San Francisco County
Biographies
LEWIS
FRANCIS BYINGTON
Lewis Francis Byington, widely known attorney, author and public official, has been an active representative of the legal profession in San Francisco for a period covering more than four decades. He was born in Downieville, Sierra county, California, May 24, 1867, his parents being Lewis and Catherine (Freehill) Byington, the former a native of Southington, Connecticut. As an infant Lewis Byington was taken by his parents, Zebulon and Abigail (Webster) Byington, to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he received his education. In early manhood he made his way via Cape Horn to California, arriving at San Francisco on the 29th of April, 1852. He settled in Sierra county, engaged in mining, farming and sheep raising and also took an active part in community affairs. He was elected to the county board of supervisors and to the state legislature. Lewis Byington was related to Daniel Webster through his mother, Mrs. Abigail (Webster) Byington, a cousin of the celebrated American statesman. The wife of Lewis Byington came to California as a girl with her brother, Thomas Freehill, who later became one of the pioneer mining operators on the Comstock lode in Nevada. She arrived in this state in 1855 as a passenger on the first railroad train to cross the Isthmus of Panama and her marriage to Lewis Byington took place in 1857.
Lewis Francis Byington acquired his early education in the public schools of Downieville, and subsequently matriculated in the University of Santa Clara, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Science degree in 1885. His professional training was received in the Hastings College of Law at San Francisco, which conferred upon him the Bachelor of Laws degree in 1889. He was admitted to the bar of California the same year and took up the work of his chosen profession in San Francisco, which city has remained the scene of his activities to the present time. He practices in the supreme, federal and United States supreme courts. He served as a member of the board of supervisors for San Francisco in 1898 and 1899 and in the latter year was elected district attorney of San Francisco county, being the first to hold the office under the new charter. His term of service covered the period between 1900 and 1906, for he was twice reelected, and when elected for the third time he received a majority of the votes in each of the then three hundred and ten precincts. As district attorney he handled much important litigation.
One of Mr. Byington’s outstanding services resulted through his appointment in 1918 by Hon. M. T. Dooling, judge of the United States district court, as receiver of certain valuable oil properties in the Sunset and Midway oil districts of Kern county, California. The oil properties thus passing under his control included some twenty of the most valuable in the state, the sales of oil from which amounted to several hundred thousand dollars monthly. The claimants of these properties later surrendered title to the United States government under the terms of the oil land leasing act passed by congress in 1920 (approved February 25, 1920), being granted leases from the government for which payment was made through monthly royalties. As a result there was at one time impounded in the care of Mr. Byington in his official capacity as receiver over twenty-five million dollars, representing the profits derived from the sale of oil produced during his control of the properties. This vast sum Mr. Byington, by order of the court and under the terms of the leases, turned over to the lessees, and to the government in the form of royalties. The masterly handling of the great responsibilities involved reflected great credit upon Mr. Byington, the receivership being generally regarded as the most important in the annuals of the California federal courts.
Mr Byington served on the charter committee of San Francisco under appointment of Mayor James D. Phelan and on the board of supervisors in 1926 and 1927 by appointment of Mayor James Rolph, Jr. He is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association, the California Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the California Academy of Sciences. He is a trustee of the Mechanics Institute, which owns and conducts the Mechanics-Mercantile Library, the largest library in San Francisco. Mr. Byington belongs to the University of California Club, the Union League Club, the National Geographic Society, the Academy of Sciences, and the San Francisco Art Association. He is past grand president of the Native Sons of the Golden West, former vice president of the California Historic Landmarks League and past exalted ruler of San Francisco Lodge, No. 3, B. P. O. E. He is recognized as an authority on the history of California and he is the author of various articles and printed speeches pertaining to the early history of the state and its periods of development. He was elected to the board of freeholders to frame a new charter for San Francisco, and at a meeting of the freeholders was chosen chairman of the elected freeholders. When the ballots were counted, it was found that Mr. Byington led the other fifty-two candidates by several thousand votes. His office is in the Balboa building at 593 Market street, San Francisco.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 3 Pages 387-389.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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