San
Joaquin County
Biographies
FRED W. WURSTER
A distinguished member of the
banking profession in California is Fred W. Wurster, the associate manager of
the Bank of Italy of Stockton, in which city he was born on May 12, 1866. His parents were Chris and Anna M. (Follert) Wurster, both natives of
Germany, and both now deceased. The
father died in 1876, while the mother survived until 1903. Mr. Wurster came to California in the early
‘50’s by way of Panama, and being a carriage painter, he followed that
trade. He always took an active part in
the old Volunteer Fire Department, and in time became prominent, and he was
among the most popular members in the Stockton Lodge of Odd Fellows. Besides the son, the subject of our review, a
daughter, Louise, also survives this marriage.
On the death of her husband, Mrs. Wurster became the wife of Charles A.
L. Grunsky, and to her second union was born a
daughter, Anna Pauline Grunsky.
Fred Wurster had the good fortune to
attend both the excellent Stockton public schools, and then, on September 17,
1883, he entered the employ of Fred Ruhl, the
hardware merchant. On May 10, 1886, he
became associated with the Stockton Iron Works.
On October 10, 1898, however, he entered banking circles when he became
a clerk in the San Joaquin Valley Bank, where he rose until he became assistant
cashier; and when, on January 19, 1916, the bank became a national institution,
he was made cashier of both the commercial and the savings departments. A year later, on November 27, the Bank of
Italy took over the San Joaquin Valley National Bank, and then Mr. Wurster was
appointed assistant manager, and this position he now holds. Thus Mr. Wurster has been associated for
close to a quarter of a century with banking institutions in Stockton and it is
fitting that he should be on the executive committee of the Stockton Merchants’
Association. He is also an active member
of the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau, representing therein the city of
Stockton center. When the San Joaquin
Fair was revived in 1919, Mr. Wurster was made president for that year, and he
contributed his share to making the Fair held in Oak Park a success in every
way. This Fair is still held annually,
and Mr. Wurster is an honorary director.
In early days he was active in developing the Southern San Joaquin
Irrigation District, and help to put 70,000 acres of land under water; he was
then a large landowner there, and he still retains a small alfalfa ranch in
that district. All his life he has had an
active part in civic affairs, and he has taken especial pride in working for
the best interests of the county.
On November 6, 1894, Mr. Wurster was
married at Stockton to Miss Maude E. Wilson, who was born at Brewer, Penobscot
County, Maine, but was reared in Stockton, where she attended the high
school. Two children were born to this
union. William Wilson Wurster was
graduated from the University of California with the class of ’19, having
specialized in architecture; Helen graduated in December, 1921, at the
University of California, Department of Household Science. Mr. Wurster is one of the trustees of the
Congregational Church, and he is also treasurer of the
congregation. He is both a member and a
past president of the Stockton Parlor No. 7 of the N. S. G. W., and a member of
Charity Lodge No. 6, I. O. O. F.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
943. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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