San Francisco County
Biographies
FERDINAND
VASSAULT
Ferdinand Vassault is a native of New York city,
born in 1819. His father, Thomas Vassault, was born in France, and emigrated
to the United States in 1804. He came to
New York to establish a packet line between Havre and New York, which was the
first line running between those ports.
He was connected with shipping interests up to his death in 1822. Ferdinand was born in Greenwich street near the Battery, which was then the residence
portion of New York city. He was
educated in the private schools, and at the age of fifteen years secured a
position with John Haggerty & Sons, who were selling importations from all
countries at auction. After four years
of service he found occupation in the wholesale department of the mercantile
establishment of A. T. Stewart, remaining three years. He then started a commission business on Pine
street, dealing only in domestic goods, continuing
until 1841, when he opened a general merchandise store in New Bedford,
Massachusetts, and in 1843 sold his business to accept the position of
secretary of the Bedford Commercial Insurance Company. New Bedford was a great shipping point, and
through incoming vessels in 1848 was disclosed the gold excitement of
California. Mr. Vassault
then purchased two schooners, and with a cargo of general merchandise and
miners’ supplies, he started with them for California. The first, sent in 1848, was sold before he
arrived, and the proceeds, $53,000, were gambled and squandered; the second
cargo netted about $12,000. He arrived
in San Francisco by steamer which had come from Panama, September 18, 1849. He at once organized a company and established
a general importing and commercial business, locating in the old Leidesdorff store, which was erected in 1846, under the
name of F. Vassault & Co. There was a branch house in Sacramento under
the firm name of Smith, Bensley & Co. In May, 1850, the San Francisco store was
destroyed by fire, when they located on Clay street. In the destructive fire of 1851 their
property was again destroyed, and they were the heaviest losers of all
merchants in the city. Mr. Vassault was next interested in the building of a wharf at
the foot of Pacific street, and was instrumental in
establishing the first line of steamers out of San Francisco, which was called
the Union Line. This line was afterward
consolidated with later lines, and he withdrew from the business. He was then interested in various
enterprises, from which he reaped a most liberal profit, the most important
being the manufacture of brick and the commission business. In 1870 he began trading in real estate on
private account, and gradually worked into a general business of buying,
selling and renting, in which he is still engaged.
Mr. Vassault was married in 1853 to Miss Virginia G. M.
Sinclair, a native of London, England.
They have had six children born to them, four of whom survive: Theodora E., Ferdinand I., Virginia N. and
Lawrence S. Mr. Vassault
has been a member of the Society of California Pioneers since the date of
organization. He is not
a secret order man nor a politician, but was an active member of the
Vigilance Committees of 1851 and 1856, and his voice and strength have always
been exerted on the side of honest government and morality.
Transcribed by Donna L. Becker
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1,
pages 705-706, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
© 2005 Donna L. Becker.