San Francisco County
Biographies
PETER A.
PESHON
One of the most popular and respected members of the San Francisco police department was the late Peter A. Peshon, who was a wearer of the badge for a period of forty years, and who gained prominence during the later years of his career as official theater and motion picture censor in San Francisco.
Peter A. Peshon was born in Dubuque, Iowa, October 31, 1859, and he was a son of John and Margaret (Cerrine) Peshon. He attended the public schools, and when nineteen years of age he came to Humboldt, California, where his first occupation was in the forests of that section, in the logging and timber industry. Hard, strenuous work this was, but he persisted in it for a few years, and afterward lived in Santa Rosa, California, for a short time. He next came to San Francisco, where, in 1891, he joined the city police department and so served until the time of his death, which, which occurred forty years later. He was a faithful, vigorous, and honest member of the force, and in every task assigned to him he gave of his utmost effort. He was a corporal in the ranks, and in 1909 he was appointed censor of motion pictures, vaudeville and stage productions in San Francisco, fulfilling the duties of this position with credit to himself during the remainder of this life. Probably no position in the city administration holds as many delicate situations, or hard decisions to make, as this one, and no living man could please one hundred per cent of the population. However, Mr. Peshon displayed a marvelous combination of tact, good judgment, clear understanding, and desire to be fair to all concerned, and the fact that he held the position for so long is proof of the satisfactory given by him. He kept the entertainment's of the city clean, but he was not narrow or biased in his views, and the disposition and the desires of the citizens themselves were no small factors of influence over his decisions.
In October, 1886, Mr. Peshon was married to Miss Theresa McCue, a native daughter of California, and to their union were born two children, namely: Harry Alfred and Dorris, whose birth dates were respectively July 2, 1889, and September 14, 1902.
During the World war period, Mr. Peshon was a member of the local morals squad and intelligence department, and also worked in conjunction with federal officers from Washington, D. C. He was a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to Doric Lodge, No. 216, all the Scottish Rite bodies, and Islam Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He belonged to the Widows’ and Orphans’ Association of the San Francisco police department.
In the death of Peter A. Peshon on May 9, 1931, the city of San Francisco lost a citizen whose career made a deep imprint upon the history of the community. His life was a clean one in every respect, and he was worthy of the excellent reputation he bore. He is survived by his widow and children, who make their home at 1082 Pine street in San Francisco.
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 295-296.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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