San Mateo County Biographies

R. F. CHILCOTT

Among San Mateo County’s foremost citizens is R.F. Chilcott of Redwood City, secretary of the San Mateo County Abstract Company, who has been intensely active for the past twelve years in the affairs of the county and particularly those of Redwood City.

After a thorough training in abstracting and record searching in other counties of the State of California and the State of Washington, Mr. Chilcott came to Redwood City in 1904 to engage in this line of work. Days spent, year in and year out, examining the San Mateo county records has made him an authority on this subject and an expert on land titles in San Mateo county.

Mr. Chilcott’s loyalty to San Mateo county is evidenced by the time he has devoted to civic work. As president of the old Redwood City Board of Trade he labored faithfully for the upbuilding of this community. Such far reaching results did he obtain that he was made chairman of the harbor committee of the new Redwood City Chamber of Commerce, one of the most important branches of that body. Mr. Chilcott also belongs to the San Mateo County Development Associates.

Richard Frederick Chilcott was born in Washington on December 31, 1882. He came to California fifteen years ago. On February 8, 1906, Mr. Chilcott was married to Miss Olga Heiner of Redwood City. His business interests are generally confined to Redwood City. Besides being secretary of the San Mateo County Abstract Company, he is inheritance Tax Appraiser for John S. Chambers, State Controller.

Mr. Chilcott’s fraternal affiliations include the San Mateo Elks and the Masons in which he ranks high.

Transcribed by Betty Wilson

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 139-140. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

As head of the San Mateo County school system, Roy W. Cloud, Superintendent of schools, is known in almost every household in the county, and he is known to be fully competent and capable to discharge the responsibility that falls upon one in charge of the county’s future citizens.

This is Mr. Cloud’s ninth year of office, having been elected for a third term in 1914. During his incumbency the San Mateo County schools have expanded to one of the finest systems in the state with a teaching corps and a set of buildings that should be a pride to every San Mateo County citizen.

Roy W. Cloud was born at Crystal Springs, San Mateo County, August 24, 1876 and received the first part of his education in the schools of this county, completing his preparatory work at the Sequoia Union High School. He graduated from Stanford University with an A.B. degree. Before becoming County Superintendent of Schools Mr. Cloud had considerable experience in educational lines. He was principal of the school at Bodie, Cal., and before taking his degree at Stanford he taught in Redwood City schools.

Mr. Cloud comes from a well known San Mateo family, his mother having come to the county in 1856 and his father, Joseph James Cloud, having been County Surveyor for sixteen years. He resides in Redwood City with his family, and his nine-year-old son Noble attends the Redwood schools.

Mr. Cloud has prominent fraternal affiliations. He is Past Master of Redwood City Lodge No. 168 F. & A.M., Past Patron of Sequoia Chapter No. 203, Order of the Eastern Star and is a member of the Foresters, the Sons of the American Revolution and the California Schoolmasters’ Club.

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 130. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

P. J. Cochran, a modest, unassuming San Mateo blacksmith has the distinction of having shod more record breaking horses than any man living. In the days when racing flourished, horses were brought from far and wide to Cochran’s shop as the owner of every fast string of ponies had heard of Cochran as the originator of the famous Palo Alto shoe.

Among Cochran’s prized possessions is a cabinet of horses’ shoes. They are shoes that were worn by kings and queens of the turf. Among them are names familiar to every follower of the turf. There are such record holders as Sunol, Palo Alto, Arion, Bell Bird, Azote, Adell and Stamboul, every one of which is a record holder and everyone made its record while shod with Cochran’s shoes.

In the gala days of Governor Stanford’s famous Palo Alto stock farm, Cochran was ever allowed to put a shoe on any of Stanford’s fleet horses. Cochran knew every horse on the farm like a book and by designing special shoes for every horse he lowered their records many seconds.

In 1895 Monroe Salisbury took Cochran east to shoe his string of fast ones, among them were Alex, 2.03 ¾ and Azote whose best record had been 2.07. Cochran made a long study of the horses’ needs and a few months later he had put shoes on them that enabled them to set a new world’s mare and gelding record of 2.01 ¼ and 2.04 ¾.

P.J. Cochran was born fifty years ago, California being his native state. He has lived in San Mateo for the last twenty years. He learned his trade when a small boy and has followed it ever since. Prominent in fraternal circles Mr. Cochran belongs to several orders. He is a Mason, a Native Son and an Odd Fellow.

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 129-130. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

Eugene Charlie Cottier who owns a plumbing and tinning establishment at No. 37 B Street, San Mateo, is a man who did not learn his trade “from the ground up” but “from the box up.” He was just a youngster in short pants when he first took up the solder irons, and in order to work on the high bench he had to stand on a soap box. This old shop in Minneapolis where he learned his primary lessons in the trade still stands; and Mr. Cottier is still known to the old hands there as the man who learned his trade “from the box up.”

The thoroughness with which Mr. Cottier learned his profession is exemplified in his establishment which is one of the most modern and complete in the State. He put in the plumbing in many of the large country places. One of the branches of his establishment is an extensive wholesale department.

The pursuit of his chosen profession has taken Mr. Cottier to five different cities since leaving his home in Minnesota twenty-eight years ago. He established himself in Sacramento then sold out and started business in San Francisco. Believing that greater opportunities awaited him in Paso Robles he went there and started a plumbing and hardware store. After devoting several years to this business he disposed of it, to again return to San Francisco.

It was here that reverses overtook him, and he came to San Mateo penniless to start anew. Although a total stranger, Mr. Cottier gradually built up a business which although only ten years old, is one of the largest on the peninsula.

Eugene Charlie Cottier was born in Owatonna, Minnesota, on September 10, 1868. His father was a tailor. He spent his boyhood days there and was married in 1885. Since becoming proprietor of a successful plumbing establishment, Mr. Cottier has done considerable traveling. With his wife and son, John Eugene Cottier, who is ten years old, he has made three trips to Europe and has toured the United States. Mr. Cottier and his family live at 522 South E Street, San Mateo.

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 120. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

Mr. Clarence S. Crary is not only a banker, but has in the comparatively few years of his business career, earned the title of “Builder of Banks.” Mr. Crary is the Cashier of the Bank of Burlingame, and resides in Burlingame, where he is prominently identified with the business and social life of that city, being the Treasurer of the Burlingame Commercial Club and the Treasurer of the Merchants’ Association of San Mateo and Burlingame. He is also a member of the San Mateo lodge of Elks, and a member of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity at Stanford University, where he graduated with the class of 1903.

Mr. Crary was born in Boone, Iowa March 30, 1879 and attended preparatory school at Grinnell, Iowa, where he went to Grinnell College prior to entering Stanford University, California. Upon graduation, he accepted a position with the St. Francis Hotel as Assistant Clerk.

Shortly before the San Francisco fire he left the hotel to enter the real estate business where he was associated with Bovee Toy &Co., San Francisco.

His first step in the banking business came after this. From 1906 to 1908 he was cashier of the Mayfield bank. From there he went to the Merchants National Bank of San Francisco where he remained a year in the capacity of Assistant Cashier of their Fillmore Street Branch, and was promoted to receiving teller of the main bank on Market Street.

About this time, Clinton E. Worden of the First National Bank of San Francisco was establishing banks in and about the oil fields, and sought out Mr. Crary to assist him in this work. This string of banks included Maricopa, Taft, Wasco, Bakersfield and Richmond, California. During this period Mr. Crary erected two bank buildings in the oil fields.

In addition to assisting in the organization of these banks, Mr. Crary occupied the position of Assistant Cashier of the First National Bank of Maricopa. Later he assisted in the organization of the First National Bank of Taft of which he was cashier. From Taft he came to assume the position he now holds with the Bank of Burlingame, of which he is a large stockholder. During the time he has been with this local bank, which is practically three years, the bank’s business has just doubled in volume. Mr. Crary’s brother, Chas. J. Crary is also in the banking business, being Vice-President of the First National Bank of Richmond, California.

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 127. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.