John D. Bicknell (June 25, 1838 – July 7, 1911) was an American

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

attorney and investor. He studied law in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, later being admitted to the bar in the supreme court of that state. From 1872 to 1907 he participated in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

real estate boom, and founded the law firm that is now known as

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is an American multinational law firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1890, the firm includes approximately 1,400 attorneys and 1,000 staff located in 20 offices around the world, including North ...

. He was also associated with the founding of Monrovia and Azusa, California, and oil developments in the Santa Maria Valley.

Early life and career

Bicknell was born in

Jericho, Vermont Jericho is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,104. The town was named after the ancient city of Jericho. History Ira Allen and Remember Baker began surveying the town of Jericho in ...

, elder son of Nathaniel and Fanny (Thompson) Bicknell, and a direct descendant of Hannah Dustin. Bicknell moved to

where he attended college. In 1860 Bicknell went to

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, where he taught school for two years. Troubled by his asthma he decided to move to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. In 1862 he joined a group of emigrants and was elected captain of the expedition directing them to

Knights Landing, California Knights Landing (formerly, Baltimore and East Grafton) is a census-designated place in Yolo County, California, United States, founded by William Knight. It is located on the Sacramento River around 25 miles northwest of Sacramento in the northeas ...

. Bicknell stayed in California until 1863, then resolved to return to Wisconsin to study law. Bicknell was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin in 1865; and engaged in practice in

Greenfield, Missouri Greenfield is a city in Dade County, Missouri. The population was 1,220 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dade County. History Greenfield was laid out in 1841, and named for the greenery of the original town site. A post office call ...

. Bicknell's first marriage was to Maria Hatch, in Vermont, in 1868. However, the bride died two months later, dying in Wisconsin where they resided. Bicknell's second marriage, to the widow Nancy (Christian) Dobbins occurred in 1871.

Los Angeles legal practice

In 1872 Bicknell moved to

. He participated in the real estate boom both as an attorney and through his own investments. In 1887 the

Southern Pacific Transportation Company The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

chose Bicknell as its counsel because of his real estate reputation. Bicknell later became a lawyer for Huntington and the

Los Angeles Railway The Los Angeles Railway (also known as Yellow Cars, LARy and later Los Angeles Transit Lines) was a system of streetcars that operated in Central Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods between 1895 and 1963. The system provided frequent loc ...

. Bicknell was the attorney for General William Rosencrans' action to establish title to a large tract south of Los Angeles. In 1890 Bicknell was president of the

Los Angeles County Bar Association The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) is a voluntary bar association with more than 21,000 members throughout Los Angeles County, California, and the world. Founded in 1878, LACBA's goal has been to meet the professional needs of lawye ...

. From 1872 to 1875 he practiced in Los Angeles as Bicknell and Rothchild; from 1875 to 1886 he maintained an office alone; from 1886 to 1890 as Bicknell & White. From 1890 as Bicknell & Trask - this was later changed to Bicknell, Trask & Gibson, while a succeeding change added the names of Crutcher and Dunn. Bicknell retired in 1907.

Real estate investor

Bicknell was associated with the founding of

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and co ...

;

Azusa, California Azusa (Tongva language, Tongva: ''Asuksa-nga'') is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located 20 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles. ...

, and the development of oil in the Santa Maria Valley. Bicknell Park in

Montebello, California Montebello (Italian for "Beautiful Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located just east of East Los Angeles and southwest of San Gabriel Valley. It is an independent city. east of downtown Los Angeles. It is ...

, Bicknell Avenue in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, and the ghost town of Bicknell on the

Orcutt Oil Field The Orcutt Oil Field is a large oil field in the Solomon Hills south of Orcutt, in Santa Barbara County, California. Discovered in 1901 by William Warren Orcutt, it was the first giant field (over in ultimate recovery) to be found in Santa Bar ...

, south of Santa Maria, are named for him. 1919 Bicknell School/Bicknell District
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bicknell, John Dustin 1838 births 1911 deaths History of Los Angeles California lawyers People from Jericho, Vermont People from Greenfield, Missouri 19th-century American lawyers People associated with Gibson Dunn