San Francisco County
Biographies
EDMUND
TAUSZKY
Edmund Tauszky,
in his profession of the law, has been counsel in many cases of general
interest. To him also,
as Court Commissioner, have been assigned several suits involving large sums of
money. His name, therefore, has
frequently appeared in the daily papers since he began his practice here. He now enjoys a very fair share of legal
business, and this is the more creditable to him inasmuch as it is entirely
owing to his own energy and talent. He
began without the aid of wealth or influence.
By his own resources, indeed, has he gained his present excellent
standing and practice at the bar. Outside of his profession, Mr. Tauszky is also well known personally. He has many friends, and this is a natural
result of his pleasant, courteous and open manner. No measure of success could change this,
indeed; hence, he will always retain the friendship and the good will of those
who have known him, and to the rising young advocates this is not unimportant.
The name Tauszky is Hungarian.
Than Hungary, there is no other country where people have suffered so
much for their patriotic and liberty-loving qualities. Mr. Tauszky’s
people were of those who “went out” in 1848.
His grandfather was, we believe, with Kossuth. They were all in active sympathy with the
movement for the rights of the people.
His father, in later times, was well-to-do in Pesth. He owned a large brewery there and had
extensive business interests. These the
family sold when it was decided to come, in 1866, to the new world. The oldest brother of Mr. Edmund Tauszky, who was a physician, had come to the United States
some years previously, and it was owing to his favorable reports, indeed, that
the family decided to make the change.
That gentleman, Mr. Rudolph Tauszky, was then
a practicing physician in New York city. He died about two years ago. He was eminent in his profession, and wrote
several valuable works on medical subjects; was resident physician at Mt. Sinai
Hospital, New York; also a surgeon in the United States Army, and took part in
active service. Dr. Tauszky
visited his brother some years ago.
Mr. Edmund Tauszky was but a child when his people came to the United
States. With his parents he resided for
some years afterward in New York, where he attended school. Upon his mother’s death, in 1869, he went to
St. Louis to a married sister, and there he finished his education. To perfect himself in commercial studies, he
attended for a time afterward the Jones’ Commercial College of St. Louis, the
leading business college of that city, from which he received a diploma.
In 1876, Mr.
Edmund Tauszky came to California. In this city bent was first given to him in
the direction of the law, where he studied with great diligence, and graduated
May 28, 1883, and was admitted to practice.
While attending the Hastings College of Law, he was with the firm of
Wallace, Greathouse & Blanding, succeeded by the
present firm of Pillsbury, Blanding & Hayne. He joined them in July, 1879, and was with
them until 1885. This was indeed an
excellent preparation for him, for it brought him in contact with actual
practice and well supplemented his studies.
In 1885 he began practice, and since then has been so engaged, and with
a steadily increasing business that must be very satisfactory, both from a
material standpoint and from the higher standpoint of the evident benefit to
clients such an increase shows. He has
had charge of some noted cases, and in these he acquitted himself
creditably. Mr. Tauszky’s
study and experience have given him an intimate knowledge of the principles of
law and the authorities. He is well read
in law matters, and has good practical knowledge in other matters. He prepares his cases exhaustively, and in
court his arguments are based on law and sound logic. He speaks pointedly concisely and plainly. Many of his cases have received considerable
publicity in the daily papers, as we stated.
His practice has been altogether civil, corporate, probate, real-estate
matters, etc. Mr. Tauszky
was attorney for the Sutro Tunnel Company in its
important litigation, and is now attorney for its successor, the Comstock
Tunnel Company. In 1887 he was appointed
Court Commissioner. As such commissioner
his work has given great satisfaction, indeed.
In the noted case of Hinckley vs. Stebbins,
which involved the California Theater, and in which the niece of Hinckley
contested the accounts, etc., of Dr. Stebbins, and
other trustees, his report was accepted by both sides as satisfactory. In this, several hundred thousand dollars
were involved. The case of Woodward vs.
Raum was also referred to him. This is the Woodward’s Gardens suit. There are four heirs, to sell as a whole, or
subdivide, and the question is, which would be most profitable to the heirs, to
sell as a whole or subdivide. With
Timothy J. Lyons, Mr. Tauszky prepared Judge
Coffey’s decisions for the Law Journal.
He also prepared the syllabi of decisions published in book form. The whole, it is intended, will be shortly
published.
In politics, Mr.
Tauszky has always been a staunch Republican. For several years he has been a trustee of
the Mercantile Library. When the matter
of consolidation with the Mechanics’ Institute came up, Mr. Tauszky
strongly opposed this. He was appointed
a committee of one to furnish a report on this, although the youngest member of
the board, and John S. Hittell was appointed to
furnish a counter report. The best
argument on both sides was, therefore, presented, and by a vote of four to one
afterward consolidation was defeated.
To his law
practice he devotes his best energies, and has done so, indeed, from the
beginning; hence, his success. He is a
thorough lawyer, painstaking, energetic, and certainly has a very bright future
before him. Mr. Tauszky
belongs to the Concordia Club and the San Francisco Bar Association.
Transcribed by Donna L. Becker.
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 2,
pages 70-72, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
© 2005 Donna L. Becker.