San
Joaquin County
Biographies
EDWARD H. RILEY
The thoroughness, industry and
business judgment employed by Edward H. Riley in his building operations have
been the means of winning for him a prominent place in business circles of Stockton,
and he is doing a general contracting business, independently, with offices in
the Wilhoit Building and is contributing his full share to the building up of
his native city, where he was born on October 27, 1885. His father, Edward H. Riley, a native of
Ireland, came to the San Joaquin Valley in early days and engaged in farming
and ran a dairy. His mother before her
marriage was Miss Anna Fox, she too being a native of Ireland. Both parents are now deceased.
Edward H., Jr., was educated in the
Brothers School in Stockton and after finishing there learned the carpenter’s
trade with Robert Powell. Arriving in
San Francisco early in April, 1906, the disastrous fire afforded him the
opportunity of taking an active part in the rebuilding of the stricken
city. His first employment was with the
Western Pacific Railroad in the construction of their buildings at the San
Francisco terminal and across the Bay at the Oakland terminal, at the time this
railroad was being built into Oakland and San Francisco. Following this for a period of three years he
was with Richard Keating, the concrete contractor, and while in this connection
was foreman of construction on the concrete reservoir on the top of Twin Peaks. He was later with two other prominent contractors,
H. L. Peterson and W. W. Anderson.
During 1914 he returned to Stockton
and was, for a time, with James Mulcahy in the construction of a number of fine
buildings. He then started in business
for himself and erected many buildings of all kinds among the most outstanding
being St. Agnes’ Academy; Hansel & Ortman Garage; the concrete bridge on
Sutter Street across Mormon Slough; St. Joseph’s Hospital; St. Gertrude’s
Catholic Church and Parish House in Fair Oaks; Clark’s Garage on South Sutter
Street; the T. & D. Theatre Building; the Murphy Garage on the corner of
North El Dorado Street and Miner Avenue; Naylor’s Ford garage and sales
building on North El Dorado Street; the Williams block and Wilhoit building on
South San Joaquin Street; and the Bennett apartments, the first constructed in
Stockton. All of these buildings are
among the very best and most modern in the city. During 1918 a partnership was formed with
Jesse F. Shepherd, under the firm name of Shepherd & Riley, and the
following buildings are silent witnesses of their ability and capableness: a theater building in Pittsburg, Contra Costa
County, costing $60,000; warehouse in Stockton for the Sperry Flour Company
amounting to the same figure; a $56,000 warehouse for the Stockton Packing and
Canning Company; $40,000 job for the California Packing Corporation; $25,000
store building for Eaton & Buckley; garage for Root brothers costing about
$26,000. They also constructed the Fair
Oaks, the McKinley, the El Dorado and the Roosevelt school houses; the high
school auditorium and the gymnasium and showers. These buildings are the last word in modern
school buildings in this part of the state.
They also built a school at Atlanta and one at Salida, Stanislaus
County. In April, 1923, the partnership
of Riley & Shepherd was dissolved, Mr. Riley continuing the contracting
business on an independent basis.
The marriage of Mr. Riley, in 1908,
united him with Miss Mary Killian, a native of Stockton and member of a pioneer
family of the county. They are the
parents of two children, Ethel M. and Hazel L., both born in San
Francisco. Fraternally Mr. Riley is a
member of Stockton Lodge No. 218, B. P. O. E.; Knights of Columbus; and
Stockton Parlor No. 7, N. S. G. W. He is
a member of the board of directors of the Stockton Builders’ Exchange; also on
the board of the Merchants, Manufacturers and Employers Association. All in all he has always found time to do his
part to aid any worthy project that had for its aim the upbuilding of the city,
county and state.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1240-1243. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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