San Francisco County
Biographies
RICHARD
G. SNEATH
RICHARD G. SNEATH, an
early settler of California and a man prominent in business circles in San
Francisco, was born in Frederick county, Maryland,
March 23, 1826. He comes of Scotch ancestry, and is a son of Richard and Cathrine (Bangher) Sneath, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of
Pennsylvania; is one of a family of eight children, all of whom are living in
California except one brother, who is a banker in Tiffin, Ohio. In 1826
the Sneath family removed to Tiffin, and at that
place the subject of our sketch was reared and educated, and assisted his
father in the store. The latter subsequently engaged in
manufacturing. His death occurred in 1842, after which Richard G. continued
the business till 1850, when he came to California, making the journey via the
Isthmus of Panama and landing in San Francisco.
Arrived in this
State, Mr. Sneath went to Sacramento and began
dealing in horses, cattle and hay, and was successful. In the fall of 1850
he started a store at Drytown, Amador county. In the summer of 1852 he purchased an interest
in the store of Boyd, Arnold & Co., the firm becoming Sneath,
Arnold & Co., wholesale grocers and continued this for ten years. They
also started a store at Red Bluff, under the name of Sneath
& Boarman, which for ten years they successfully
conducted. In 1860 they established a wholesale grocery in San Francisco,
and in 1862 Sneath & Arnold dissolved
partnership, Mr. Arnold taking the Sacramento store and business, and Mr. Sneath the San Francisco house and the one at Red
Bluff. The latter he soon afterward sold. The San Francisco
establishment he conducted for seven years, on Front street,
between Clay and Washington, and did a large business, amounting to as much as
$150,000 per month. He sold out to Wellman, Peck &Co., who still continue the business. Mr. Sneath
also had for seven years a store of the same kind at Portland, Oregon. He
opened the road from Red Bluff into Humboldt county
and sent merchandise to the miners, Government posts and merchants of Northern
California. His firm shipped the only cargo of goods that was ever sent to
Salt Lake City by way of the Colorado river, and from
that point he furnished supplies to Utah.
In 1857 Mr. Sneath was elected on the People’s ticket a Supervisor of
San Francisco, and held the office three years. He was chairman of the
Judiciary Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. The affairs of
the city treasury had become disordered and he was appointed by the Legislature
to examine and act upon the bills brought against the city, and as a member of
the committee Mr. Sneath rendered efficient service
at that time. He was one of the managers of the Anglo-California bank, and
gave a year of his time in helping to start it. After that, in 1875, he
was appointed to help straighten up the affairs of the Merchants’ Exchange
Bank, and to this he gave his attention for five or six years, also rendering
valued services here in helping to settle up the whole business in a most
satisfactory manner.
After selling his
store and previous to 1875, Mr. Sneath purchased
property at Fair Oaks Station and built and improved a beautiful
place. Then for a time he traveled extensively in the East. He also
purchased and founded the Jersey Farm Dairy at Bruno, five miles from the city
limits. This famous property comprises 3,500 acres, and
on it are kept 1,000 head of stock, about 500 milch
cows being milked all the time. In conducting and improving this place, Mr. Sneath has spared neither time nor money, and now has
probably the largest and finest dairy of its kind in the world. Mr. Sneath was one of the originators of the Consumers’ Ice
Company of San Francisco, and at its start, in July, 1890, was made president
of the company. He was also one of the founders of the Merchants’
Exchange, and was elected its president that he might push the erection of a
new building; held the office three years and gave his best efforts to the
raising by subscription $340,000 for the new building, and success crowned his
earnest endeavors.
Mr. Sneath was married at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1854, to Miss
Catherine Myers, a native of Pennsylvania. There have been born to them in
San Francisco five children, of whom they reared two sons and a
daughter. The latter, Minnie L., is now the wife of Mr. Frank Dillingham,
of San Francisco. Their son, Harry S., is superintendent of the dairy business
in the city, while the older son, George R., manages the dairy business at the
ranch.
Mr. Sneath has been a member of the Unitarian Church for twenty
years, and has helped to build two of the finest churches in the
city. Although brief this sketch, enough has been said of Mr. Sneath and the enterprises in which he has been engaged to
show the talents and character of the man. His success in life is due to the
wise, steady head that has guided his affairs and the high ideas of honor which
have actuated his life.
Transcribed
by 8-1-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The Bay of San
Francisco," Vol. 2, Pages 428-429,
Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.