San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES A. LOUTTIT
Distinguished among San Joaquin
County’s leading citizens, whom he represented so worthily as a member of
Congress, standing high as a member of the legal fraternity, and popular and prominent
in civil and social circles, James A. Louttit’s name will ever be honored in
the community where practically all of his life was spent. His father, Thomas Sinclair Louttit, was the
founder of the family in America, leaving his home in Scotland, where he was
born July 4, 1821, to cross the ocean to America in 1837. He settled in New Orleans, where he followed
the trade of a blacksmith, and there he married Miss Jessie Ann Bell, also a
native of Scotland, who had come to America in early girlhood. She was the daughter of Alexander Bell, a
Scottish covenanter leader who attained the age of ninety-seven years, and who
was survived by his wife, Jessie Margaret (Robertson) Bell, who lived to be 103
years old. They traced their ancestry to
the Orkney Islands, as did also the Louttit family. The parents of Thomas Sinclair Louttit were
James and Mary (Sinclair) Louttit, the latter a sister of Thomas Sinclair, who
for several years was lieutenant-governor of British Columbia and who also
gained distinction as president of the Hudson Bay Company.
A resident of New Orleans at the
time of the discovery of gold in California, Thomas Sinclair Louttit with his
family made the tedious and dangerous journey to the Pacific coast, but not
meeting with the desired success in the mines, he turned his attention to the
blacksmith’s trade, which he followed until the infirmities of age compelled
his retirement from active labors.
Afterward he and his wife lived quietly at their home at Mokelumne Hill,
Calaveras County. Like the majority of
the pioneers of 1849, he was bold in spirit, resolute in purpose and dauntless
in action. Hardships did not dismay him
and obstacles served only to bring out his determination to overcome them. During the early days he organized at Coloma
the Vigilantes, a law and order committee composed of public-spirited citizens,
pledged to enforce the laws and win California from the control of the lawless
element. He died April 22, 1896, his
wife surviving until August, 1898.
Of the five children that comprised
the family of this worthy pioneer couple all are deceased; they were James A.,
Mary, Thomas S., Belle and William R.
Born in New Orleans on October 16, 1848, James A. Louttit was educated
in the country schools of Mokelumne Hill and later, under a private tutor, Rev.
W. C. Mosher, he became proficient in Latin, Greek and higher mathematics. He was graduated from the State Normal in
1864 and won first honors in his class.
For three years he taught in the Brooklyn high school of Oakland, when
that institution was the only high school in California outside of San
Francisco. Meanwhile, during his hours
of respite from educational duties he took up the study of law, which he
prosecuted under the preceptorship of Porter & Holladay of San Francisco. Having been a diligent student from boyhood
and having developed his mind at the expense of his body, Mr. Louttit found
himself compelled to abandon his law books for a time and he sought outdoor
life with the hope of recuperating. It
was his good fortune while he engaged in mining both to regain his health and
lay the foundation of financial independence.
In October, 1869, Mr. Louttit was
admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of California, and about the same
time he bought a set of law books which, by frequent additions, brought him in
later life a library more complete than is usually found even in the largest
law offices in the state. With his customary
courtesy he gave to his professional co-workers the privilege of access to his
library, in order that the best authorities might be consulted in problems of
serious import. Under the sponsorship of
Hon. J. G Carlisle and Hon. Thomas B. Reed, former renowned speakers of the
House of Representatives, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of
the United States. During 1871 he opened
a law office in Stockton, where the same year he was elected city attorney,
retaining that post until 1879. For many
years he was the partner of C. H. Lindley, later an attorney of San
Francisco. In 1885 he became the senior
member of the firm of Louttit, Woods & Levinsky, and in 1903 he formed a law partnership with his
son, Thomas Sinclair Louttit, which continued until his death on July 26, 1906.
Fraternally James A. Louttit was
identified with Stockton Lodge No. 11, I. O. O. F., and was a charter member of
Stockton Lodge No. 218, B. P. O. E.
Politically he gave staunch support to Republican principles. Although his district was Democratic, at the
election of November, 1884, he was chosen as representative in Congress,
carrying the district by a decisive majority.
During his services at Washington he gave a large share of his attention
to working for the extension of the free mail delivery system and after eight
months of tireless effort he was privileged to see the system extended to 142
cities, among these being his home town of Stockton. At the expiration of his congressional term
he declined a renomination, preferring to devote himself exclusively to his
professional work. As may be judged from
his efforts to secure the free delivery of mail in Stockton, he was intensely
devoted to the welfare of the city, and every progressive movement for city,
county and state received his intelligent co-operation and assistance, and it
is to the leadership of such men as he that Stockton has attained its present
high place in the commonwealth.
Fond of home and children, many of
Mr. Louttit’s happiest hours were spent in the society of his family. His first marriage occurred in 1872, uniting
him with Ada A. Cory, who was born in California in 1854 and died at Stockton
August 221, 1884. Her parents were John
R. and Abbie A. (Cory) Cory, honored pioneers of San Joaquin County. To this union the following children were
born: Mary B., the widow of A. M. Young;
John Randolph, of Lodi; Thomas Sinclair, a prominent member of the Stockton
bar; Jessie Ada, the wife of Dr. J. M. Sloan; James A., Jr., died in Alaska;
Howard died at twenty months. In 1891,
at San Francisco, Mr. Louttit was united in marriage with Mrs. Nettie O.
(Bailey) Walker, who was born on the Bailey ranch, near Linden, a daughter of
Charles K. and Mary E. (Belknap) Bailey, pioneers of this county, represented
on another page of this work. Her
childhood was spent on the home ranch near Linden and there she received her
education in the public schools and later in Stockton. Her first marriage, which occurred in
Stockton, united her with Lon M. Walker, a native of Ohio, who settled in San
Francisco, where he was engaged in the realty field. He passed away in 1897, while on a visit to
the Bailey ranch, leaving his widow and one son, Lon M. Walker, now of
Seattle. Since Mr. Louttit’s death Mrs.
Louttit has continued to make her home in Stockton, occupying her time in
looking after her interests. Especially
is she devoted to teaching china painting, having displayed a decided artistic
talent from her early girlhood.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
606-609. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Genealogy
Databases