William "Billy" Richard Rowland (November 11, 1846 – February 4, 1926) was the eleventh sheriff of Los Angeles County, California, and a large landowner in the

La Puente La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The original inhabitants of the ...

area of the San Gabriel Valley."Rowland Rites at Cathedral," ''Los Angeles Times,'' February 6, 1926, page A5
/ref> He organized the posse and crafted the successful strategy that resulted in the wounding and capture of notorious bandit

Tiburcio Vasquez Tiburcio, the Spanish form of Tiburtius, may refer to: *Tiburcio Carías Andino (1876–1969), Honduran military strongman *Tiburcio de León, Filipino general (the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War) * José Tiburcio Serrizuela (bo ...

in 1874. He did not accompany the posse himself for fear of the tactic becoming known. Rowland discovered oil in the

Puente Hills The Puente Hills are a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California, in the United States. The western end of the range is often referred to locally as the Whittier Hills. ...

and founded the Puente Oil Company, one of the oldest such endeavors in California. Rowland was born on November 11, 1846, at

Rancho La Puente Rancho La Puente was a ranch in the southern San Gabriel Valley that measured just under , and remained intact from its establishment in the late 1700s as an outpost of Mission San Gabriel until about 1870. By modern landmarks, the ranch extended ...

, the son of John Albert and Dona Incarnación Martinez Rowland. John was born in Pennsylvania and worked in agriculture. Incarnacion was the daughter of Jose Felipe DeJesus Martinez of Taos, New Mexico. He was elected and became sheriff in 1871, when he was 26 years old, still the youngest as of 2011. He was the county's first sheriff of

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

descent. He was married to Dona Manuela Williams. Manuela was the daughter of Col. Isaac Williams of

Rancho Santa Ana del Chino Rancho Santa Ana del Chino was a Mexican land grant in the Chino Hills and southwestern Pomona Valley, in present-day San Bernardino County, California. It was granted to Antonio Maria Lugo in 1841 by Mexican Alta California Governor Juan Bauti ...

. They had two daughters, Mrs. C.E. (or Mrs. Clarence G.)Toland and Mrs. E. Clarence (Helen) Moore,"Mrs. H.R. Moore Dies at Historic Puente Rancho," ''Los Angeles Times,'' page 3
/ref> and two grandchildren, William Rowland Moore and Helen Moore. While living in La Puente, Rowland commuted daily to his Los Angeles office via the

Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company in California, Nevada, and Utah in the United States, that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities (Salt Lake City, Utah and Los Angeles, California), via Las Ve ...

. Rowland was a member of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. He died of a heart attack February 4, 1926, in the family home at 805 Bonnie Brae Street, Los Angeles, after a five-year illness."Rowland Obsequies Tomorrow," ''Los Angeles Times,'' February 4, 1926, page A1
/ref> A solemn requiem mass was held at the Saint Vibiana Cathedral, at which pallbearers included noted civic leaders like

William Mulholland William Mulholland (September 11, 1855 – July 22, 1935) was an Irish American self-taught civil engineer who was responsible for building the infrastructure to provide a water supply that allowed Los Angeles to grow into the largest city in Ca ...

, the father of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Bishop John J. Cantwell eulogized:

He was one of the pioneer sons of the Golden West and he saw a great city growing up around him. He used opportunities that were in his path to build things that were worthy of an honorable citizen.

His left an estate of $1,257,186, including land and holdings valued at $1 million.W.R. Rowland Estate Valued at $1,357,186
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowland, William Businesspeople from Los Angeles Los Angeles County, California sheriffs 1846 births 1926 deaths People from La Puente, California

See also

Further reading

References

External links