of every legitimate means to succeed for his clients, he has the confidence of all coming in contact with him, and this, we need not say, has been of great advantage.  Apart from his profession Mr. Beatty has at times contributed to the press.  He was indeed at the university the editor of the "Occident", a bright students’ journal.  Since, his tastes in this direction have developed and he has written several papers which attracted much attention owing to their sound reasoning.  He has written magazine articles for the "Overland Monthly" on the tariff question and the Morman question.

 

Mr. Beatty belongs to none of the clubs or societies.  To his profession his whole time and energies are devoted.  When we consider his ability and his industry he undoubtedly will have a successful career.  He enjoys the respect and esteem of those who know him, for his record certainly merits this.

 

Source: "The Bay of San Francisco" Volume 1. Lewis Publishing Company 1892. Page 426-427.

Submitted by: Nancy Pratt Melton.