San Mateo County Biographies

WILLIAM ALBERT CROWELL

William Albert Crowell, manager and proprietor of the James Crowe Co., of Redwood City, the oldest undertaking establishment of the county, has made a host of friends since his arrival in Redwood City three years ago. Mr. Crowell has made the interests of his new place of residence his interests and few newcomers have taken a more prominent place in the community than that held by Mr. Crowell.

When Mr. Crowell took over the establishment that was founded in 1868 by the late James Crowe, a pioneer undertaker of San Mateo county, Redwood City gained a man of wide experience in this line. Mr. Crowell has been in the undertaking business in several cities, his last venture being in Sacramento where he was established for nine years.

Mr. Crowell has been appointed a deputy to Coroner W.A. Brooke. This is another position in which Mr. Crowell is thoroughly experienced. He was coroner and public administrator of Placer county. At that time he was established in the undertaking business at Auburn.

William Albert Crowell was born on August 9, 1862 in Massachusetts. He has lived in California thirty-five years. On August 9, 1889, Mr. Crowell was married in Tulare. He has three children: Bethel, age 24, Elaine, 15, and William, 13. Mr. Crowell is high in Masonic circles, being past master of the Eureka lodge and past high priest of Delta Chapter in Placer County. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias.

Transcribed by Betty Wilson

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 164-165. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

Ebenezer E. Cunningham was born April 6, 1839 in Marion County, Missouri. He received his education in the public schools of Iowa. At the age of 18 years he emigrated to the Territory of Nebraska. He enlisted in the Civil War and served as 2^nd Duty Sergeant in Co. C. 2^nd Nebraska Cavalry and in the 48^th Missouri Infantry as 1^st Lieutenant of Co. K. In 1868 Mr. Cunningham was elected to the Nebraska State Senate from the first district (Richardson County) and reelected in 1870, was elected President of the State Senate and president at the impeachment trial of Governor David Butler, session of 1870 and 1871.

In March 1871 was appointed U.S. Surveyor General for Nebraska and Iowa, which position he held until the spring of 1876 when he resigned to take up the work of U.S. Surveys in the field. Judge Cunningham followed mining for 15 years and in 1886 came to San Francisco. In 1892 he removed to South San Francisco, and in April of that year was appointed postmaster, a position he has held continuously to the present time. For fourteen years he was also Justice of the Peace for the First Township of San Mateo County, which latter office he gave up when the post office was raised to the third class.

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 128-129. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

FRED A. CUNNINGHAM

South San Francisco has a reputation of getting almost everything it goes after for the reason that most of its big men are unselfishly imbued with civic pride and interest, or in the language of the streets are “live ones.” Among these “live ones” is Fred A. Cunningham, real estate dealer and trustee and formerly mayor of South San Francisco.

Mr. Cunningham is a worker for South San Francisco and the county at large. He was one of the organizers and is at present a member of the Board of Governors of the San Mateo County Development Association. He was a potent factor in the campaign for $1,250,000 good roads bonds, the lower rates fight and other undertakings of the association. In a like manner he has been one of the most active members of the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Cunningham is engaged in the real estate and insurance business being manager of E.E. Cunningham & Co. He is also one of the principal stockholders and a director of the Peninsula Rapid Transit Company.

Mr. Cunningham has been city trustee since 1912 and during that time he has served a term as mayor of South San Francisco.

Fred A. Cunningham was born in Falls City, Neb., April 6, 1872. He completed his education which was begun in the Nebraska schools at the Salina Normal School, in Kansas. Following his graduation he was in the milling business at Perry, Oklahoma where he remained ten years ago. He was married in South San Francisco in June, 1907.

As a member of the Twentieth Kansas Volunteers, Mr. Cunningham served in the Spanish-American war. He is a member of the Nelson A. Miles Camp of the Spanish War Veterans.

Transcribed by Betty Wilson

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 152-153. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

Mr. Henry T. Daley, a dentist of Burlingame, is one of the leading young professional men of the peninsula. Before coming to Burlingame to establish his practice. Dr. Daley had offices in San Francisco. He has practiced in Burlingame since 1909.

Dr. Daley is a native son. He was born at Lockeford in 1885. He received his early education in California.

Dr. Daley was married on June 25, 1911. He is associated with several college and business organizations and is a member of the San Mateo Lodge of Elks and the Royal Arcanum.

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 135. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.

John F. Davis, Justice of the Peace in the first township and City Attorney of Burlingame, is one of the county’s promising young lawyers. He has practices for the past eleven years, the last seven of which have been in the courts of this county.

As City Attorney of Burlingame Mr. Davis has played an important part in the growth of that city. He has done all the legal work in connection with hundreds of thousands of dollars that Burlingame has spent on sewers, sidewalks and street improvements, the municipal water system and the extension of the city’s boundaries. During his incumbency in office he has won many important cases for the city, notable among which was a case against an asphalt company which resulted in the saving of thousands of dollars to the property owners. Although pitted against big corporation lawyers he and other Burlingame officials forced the United Railroads to spend $30,000 improving its right of way in Burlingame.

John F. Davis was born in Sacramento on June 19, 1879. After graduating from the Sacramento high school, he attended Stanford University and later took a law course at the University of Michigan. He was then associated with several large law firms after being admitted to the bar.

Besides a beautiful home in Easton, Mr. Davis owns other Burlingame property. He is also closely identified with the social life of Burlingame, being a member of the Burlingame Commercial Club and a member of the Masonic order.

Source: History of San Mateo County by Philip W. Alexander & Charles P. Hamm page 137-138. Press of Burlingame Publishing Co., Burlingame, CA. 1916.