San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES J. HOOPER
For nearly thirty years connected
with the transportation field of Stockton, James J. Hooper has seen this
thriving city grow from a population of 14,000 to its present size,
contributing his full share to the activity that has made this progress
possible. Mr. Hooper is a native son of
California, born at Sierra City, Sierra County, March 9, 1870 the son of Edward
and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Hooper, natives of England and both now deceased. Edward Hooper came from his native land to
California via the Isthmus of Panama in the early ‘60s, and for a number of
years mined in Sierra County.
In 1875 when James J. was five years
old, the family returned to England, settling at St. Austell, Cornwall, and
here he was reared and educated, in that beautiful corner of Old England. At the age of sixteen he started to work in
the electric light plant at St. Austell, serving four years as an apprentice
and thoroughly learning the business. In
the fall of 1890 he returned to the United States and for a time worked in the
mines of Amador County. Coming to San
Joaquin he secured employment on a fruit ranch on Rough and Ready Island, owned
by Matteson and Williamson, and in July, 1892 he entered the employ of the
Stockton Electric Company, the transportation system just then being changed
from horse-drawn cars to electricity. He
has been with the company ever since, and has seen the evolution from a few
small horse cars to a modern transportation system that has had a great part in
the development of Stockton and the outlying suburban district. Mr. Hooper started in as a helper in the
electrical shop, later becoming its superintendent, and in 1904 he became the
superintendent of the transportation department. In 1915 when the Central California Traction
Line and the Stockton Electric Railroad were consolidated he became
superintendent of the new concern, a position he is especially well qualified,
both by training and experience, to fill.
In 1890 Mr. Hooper was married to
Miss Mary G. Perry, a native of England, and they have three children: Edna H.; Edward J. married Lorina Tucker and
they have a son, Vernon; Winifred is the wife of Joseph Clark and they have two
daughters, Elizabeth and Virginia. The
family is Presbyterian in their religious faith. In fraternal circles Mr. Hooper is a member
of the Odd Fellows, having joined Truth Lodge in 1893. He has been a member of the Rotary Club since
1915.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1295-1296. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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