San Francisco County
Biographies
JOHN C. QUINN
JOHN C.
QUINN, Collector of Internal Revenue of the First District of California, was
born in El Dorado county, California, in 1858, and is
a son of John and Ann (Orr) Quinn, natives of Ireland. John Quinn was numbered
among the California pioneers, having arrived in the State in 1849; his wife
came two years later. He followed mining in El Dorado county
until 1860, and then began hydraulic mining in Nevada county, where he lost
heavily.
John C. Quinn
was one of three children: Margaret, the wife of J. C. McCormick, of San
Francisco, and Annie, the wife of Neil Kennedy, of San Luis Obispo county, being the other two. He was educated in the schools
of North San Juan, remaining a student there until he was fifteen years old. He
then started out in life to earn his own support; his first employment was on a
dairy ranch in Sierra county, where he received a
salary of $100 per year. At the end of two years, having practiced the most
rigid economy, he had saved nearly two hundred dollars, and with this amount he
started to San Francisco, with the determination to take up the study of law.
This has always been his highest ambition, but on his arrival he found it
impossible to secure a position in the lawyer’s office, so he regretfully
relinquished his most cherished plan. He then turned his attention to learning
a trade, and served an apprenticeship of three years and a half with the
Occidental Foundry. During this period he devoted his evenings to study in the
Lincoln High School. In 1880 he started the Mechanics’ Foundry, where he built
up an extensive business and employed about seventy hands. He furnished much of
the heavy iron work for city buildings, and filled one contract of $150,000
with the New California Sugar Refinery. With the depression of 1883 business
decreased until 1885, when he was forced to retire with heavy losses. He then
took charge of the mechanical department of the Mission Transfer Oil Company,
of Ventura county. During his connection with this
concern, he invented an oil burner for the purpose of utilizing oil fuel, which
increased the sales of the company from 500 barrels to 10,000 barrels per
month. This industry existed until the wells were exhausted. In 1888 Mr. Quinn
took up mechanical and mining engineering, going to San Bernardino county and associating himself with J. De Barth Shorb; they developed
gold-mining property on the Mojave Desert, which promises great returns. He
returned to San Francisco in 1890, and was offered the position of Assistant
Postmaster under General S. W. Backus; he continued in this office until April,
1891, when he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue by President Harrison
upon the unanimous recommendation of the Congressional delegation.
Mr. Quinn was
married in San Francisco in 1881 to Miss Margaret E. Ridout,
a native of California. He is a member of Alcatraz Parlor, N. S. G. W., of
Fidelity Lodge, F. and A. M., of the American Legion of Honor and of the
Knights of Honor. He is a thorough republican, and for several years has been
very active in politics in the Fourth Congressional district.
Transcribed
by Elaine Sturdevant.
Source: "The
© 2006 Elaine Sturdevant.