San Francisco County
Biographies
ALVIN
GERLACK
Known particularly for his efforts in behalf of the veterans of the World war, Alvin Gerlack is rated among the successful attorneys of San Francisco, where his offices are situated at 871 Mills building. He was born in Los Angeles, March 3, 1893, and is a son of the late John G. and Eliza (Haizlip) Gerlack.
On his paternal side, Mr. Gerlack is of German descent, his grandfather having been one of the early settlers in Wisconsin and a soldier in the First Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war. John G. Gerlack, his father, was born in Mill Home, Wisconsin, and was there reared and educated. In 1887 he made his way westward to Los Angeles, California, where he remained until April, 1908, when he came to San Francisco to engage in the brick manufacturing business. He was a member of the Masonic order, past noble grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and past commander of the Sons of Veterans. In politics he was a republican, and at one time served as a councilman in Richmond, California, in which city his death occurred August 5, 1925, when he was fifty-nine years of age. His wife, Eliza (Haizlip) Gerlack, of English extraction, was born in Olathe, Kansas, and descended from early settlers of the state of Virginia. Her father was also a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in the first Kansas Volunteer Infantry. During her marriage to John G. Gerlack, she became the mother of four children, three of whom are now living, the eldest being the immediate subject of this biography.
Alvin Gerlack attended the public schools of Los Angeles and Richmond, California, and graduated from the Polytechnic Business College of Oakland in 1911. He then took up the study of law at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, being a member of the class of 1914. He did not have an easy time securing his education, and he was compelled to earn it by hard work during his school years and during vacations. First he was employed in his father’s brick-yard, and later worked in the California redwood lumber camps during the summer months. Perseverance and courage won, however, and he gained the preparatory training for his legal career. After completing his studies, he became associated with the legal firm of Tyrrall, Abrahms & Brown of Los Angeles. He passed his examination for admission to the state bar January 21, 1914, but was not sworn in as an attorney until his twenty-first birthday on March 3, 1914. In March, 1916, he came to San Francisco to begin the practice of his profession here. His first association in San Francisco was with Louis Bartlett and Robert C. Porter. His practice was interrupted by the entrance of the United States into the World war, but after his return from service, as noted in a subsequent paragraph, he resumed the work he had laid aside in 1917. He is now specializing in war risk insurance litigation and giving especial attention to the claims of disabled war veterans. He is a member of the California State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
In Oakland, California, June 30, 1926, Mr. Gerlack was married to Miss Sybil Gibson, who was born in Roseburg, Oregon, a daughter of Thomas and Alice (Desmond) Gibson, the father having been for many years in the employ of the United States Weather Bureau. The family residence is situated at 663 Twenty-third avenue in San Francisco.
During the World war, Mr. Gerlack served as a second lieutenant in the Three Hundred and Forty-seventh Machine Gun Battalion, Ninety-first Division. He was severely disabled during his service, and was retired from the army for disability incurred in the line of duty. Mr. Gerlack’s interest in the cause of the World war veterans is indicated by the numerous affiliations he has with post-war organizations. He is an honorary life member and past commander of Rialto Post, No. 203, of the American Legion. He is past state councilman of the Department of California, Reserve Officers’ Association of the United States. He is judge advocate of the California Grays, and senior vice commander of the Disabled American Veterans of the World War. He has served as chairman of the area hospital committee of the American Legion, Department of California, and is a member of the Disabled Emergency Officers of the World War.
Mr. Gerlack has membership in Calvary Presbyterian Church of San Francisco. In politics he is a member of the republican county central committee. Fraternally he is affiliated with the following Masonic bodies: Argonne Lodge, No. 514, F. & A. M.; California Chapter, R. A. M.; Golden Gate Commandery, K. T.; Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of San Francisco; and Bedouin Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, being an honorary life member of the last named. He is also a member of the Union League Club, the National Sojourners, and the Rialto Rod and Gun Club. His diversions are hunting and fishing.
Mr. Gerlack holds a national reputation as an authority on veteran legislation and litigation resulting from the participation of the United States in the war with Germany, and his conduct of this type of litigation is nationally known. He feels deeply and intimately the cause of the men whom he represents, and to champion them is one of the guiding inspirations of his legal career.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 2 Pages 299-302.
© 2007 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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