San Francisco County
Biographies
JOHN MALLON
JOHN MALLON is one of San Francisco’s
enterprising business men and is the pioneer in art and ornamental glass works
on the Pacific coast. A brief review of his life is as follows:
Mr.
Mallon is a native of Ireland. When
two years of age he was brought by his parents to America,
and was reared and educated in New York city,
where he learned his trade. In 1858 he came to San
Francisco and started his glass works. Previous
to that time very little ornamental glass had been used here, and he was two
years in introducing the business. He first established himself at the
Pioneer flour mill on Market street, from there removed to Chase &
McDonald’s mill on Beale, near Market street, remained there until that
landmark was taken away, and then removed to the Mechanics’ mill. The
latter mill was burned, Mr. Mallon sustaining
considerable loss. His next move was to his present quarters, 19
Fremont street. Previous
to 1869 he had confined himself to glass cutting and beading, but at that time,
in order to make the glass business complete, he added the department of glass
staining to his establishment. His staining works are located on Howard
street. At his Fremont
factory he uses steam power. Mr. Mallon has done
work not alone in this city but at Los Angeles and San
Diego, and in fact has the leading Pacific coast trade
in his line of business. During the past year and a half he put in several
beautiful and costly memorial windows, among them one for Mrs. Crocker and one
for Senator Leland Stanford. The Senator wrote Mr. Mallon
that they had not seen a window in all Europe equal to
the one he put in for them. Mr. Mallon has
invented and had patented the process for taking photographs on glass and
burning them in,–a very valuable improvement; is also able to color the work.
When
he first began business here in 1858, Mr. Mallon did
all the work himself; now, 1891, he employs forty-three men. In 1859 he
became a member of the Mechanics’ Institute, and has made exhibits of his work
in every fair held in the city, and has received may
prizes and diplomas. At Sacramento
he received a prize medal for the artistic beauty and superiority of his
work. He has had the honor of being a director of the Mechanics’ Institute
for the past six years.
In
1848 Mr. Mallon was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth Henson, a native of Ireland. Of
the seven children born to them, only two are now living, viz:
Peter L., who superintends the glass-staining works, and Josephine, wife of
Fred. M. Pierce of San Francisco. Mr.
Mallon has adopted his grandson, Charles Garfield Mallon.
Mr. Mallon owns considerable real
estate in this city and also a ranch at Anaheim, Los
Angeles county.
Transcribed 6-5-06
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The Bay of San
Francisco," Vol. 2, Pages 414-415, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.
California Biography Project
San Francisco County
California Statewide
Golden Nugget Library