COLBERT COLDWELL
The election of Colbert Coldwell to the
presidency of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce brought to the executive
head of an organization of tremendous potential and actual power a man whose activities
for twenty years have given convincing evidence of his power to do things in a
constructive way and translate vision and high purpose into programs of
reality. Mr. Coldwell in the opinion of his associates possesses a touch of
that genius which is indispensable to any community leader and city
builder.
Probably the greatest publicity organization
in America is Californians Incorporated, which has carried on a campaign of
artistic advertising through magazines and papers of a national circulation and
through slips and booklets which are the last word in the printer’s art, but
are even more remarkable for the effective yet thoroughly conservative
statement of all the varied and wonderful resources of California. One of the
men who developed the plans leading to this organization was Mr. Colbert
Coldwell, Kenneth R. Kingsbury, president of the Standard Oil Company
(California) is president of the organization, which was incorporated not for
profit. In the two years it has been carrying on its work Californians
Incorporated has kept strictly in line with its interested purpose and has
sought the best interests of the Golden State and its people as a whole, rather
than favoring any corporation or individual.
Colbert Coldwell has been a resident of California
since early childhood. He was born April 11, 1883, at Durango, Colorado, son of
N.C. and Ellen R. (Robinson) Coldwell. His father was born in Arkansas, took up
the law, brought his family to California in 1887, and became a leader of the
bar of the San Joaquin Valley, practicing at Fresno until his death on May 30,
1913. He was always known as Judge Coldwell, and was a man of the highest
character. He represented an old Southern family of Shelbyville, Tennessee. His
widow, who died January 7, 1924, at San Francisco, was born in Texas. She is of
Revolutionary stock and of Scotch-Irish descent.
Colbert Coldwell was four years of age when
brought to California, received his early education in the public schools of
Fresno, attended the Boone’s University School at Berkeley, and was a member of
the class of 1906 in the University of California, leaving college, however,
before graduation to enter business life. On August 15, 1903, he began his
career as a real estate man in San Francisco. His first connection was with the
firm of Easton, Elridge & Company. He remained with them about a year and
was then with Davidson & Leigh until August 15, 1906. After the great San
Francisco fire Mr. Coldwell formed the firm of Tucker, Lynch & Coldwell and
later the firm of Coldwell, Cornball & Banker. This firm does a general
real estate and insurance business and has handled a vast amount of property,
both city and country.
Mr. Coldwell was one of the founders and has
been a trustee since the organization of the San Francisco Bureau of
Governmental Research. This comprises a citizens agency promoting economy and
efficiency in municipal government affairs. He was made a director of the
Chamber of Commerce in 1921, served one year as vice president and in May,
1923,was elected president. He was also for ten years a director of the San
Francisco Real Estate Board and was president for two years. He is one of the
vice presidents of Californians Incorporated and is a director of the Community
Chest of San Francisco.
Mr. Coldwell is a democrat, and while not
specially active as a party man, has used his influence wherever possible to
secure better representation in public office. He is a member of the Family
Club, the San Francisco Golf and Country Club, the San Francisco Commercial
Club and the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He married at Mount Pleasant, Michigan,
August 30, 1905, Johanna Leaton. She was born in Michigan, daughter of John C.
and Stella (Gaylord) Leaton, and finished her education in the University of
California.
Louise E. Shoemaker, Transcriber March 30th 2004.
Source: "The San
Francisco Bay Region" by Bailey Millard Vol. 3 page 143-145. Published by
The American Historical Society, Inc. 1924.
© 2004 Louise E. Shoemaker