San Francisco County
Xavier Mefret
Xavier Mefret, director of the
“French and English Institute,” San Francisco, California, was born in France
in 1852. He was educated in his native
land. Immediately after completing his
university course, he offered his services to the Government, this being during
the Franco-German war, and for meritorious service in the ambulance corps he
received the decoration of The “Cross of Geneva”. After the close of the war he went in the
employ of the French government in different cities of France, and to the
island of Tahiti, where he was engaged in educational work. He subsequently requested to be relieved, and
in September, 1875, he came to San Francisco.
In July, 1876, at the solicitation of his personal friend, the French
consul and others, he established the well-known Mefret’s
Institution, which he has successfully conducted for the past fifteen years,
having a large French and English patronage.
Professor Mefret has honorable certificates
from educational departments of France, and in 1886 (being the tenth
anniversary of the foundation of the institute), he
received a medal of honor from his pupils.
By a ministerial decree, issued at Paris December, 29, 1887, he was
nominated to and received the palm of “Officier d’ Academie,” for services rendered to the cause of public
instruction. Prof. Mefret
was a delegate to the Teachers’ Congress in Paris, at the World’s Fair of
1889. There he was nominated delegate of
1 “Alliance Francaise” for San Francisco, and in 1890
received a medal from the head committee in Paris, for services rendered to the
association. He is prominently
identified with the I. O. O. F., and is Accountant of the San Francisco Canton,
No. 5, Patriarchs Militant.
Prof. Mefret married a San Francisco lady, and has an interesting
family of four children. Although a
native of France, he is a loyal American citizen and takes a great interest and
pride in his adopted country.
Transcribed
by Joyce and David Rugeroni.
Source: “The Bay of
San Francisco,” Vol. 2, Pages 388-389, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
© 2006 Joyce & David
Rugeroni.