Leroy Milton Grider, or L. M. Grider, (1854–1919) was a pioneer land developer in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was said to be the originator of the excursion method of selling residential lots. He was also a

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member and a businessman known for establishing a noted

pet store A pet shop or pet store is a retail business which sells animals and pet care resources to the public. A variety of animal supplies and pet accessories are also sold in pet shops. The products sold include: food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, ca ...

in that city. He was the target of a publicized but unsuccessful suit by his wife for a legal separation in 1914.

Vocation

Grider first opened a

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 ...

office in

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and then moved to a space in Los Angeles at First and Main Streets. He "was said to be the first real estate man in the city to use the excursion method of selling lots," and he eventually opened and sold property in 26 subdivisions, including Sunnyside,

Bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

, Floral Park, Grant Place, Lomita Park and Manchester Heights, often by "giving old-fashioned Spanish barbecues on the sites." A Democrat, Grider ran for Los Angeles County assessor or

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in 1890, and he was a Los Angeles City Council member in 1896–1898; he was also a fire commissioner. He was a member of the

Native Sons of the Golden West The Native Sons of the Golden West is a fraternal service organization founded in the U.S. state of California in 1875, dedicated to historic preservation, documentation of historic structures and places in the state, the placement of historic p ...

and the

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. According to the ''Los Angeles Times,'' "he established the business in this city known as Birdland, where birds of all kinds and descriptions, as well as other kinds of pets, were on sale and exhibition." It was the largest bird store in Los Angeles.

Personal

Early

Grider's parents, Tobias S. and Eleanor Grider, came to California in 1851 over the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, th ...

, and Leroy was born on . The family moved to Los Angeles in 1854 or 1857 and it was there that Grider, when grown, began his career in real estate.

Marriage

He was married to Zora Ann Caruthers on , and, in 1914, she filed for

separate maintenance Legal separation (sometimes judicial separation, separate maintenance, divorce ', or divorce from bed-and-board) is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is gra ...

, alleging that he "began to drink fifteen years ago, and has grown worse, so that now he is intoxicated almost daily." They were living in separate parts of the house at 1160 East Pico Street, situated adjacent to the Birdland business that Grider owned and managed. The lawsuit was denied by Judge Monroe, who "found that there was absolutely no ground for divorce on the allegation of

extreme cruelty Cruelty is the pleasure in inflicting suffering or inaction towards another's suffering when a clear remedy is readily available. Sadism can also be related to this form of action or concept. Cruel ways of inflicting suffering may involve vi ...

Death

Grider died on , in his home at 1303 Central Avenue. The cause was given as "an affection of the heart which had been bothering him for several years." He had two children, Mrs. Idella Webster (later Idella Grider Manisera and also identified as Mrs. Isabella Moore) and Charles C. Grider. Burial was in Inglewood Cemetery.

References

External links

Grider genealogy

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grider, Leroy Milton 1854 births 1919 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American politicians Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Businesspeople from Los Angeles Los Angeles City Council members