James
L. Mosher was born at Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1848, and in his early
manhood removed to Chicago, where he studied photography. In 1869, with a friend, A. W. Craig, he came
to California, and they embarked in the business together; they have made a
specialty of solar and calcium prints, and Mr. Mosher has made several valuable
discoveries in the art which have enabled them to do better work in a much less
time than was formerly required.
Besides
being a successful artist, Mr. Mosher is an enthusiastic horticulturalist. In March, 1889, he was appointed a member of
the State Board of Horticulture, and in April of the same year he was elected
chairman of the Finance Committee of the Board. He owns a valuable fruit orchard of seventy-five acres near San
Jose, in which may be found the best varieties of apple, peach and pear,
together with a great variety of small fruits; there are fourteen varieties of
small fruits; there are fourteen varieties of raspberries along, any of which have
been imported from the Eastern State and Europe. Another kind of fruit in this orchard, one rarely seen in the
United States, is the Arbutus unedo, or strawberry tree. The extent of his operations in the fruit
industry may be judged when it is known that he has an improved fruit-drier,
one of his own invention, of ten tons’ capacity per day.
Mr.
Mosher is an honored member of the I. O. O. F., the A. O. U. W., the O. C. F.,
and the P. O. S. of A. He was united in
marriage, in 1877, to Miss Nellie Childs, a sister to Professor Childs,
principal of the State Normal School.
Transcribed by
Donna L. Becker
Source: "The
Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1, pages 563-564, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2004 Donna L. Becker.