San
Joaquin County
Biographies
DWIGHT E. BURGESS
Not through time, place nor
circumstances, but through concentrated effort, energy, perseverance and well
applied business principles, Dwight E. Burgess has become the leading painting contractor
of his native city of Stockton, where he was born January 13, 1887. He is the only son of Philip Henry and Sarah
Emma (Preston) Burgess. The father was a
native of Massachusetts and located in Stockton in 1883, an early settler on
the south side; he was one of the first letter carriers in Stockton, and later
retired from the service. For six years
he was a reader in the Christian Science Church and was also a practitioner; he
was also a member of Rawlins Post, G. A. R., No. 23. In 1882 he married Miss Sarah Emma Preston,
born in the east, but reared in California, and they were the parents of two
children, Dwight E. of this review, and Mrs. Lois E. Toal. The father passed away May 10, 1922 at his
home in Stockton.
Dwight E. Burgess received his
education in the Jackson and Grant schools of Stockton and then learned the
trade of carriage painter; later he took up house painting. After completing his training, he worked with
various contractors until his experience was sufficient to warrant establishing
his own business, which he did about twelve years ago. He is thoroughly competent and up-to-date in
his line, his contracts including a great number of the large jobs in Stockton
and surrounding towns. Following is a
list of the school buildings which show his handiwork: McKinley, Fair Oaks, Burwood
school near Escalon; Galt grammar school; August school, Waterloo Road;
Isleton, Sacramento County; Woodbridge grammar, Linden grammar, Florin grammar,
the Garfield school at Lodi; also the auditorium of the Stockton high school,
Victory school; the new addition to the El Dorado school; also the new addition
to the Jefferson school, the Grant school, the gymnasium at Ripon school. Mr. Burgess has had the contract for more
school buildings than any other contractor in Stockton. Besides having the contract for many fine
residences in Stockton and the neighboring country, he has the following
buildings to his credit: eight cottages
for the Spreckels Sugar Company at Manteca, also office building and club house
for the same company; the Marion Hotel, Japanese Hotel, Coffee Club Building, Solari Building, the Waldemar
Apartments, Kitt Garage, Fontana Hotel, Tannery
buildings, the Parkview Crematory, the Hippodrome Theater, the Atkinson
Apartments at Sacramento. He also
repainted the exterior of San Joaquin County Court House, Japanese Hospital, Manthy and Granich Apartments;
also the Bridgeford dairy barns at Patterson. He also had the contract for painting the
addition to the Stockton paper mills, and California Packers’ Association
building. He uses the compressed air
system for painting roofs and large buildings, which has given general
satisfaction. In 1919 he was awarded the
contract by the county board of supervisors to paint the iron work on twenty-nine
county bridges, his bid being the lowest of several, thus saving the county
several thousand dollars on this contract.
He uses a sand blasting process for cleaning the old paint off.
The marriage of Mr. Burgess in the
fall of 1914 united him with Miss Ruth M. Morris, a native daughter of
California, reared at Galt, the daughter of Charles Morris and wife, early
settlers of that community. Mr. Burgess
belongs to the Eagles at Stockton, and in this fraternity and in other
relations is held in the highest esteem.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1351-1352. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Genealogy
Databases