George Cady 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.
["Great Divide Crossed by George Carson," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 21, 1901, page 12]
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On July 30, 1857, he married Maria Victoria Dominguez (April 27, 1842 – December 18, 1916), the daughter of Manuel Dominguez
Don Manuel Domínguez (1803–1882) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and a signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served as two terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). He was one of the largest landowners in Southern Califor ...
and Maria Engracia Cota.["Program Faculty," California State University at Dominguez Hills]
/ref> Their sons were John Manuel, George Henry Jr., Edward Albert, Christobal José, William Christobal, Joseph Noel and David Victor and they had eight daughters — Anna Francisca, Maria Engracia, Amelia Magdalena, Victoria Lenora, Virginia Adelaida, Maria Victoria (died same day as born), Ellen Victoria (died 1 day after birth) and Lucy Susana. He had a brother, Henry.["Old-Time Custom Again Revived," ''Los Angeles Herald,'' September 23, 1906, page II-5]
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He died November 20, 1901. In religion, Carson was a Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.[
]
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.[
]
Commercial and ranching
After he left the Army, Carson became a trader in Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory, and south into Mexico.
He moved to Los Angeles, California
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' ...
in 1853.[
In 1854, the ]Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
History
On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Sessions as their firs ...
gave Carson and William T.B. Sanford a contract to build a new wagon road alignment of the Stockton – Los Angeles Road through the San Fernando Pass section of the Stockton – Los Angeles Road in the northern San Fernando Valley. They also lowered the pass with a road−cut deep for a less steep hill climb/descent by wagons.[ElsmereCanyon.com: "Beale's Cut"]
by Stan Walker. In 1858, the first Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...
stage used the pass.[ In 1862, a narrow and deeper road−cut lowered the road by 50 feet, known as the Newhall Cut—Beale's Cut.][
Carson owned a hardware store and livery stable business on Commercial Street in Los Angeles, in partnership with William T.B. Sanford. He sold his share in 1862 to take on the management of the Rancho San Pedro, and then Dominguez Rancho section of it, in southwestern Los Angeles County. Carson began "stock raising and ranching on a large scale." One project was in partnership with prominent Southern California banker and investor Isaias W. Hellman.][
]
Public service
Carson was Los Angeles County public administrator
Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment ( public governance), management of non-profit estab ...
for twelve years, beginning in 1855.[ In a special election on December 27, 1856, he became a member of 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. He served until January 19, 1858.[''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
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
."
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.["Dominguez Heritage Project," ''Dateline Dominguez Hills,'' May 1, 2008]
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References
Notes
California State University, Dominguez Hills: The papers of George Henry Carson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, George Henry
Ranchers from California
Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Los Angeles Common Council (1850–1889) members
19th-century American legislators
1832 births
1901 deaths
Carson, California
People from New York (state)
19th century in Los Angeles