San Francisco County
Biographies
NATHAN KEYES
MASTEN
Nathan Keyes Masten, financial agent of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, died at the family residence at 2218 Clay street, on May 6, 1901, aged eighty years. Mr. Masten was born in Albia, New York, in 1821, and came to California in 1849 on the ship Pacific, having as fellow passengers Mark Hopkins, Dr. Stillman, E. H. Miller and Captain Douglass of the police force. He engaged in mining for a time, but finding this unprofitable, he returned to San Francisco and embarked upon what proved to be a successful business career. He became one of the original directors of the Hibernia Bank. For a number of years he was cashier of the First National Gold Bank, and then of the Nevada Bank when it was organized by Messrs. Flood and O’Brien. For over twenty years he was best known in the business world as the financial agent of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. In that capacity he handled millions of dollars for the company and was reputed himself to be a millionaire. One of his valuable properties was the Phoenix & Mariposa Railroad in Arizona. He occupied the presidency of the Mariposa & Phoenix and the Salt River Valley Railroad Companies.
Shortly after arriving in California, Mr. Masten married Miss Amelia Antonia Von Faulkenberg. E. C. Masten, one of the twelve children of their union, was secretary of the Portland (Oregon) Chamber of Commerce at the time of his father’s death. Mr. Masten was one of the charter members of the old Union Club, which is now merged into the Pacific Union. He was one of the members who were seated at dinner in the club at the time some nitroglycerine exploded in the Wells Fargo & Company’s offices below, wrecking the club and killing several people.
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 352-353.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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