George Henry Carson

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George Henry Carson (1832–1901) was a merchant, road builder, rancher and member of the Los Angeles, California, Common Council in the 1850s.

Personal

Carson was born in New York in 1832, and when he was thirteen he was brought to Saint Charles, Illinois.[1]

On July 30, 1857, he married Maria Victoria Dominguez (April 27, 1842 – December 18, 1916), the daughter of Manuel Dominguez and Maria Engracia Cota.[2][3] Their sons were John Manuel, George, Edward, José and David, and they had five daughters — Anna, Mary, Amelia, Victoria and Lucy. He had a brother, Henry.[4][5][6]

He died November 20, 1901. In religion, Carson was a Catholic.[1]

Career

Military

Carson enlisted at the age of fourteen as a "soldier, drummer and bugler" to serve in the Mexican War in a regiment of Illinois volunteers. and was mustered out in Santa Fe.[1]

Commercial and ranching

After he left the Army, Carson became a trader in Santa Fe and in Mexico, moving to Los Angeles in 1853.[1]

The county Board of Supervisors in 1854 gave Carson and William T.B. Sanford a contract to build a new wagon road through the Tejon Pass, which road was improved later, in 1858 and 1863, eventually to include a narrow passageway known as the Newhall Cut or Beale's Cut.[7]

He owned a hardware and livery business on Commercial Street in Los Angeles, in partnership with William T.B. Sanford, which he sold in 1862 to take on the management of the Rancho San Pedro and then Dominguez rancho. Carson began "stock raising and ranching on a large scale," once in partnership with Isaias W. Hellman.[1][6][8]

Public service

Carson was Los Angeles County public administrator for twelve years, beginning in 1855.[1][6] In a special election on December 27, 1856, he became a member of the Los Angeles Common Council, the governing body of the city. He served until January 19, 1858.[9]

Legacy

The city of Carson, California, was named in honor of George Carson. His descendants formed the Carson Estate Company, which later became the Carson Companies. [8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Great Divide Crossed by George Carson," Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1901, page 12
  2. ↑ "The Historic Dominguez Rancho Adobe, City of Carson
  3. ↑ "Program Faculty," California State University at Dominguez Hills
  4. ↑ "Death of Miss Anna Carson," Los Angeles Times, September 2, 1899, page 11
  5. ↑ "Old-Time Custom Again Revived," Los Angeles Herald, September 23, 1906, page II-5
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "John Manuel Carson," Notables of the West, volume 1 (1913)
  7. ↑ Stan Walker, "Beale's Cut," ElsmereCanyon.com
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Dominguez Heritage Project," Dateline Dominguez Hills, May 1, 2008
  9. ↑ Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials,1850-1938, compiled under direction of Municipal Reference Library, City Hall, Los Angeles (March 1938, reprinted 1966). "Prepared ... as a report on Project No. SA 3123-5703-6077-8121-9900 conducted under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration."

Notes

  • The papers of George Henry Carson are at California State University, Dominguez Hills.


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