San Francisco County
Biographies
ALFRED
HERBERT RICKETTS
A. H. RICKETTS, a
well-known lawyer of San
Francisco, may be
classed among those Californians who are to the manner born, as he was brought
here when only five years old, by his mother, in the spring of 1854. Her
husband, Judge Ricketts, who had died some years previously, was a prominent
English counselor in his day. His family occupied a good position, and he
took up the study of law more to be employed than anything else. He was at
length raised to be Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, sent first to the West Indies
and afterward transferred to British
Guiana. Those countries
had a bad climatic effect upon him, for he died shortly after his return to England.
When he was old
enough, Mr. Ricketts, our subject, was sent to the public schools, and in due
time attended the Union and St. Ignatius colleges---the latter
principally. Then he went to Virginia City,
Nevada. He was several years in the office of Judge R. B.
Whitman, ex-Chief Justice of that State, who had just left the bench in fact
when Mr. Ricketts joined him. While studying there Mr. Ricketts was
acting United
States
marshal about six months. In Virginia
City, he was appointed Chief of
Staff to Brigadier-General J H. Mathewson, a man of
wonderful nerve and courage. Mr. Ricketts was some eleven years in Nevada, being there during all the excitement of the “bonanza”
period. It was there that he was admitted to the bar.
His first case and
victory was in the United States Circuit Court at Carson City,
Nevada. Mr. Ricketts has always made it the great policy
and rule of his practice to be well prepared and thorough in his knowledge of
all details of every case he brings into court. His cases have almost all
been in the Federal Courts or before the departments at Washington, ---not that this has been through any desire or special
arrangement of his own; it chanced to be so.
In 1884 Mr. Ricketts
came to San Francisco, and began practice with Judge Whitman, for a year; then
he was alone until R. B. Mitchell joined him, but this partnership was
short-lived, and since then he has been alone in his practice.
In mining law,
involving title, etc., Mr. Ricketts is an acknowledged authority. In this
branch of litigation he has had charge of many important cases. At the
present time he is counsel for several leading companies.
Transcribed
by 11-17-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 2, Page 176,
Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.
California Biography Project
San Francisco County
California Statewide
Golden Nugget Library