San
Joaquin County
Biographies
WILLIAM J. SCOTT
Among the well-known and successful
contractors now operating in San Joaquin County is William J. Scott of
Stockton. He was born in Belfast,
Ireland, on November 18, 1887, the son of English parents, and as a lad he
attended school near Whitehaven, Cumberland, England, until he was fourteen,
then he became apprenticed to learn the trade of carpenter in Cleator, England, the time being seven years to complete
the trade and he had to give a bond of fifty dollars as a guarantee that he
would remain the required period of time.
The wage paid him was one dollar per week, and in addition he had to
supply his own tools; in England it requires a greater variety of tools to
carry on the carpenter trade and the lad had two chests full of different kinds
of tools. He learned the trade on the
large estate of M. Ainsworth, a Member of Parliament who owned mines and mills and
houses that were occupied by the employees who numbered thousands, and his
training covered every department of wood working craft, pattern making, mill
work, turning, etc. It is safe to say
that the knowledge gained in those seven years have equipped Mr. Scott to be a
specialist in almost every line of work where wood, brick or cement is used in
building.
When he had finished his
apprenticeship he went to London and in time became a foreman with a large
contracting firm, later was manager, and before he left England he was a
partner, the firm being known as Scott & Meech,
general contractors at Brixton Hill, London, Southwest. This firm built hundreds of seven-room houses
of brick and stone, with leaded glass windows, for a man who owned the property
and afterwards sold them. It was a frequent
sight to see twenty of these houses going up at one time on a single street,
enclosed by stone and brick walls, and often there would be several blocks of
houses under construction at one time.
Five special designs were used in every one hundred houses built. In England a man working for a contractor was
under close scrutiny, as his family history, past experience and even the
clothes he wore must be satisfactory to the employer.
William J. Scott had heard much
about California and he was very anxious to see the land of sunshine and gold
for himself and in 1911 he left his native land bound for San Francisco, and he
arrived in the city of Stockton in the winter during a flood when many of the
streets were under water. He was accompanied
by his brother, Samuel Scott, a mechanic who had hoped to find employment in
some factory here but he was unsuccessful and soon went away. William J. was built of sterner stuff and
remained. He could not find any work at
his trade here so he went to Middle River to work on a cannery under
construction. Arriving at his
destination he approached the foreman, who asked him if he had brought his
blankets. This was his initial
experience into the life of the workman in this state and he was obliged to
send back to Stockton for an outfit and he was bunked in a room with eight
others. When the job was finished, Mr.
Scott came back to Stockton and was engaged as a stair-builder by the Union
Planing Mill; later he worked for Totten &
Bryant, becoming foreman of their crew.
He again was employed by the Union Planing Mill Company as the manager
of their plant, remaining until he took up contracting on his own account in
1913. It is needless to say that Mr.
Scott had many trying experiences getting used to western life and ways, often
wishing he had remained back in England, but would never admit defeat and stuck
to his work until he has risen to a position of prominence.
In 1913 Mr. Scott began taking
contracts in Stockton, his first contract being the Golden West Hotel, and soon
had a fine business started, giving every part of the construction work his
personal attention. Among some of the
homes he built during the ensuing years are M. Woodward, J. Patti, G. Jordan,
H. Patterson, Grover Smith, J. Howe, S. H. Rothermal
and E. E. Jenkins; he built the Elmwood school, Greenwood school, and Summer
Home school near Manteca; and he has done considerable private work for E. F.
Harris. He erected the modern block for
Charles Gall on West Main Street and the new building for the Black’s Package
Company on Weber Avenue, as well as remodeled their old store, and built and
designed the Baccicco flats on East Poplar Street; he
also rebuilt Cowell Bros.’ Building on Weber Avenue and Hunter Street.
The marriage of Mr. Scott in 1913
united him with Miss Margaret Black, born in England and a niece of the late
Prof. Samuel Black of San Diego, the former president of the State Normal of
that city. This union has been blessed
with two children: Samuel James and Mary
Janet, twins. Mr. Scott is a Scottish
Rite Mason and a member of the Sciots and the Merchants, Manufacturers and Employers
Association since its organization, and Builders’ Exchange. In religious connection he is an elder in the
First Presbyterian Church, and superintendent of the Sunday school. In 1920 he took his family for an extended
trip back to England and visited points of interest, old scenes and friends of
his youth, but having become typically Western he was not content to stay
there, even though he had an offer from the builders’ association to start him
in business. He returned to the country
of his adoption more than ever glad that he had pitched his tent in California,
where the opportunities are offered the busy man to make a name and place for
himself on his own merits, as has been done by Mr. Scott. He is a “booster” for San Joaquin County and
feels that it has only made a start for the prosperity that is to be granted it
and its citizens in the future.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1483. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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