San Francisco County
Biographies
CHARLES A. WARREN
WARREN, CHARLES A., Oil Operator and Capitalist, San
Francisco, was born in San Francisco, April
23, 1885, the son of Charles A. and Ada
(Smith) warren. Of English origin on
both sides of the house, his ancestors have been patriotic Americans for
generations; and conspicuous among those who distinguished themselves on the
battle field was General Warren, who fell at Bunker Hill. Charles A. Warren, Sr., came to California
about the year 1861, where he became one of the leading contractors of the
State. His son, Charles, may be said to
have grown up in the business, in which he has proved himself an able
partner. On September 11, 1907, he was
married in San Francisco to Miss
Claudine Cotton, daughter of Judge Aylett P. cotton, and is the father of one
child, Claudine Warren.
Mr.
Warren’s early education was obtained in the public schools of San
Francisco, including the Harrison Primary and the Pacific
Heights Grammar School. He then entered Santa Clara
College, which completed his preparation for the
University of California. He was a student at the latter institution
from 1903 to 1906, in the College of Agriculture,
but left before graduation to become a junior partner in the Charles A. Warren
Company, and in the Warren Improvement Company, having studied the contracting
business while at school and at college, serving a practical apprenticeship as
well.
These
companies were engaged in general contracting, devoting their attention
chiefly, however, to railroad construction and street work. But beyond this branch of the business they
did much to develop the city, both before and after the great disaster of
April, 1906. In the former period the
old North Beach
sea wall is one of the important monuments to their enterprise and efficiency. They also excavated the ground for Stowe
Lake, one of the beauty spots in Golden
Gate Park.
Among
their other noteworthy excavations and improvements in San
Francisco and vicinity were their preparations of the
ground for the Mid-Winter Fair in the park, the excavation for the St. Francis
Hotel, for the Annex, and for the present “Examiner” building and Fairmont
Hotel, the leveling of the sand hills at North Beach and Fort Mason and the
construction of the Santa Fe sea-wall on China Basin. They also built the road-bed for the Petaluma
and Santa Rosa Electric Railway, and that for the extension of North Western
Pacific from Willits to Sherwood, and reclaimed the marsh lands around San
Mateo and Burlingame,
where they built numerous roads.
In
1908 Mr. Warren retired from active contracting. Since then he has given his attention to his
duties of administrator of the estate of his father, Charles A. Warren, and of
guardian for his brother, H. O. Warren, as well as to his large oil and ranch
interests. To the latter, which include
a thousand acres near Warm Springs, Alameda County,
California, on which he raises alfalfa,
barley, cattle and dairy products, he gives most of his spare time. He has always been interested in ranching and
has had much valuable experience therein.
In
the oil fields Mr. Warren’s ventures have been extensive. He was one of the first to sense the great
possibilities of the Coalinga district, and to enter there as an investor,
proving up about eleven thousand acres of rich oil land.
Recently
he has added banking to his list of activities and is devoting considerable
attention to it.
He
is at present a director of the Pleasant Valley Farming Company, Charles A.
Warren Company, the Merchants’ National Bank, and he was formerly a director of
the Swedish-American Bank, of San Francisco.
He
holds memberships in the following clubs: The University, Bohemian, Growlers
(an oilmen’s association), and the Merchants’ Exchange.
Transcribed by Betty Vickroy.
Source: Press Reference
Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page
707, International News
Service, New
York,
Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2007 Betty Vickroy.
California Biography Project
San Francisco County
California Statewide
Golden Nugget Library