Wallace Woodworth (July 28, 1832 – September 13, 1882) was a wealthy businessman and rancher 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 19th century. He was a member of the governing bodies of both

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' ...

City and County. He helped organize the city's first gas company.

Personal

Woodworth was born in

Johnstown, Ohio Johnstown is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,182 at the 2020 census. The city is currently served by a seven-person City Council which includes the current Mayor Donald D. Barnard, Jr. Johnstown was the hom ...

, on July 28, 1832."One of the Solid Men of the City Gone"
''Los Angeles Times'', September 14, 1882, page 4. He came to Los Angeles County in 1853 and lived with his uncle, Isaac Williams, on the Chino Ranch, of which the young man became manager. He grew wealthy in raising and selling cattle. Woodworth married Carrie, a granddaughter of

Antonio Maria Lugo Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

, and they had six children, including an oldest son named Joseph and a younger one named Wallace J.City of Bell Gardens
January 18, 2008."Scan. Mag.: More of the Loony Lightner's Mischief-Making"
''Los Angeles Times'', August 15, 1885, page 5. Daughters were Hazel, Juanita and Mamie. He died September 13, 1882, in his home on

San Pedro Street San Pedro Street is a major north–south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, running from Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles to West Rancho Dominguez. San Pedro Street was one of the earliest roadways, along with Alameda Street, betwee ...

of what his physicians called an " affection of the heart." Interment was in Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles.

Vocation

Upon moving to Los Angeles in 1858, Woodworth bought the interest of James D. Brady in a furniture business co-owned by William H. Perry. In 1867 the Woodworth and Perry partnership organized a gas company, which brought the first gas lights to the city. Others in the venture,

capitalized Capitalization (American English) or capitalisation (British English) is writing a word with its first letter as a capital letter (uppercase letter) and the remaining letters in lower case, in writing systems with a case distinction. The term a ...

with $36,000, were James Hagan, John Goller and George J. Clark. In 1872, S. H. Mott became a partner and the firm disposed of the furniture business and became "one of the largest and wealthiest"

lumber yard A lumber yard is a location where lumber and wood-related products used in construction and/or home improvement projects are processed or stored. Some lumber yards offer retail sales to consumers, and some of these may also provide services suc ...

s in Los Angeles.

Public affairs

Woodworth, a Democrat, was elected to the

Los Angeles Common Council The Los Angeles Common Council was the predecessor of the Los Angeles, California, City Council. It was formed in 1850 under state law, when the city had only 1,610 residents, and it existed until 1889, when the city had about 50,400 residents and ...

, the governing body of the city, in 1859, 1860 and 1864, and to the Los Angeles County

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in 1867, serving until 1871.Los Angeles County biography, citing "History of Los Angeles County"
''Los Angeles Times'', September 14, 1882. In late 1860 in his role as Council President, Woodworth served as acting mayor for two weeks as a result of the death of Mayor Henry Mellis.

Legacy

Woodworth is remembered with a large burial vault at Evergreen Cemetery, designed by A. C. Thompson, a leading

memorialist Memorialism is the belief held by some Christian denominations that the elements of bread and wine (or juice) in the Eucharist (more often referred to as "the Lord's Supper" by memorialists) are purely symbolic representations of the body and ...

of his time."Monumental Designs"
''Los Angeles Times'', January 9, 1885, page 4. Upon his death, Woodworth left an estate estimated at $350,000 to $450,000, half to his wife and half to their six children.

References

*Access to the ''Los Angeles Times'' links may require the use of a library card. {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodworth, Wallace Businesspeople from Los Angeles Los Angeles City Council members Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors California Democrats 1832 births 1882 deaths Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles People from Licking County, Ohio 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople