San
Joaquin County
Biographies
FRANK B. BRIARE
For almost forty years Frank B.
Briare has been a resident of Stockton and has in many ways been identified
with the best interests of his locality.
For twenty-three years he has been actively and prominently identified
with the police department of Stockton and was one of the most efficient
officers the city ever had. He was born
at Martinez, California, June 14, 1862, the eldest son of his family. At ten years of age he began to make his own
living working on the Fitzgerald ranch, receiving for his services one dollar
per week and board and room; his next job was selling newspapers in Martinez
for four dollars per week; later he and George McMahon secured a job as school
janitor at thirteen dollars per month; he also worked in the warehouses of
Martinez and Brentwood. In 1883, in
company with Eugene Marshall and Robert Hanna, he arrived in Stockton, the
three of them having $30.30 between them.
Mr. Briare secured work in the Crown Flour Mills, owned by J. M. Welch,
packing flour. In 1884 he was appointed
guard at San Quentin State Prison and later became captain of the first watch;
in 1889 he was transferred to Folsom Prison and was lieutenant of the guard for
seven and a half years. On June 23,
1893, he was in charge of the life termers, when the big break at the prison
occurred. The convicts at work at the
stone quarry on the banks of the American River had secured a number of rifles
and at three o’clock in the afternoon the fight began. Mr. Briare was overpowered in the fight which
lasted forty-five minutes, when four convicts were killed and three wounded,
among the wounded being the outlaw Sontag.
No one escaped. In 1897 Mr.
Briare returned to Stockton and was employed by the California Transportation
Company until 1899, when he was appointed on the Stockton police force and one
year later received the appointment of captain of police, serving two years in
that position. In 1902 he was appointed
chief of police for a short period; then was patrolman until 1907 when he was
appointed chief of police and served for ten years in that capacity. In 1921 Mr. Briare was pensioned and he is
now living retired from active business.
He was identified with every murder case in the city, including the
celebrated case of Le Doux and the Minotti case, the Chamber and Jack Briscoe murders, the W.
A. Door case, Houlon case and many others in this
state as well as capturing many criminals wanted in other states. Since he retired from the police force he is
a successful private detective.
The marriage of Mr. Briare occurred
at Stockton on January 8, 1890, and united him with Miss Annie Elizabeth
Collins, a native of Stockton and to them have been born eight children, all
living: Mary Elizabeth, now Sister Mary
Nazareth of the Dominican Sisters at Sacred Heart Convent, San Francisco; Frank
Daniel is proprietor of the Stockton Carriage Works; he enlisted in the Navy
during the World War; John Joseph is clerk in the Pacific Gas & Electric
Company’s office at Sana Francisco and is taking a law course at St. Ignatius
College; George Stephens is with the Standard Oil Company and during the War
was in the U. S. Navy; Bernadette is a graduate from St. Agnes College, she
lives at home and presides over her father’s household; Clarence is with the
Sterling Iron Works, he was a marine during the recent War; Ambrose A. is a
student in the St. Agnes High School; and Anne Elizabeth also is attending St.
Agnes School. Mrs. Briare passed away
January 30, 1919, while her sons were serving their country. Fraternally Mr. Briare is a member of the
Stockton Elks, Stockton Parlor, N. S. G. W., the
Knights of Columbus and in politics he is a Democrat and has taken an active
and influential part in winning success for his party.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
689-690. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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