Charles F. O'Neall (November 12, 1875 – January 29, 1929) was a

real estate agent A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

and an American Democratic

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He was born 1875 in

Birdville, Texas Birdville was a former community in Tarrant County, Texas that was founded around 1840. Today, the community is known and incorporated as Haltom City, Texas. History A team of Texas Rangers led by Jonathan Bird were dispatched by Sam Houston to e ...

, to James E. and Annie E. O'Neall. O'Neall attended public schools in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, afterwards working at various stores, then at Midland, Texas, raising stock. O'Neall married Annie May Townsend May 14, 1900, at Midland. They had three children, Ella, Annie, and Charles F., Jr. In 1906 he moved to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, where he became a successful real estate agent. He also became active in public affairs. He was president of the San Diego Realty Board during 1911–1913, served as a Fire Commissioner under Mayor John Forward Sr., and was director of the Chamber of Commerce. He was also active with the Democratic Party, serving as its County Central Committee chairman. He campaigned for Democrats President Wilson, and Congressman William Kettner, and was chairman of the latter campaign. O'Neall was elected

mayor of San Diego The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. ...

and served from 1913 to 1915. With the support of the business community, defeated Department Store owner George Marston. It was a classic "Smokestacks versus Geraniums" campaign. The tourism and parks people supported Marston and the commerce and industry people supported O'Neall. Banker Louis Wilde said:

O'Neall is progressive, not narrow, conservative. ... Mr. Marston ... means well, but he has not got it in him to do broad things for anybody ... somehow or other every time a big vital movement has been started for the advancement of the city, Marston has been quietly against it ...Richard Pourade "Chapter Nine: San Francisco Shows How Politics Should Be Played", ''Gold in the Sun'', ''History of San Diego'' (1965)
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Four years later, Wilde would run for mayor and also win against Marston in a similar campaign. O'Neall was mayor when the Panama-California Exposition opened in Balboa Park in 1915. O'Neall died in 1929 in Sonoma County, California.

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