WikiPedro Pedigree: Stephen M. White Drive

The plaque at the foot of the statue reads:

“Stephen M. White
1853 – 1901

Stephen M. White was elected Los Angeles County District Attorney in 1882, State Senator in 1886 and United States Senator in 1893. During his term in the United States Senate, Senator White’s most notable accomplishment was his successful leadership of the fight to create the Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro as opposed to Santa Monica Bay, the site that was being advocated by powerful railroad interests. It is believed that the rigors of his battle with the railroad barons contributed to Senator White’s untimely death in 1901 at the age of 48. Stephen M. White is one of the men of vision who laid the groundwork so the city and county of Los Angeles could take their extraordinary leadership position in the nation and the world during the 20th century. His legacy should be remembered for all time.

This statue of Stephen M. White has been relocated to its just and final resting place overlooking the federal breakwater through the efforts of the County, City and Port of Los Angeles.”

This is the statue’s third and final residence. Before moving to his beachside home in 1989, the statue was originally installed in 1908 outside the Old County courthouse at the corner of Temple & Broadway (downtown LA) and was moved in 1959 to the current County Courthouse at 1st and Hill streets.

Pedro Pedigree: Kerckhoff and Carolina

Kerckhoff is named for William G. Kerckhoff, a lumber dealer, banker and ship builder during the early days of San Pedro. He was a partner of George Peck in some of his development ventures. He helped to found the Pacific Light and Power Company, the forerunner to the Southern California Gas Company.

Carolina was named after a daughter of Ramon Sepulveda.

This information was found on Sunny San Pedro’s list of street names.

Saturday in the Park: Alma Park

Alma Park and Alma Street are both named for the middle daughter of George H. Peck. Alma was born in January of 1888 and lived with her father most of her life, including at the time of the 1930 census. This wasn’t unheard of, but again- I heard that she and her brother Leland were both sickly. I was told there were some biographies on them at the archives so I’m going to check it out. But perhaps the Leland and Alma parks and streets are so close together because they lived together with their father for so many years. I’m not sure what happened to them when their father passed in 1940. I’ll let you know if I find out.

Wikipedro/Pedro Pedigree: Leland Street Elementary School

Leland Street Elementary, Leland Street and Leland Park are all named for Leland Peck, youngest child of George H. Peck. I read somewhere that he was a sickly child, confined to a wheelchair most of his life. I can’t find where I read that, but census records show him and his sister Alma both still living with their father in their 40’s.

The front facades of Leland St. Elementary and Cabrillo Ave Elementary look almost identical. This is what Cabrillo’s front entry looked like when I was a student there.

Here is a picture of the new building and the new playground.

Wikipedro/ Pedro Pedigree: Amar

Amar Street is named for Edouard Amar. Edouard was born near Grenoble, France in 1852. He 1873 he got a job in Wilmington and got paid in sheep. A couple of years later he settled in San Pedro and started raising sheep. Within a few years his flock had grown to 50,000. The sheep were famous for walking into people’s yards, and even the schools. The sheep roamed where they wanted to and everyone in town accepted it. Edouard’s son Eloi was a real estate developer and contractor. He built the Elk’s club at 7th and Palos Verdes and some bungalows on 12th. Eloi was also General Manager of Catalina Island when it belonged to Phineas Banning and after it was sold to the Wrigley Family. Before Edouard passed in 1929, he was honored with the French Legion of Honor with ribbons.

Pedro Pedigree: Malgren Ave

This info comes from sunnysanpedro.com – John N. Malgren was a longshoreman for the Southern Pacific. He received the first property deed in San Pedro in 1882 in the Nob Hill area

Pedro Pedigree: Dodson Ave

Dodson Avenue is named for James H. Dodson. As the caption says, Mr. Dodson was Mayor of San Pedro Twice and Postmaster for many years. He married Rudecinda Sepulveda in 1881 who Dodson Middle School is named for. Rudecinda was given a house as a wedding present and that house is located on 13th just above Cabrillo. We should walk past it in a couple of weeks.

Wikipedro/Pedro Pedigree: John T. Gaffey

John T. Gaffey was born in Galway, Ireland on November 1, 1860. At the age of 7 he emmigrated to the US with his mother and 6 siblings on a sailing vessel through the Isthmus of Panama, disembarking in San Francisco. His mother bought a large cattle and sheep ranch and settled the family in Santa Cruz. He finished school in the bay area, studied a year at the University of California then returned to Santa Cruz. He became a reporter for the Santa Cruz Courier for a couple of years then established the Santa Cruz Herald. When he sold the paper 2 years later, he was appointed to Under Sheriff of the county and later served as clerk to the Supreme Court of the Southern District, which had duties that brought him to LA. He was elected to the Board of Equalization, then to the School Board of Los Angeles. He served on the school board for 10 months, then was elected to City Council. He served the council for 6 months, then left to work on Stephen White’s campaign for U.S. Senator. In 1893 he was appointed as the Collector of Customs for the Southern district by President Grover Cleveland, and in early 1894 he began an 18 month tenure as managing editor of the Los Angeles Herald. After a 4 yr term as Customs Collector, he retired from politics and focused on his mining prospects in Mexico. In 1906 he sold the mines and returned home to San Pedro. He married Arcadia Bandini in 1887, and had two children.

WHEW, talk about multi-tasker! That is why the biggest thoroughfare in San Pedro, Gaffey Street, is named after this man. The John T. Gaffey building was restored by Alan Johnson and Gary Larson. I got my information on Mr. Gaffey from a Google Book excerpt of Los Angeles, From The Mountains to The Sea by John Steven McGroarty (1921)

Pedro Pedigree: Bandini Street

I started today’s walk at 7th street where it splits Bandini to the north and Alma to the south. Since we’re leaving Bandini behind, I thought it would be a perfect time to drop some knowledge on you all. Let’s see what our friends at www.sunnysanpedro.com have to say.

“Juan Bandini was a ranchero owner from Mexico who once served as Secretary to Mexican Governor Pio Pico, but supported the revolution against Mexican control of California. His daughter, Arcadia Bandini, married three prominent Californians: The first, Abel Stearns, was the biggest landowner and rancher in Southern California. When Stearns died, she married Robert Symington Baker, the wealthy cofounder of Santa Monica. When Baker died, she married John T. Gaffey, the San Pedro Realtor and developer.”

-I have a bit of salacious gossip to add from wikipedia. I’m thinking that Arcadia outlived her first two husbands because she was 14! when she married Abel Stearns (an American ex-patriot who converted to Catholicism from Judaism to become a Mexican citizen).

Pedro Pedigree: Patton Avenue

Patton Avenue is named for George H. Patton, Jr., father of the famous World War II general. Patton was an attorney with landowner and developer clients in the Harbor area. He would bring his son to San Pedro and let him fish and play at the beach when he met with clients in the area. Patton’s daughter, Anne, married Phineas Banning’s son, Hancock. She was a founder of the Assistance League. A branch of the Assistance League runs the Weymouth Corners post office and gift shop and uses the proceeds to benefit harbor area youth. It is the only non-profit post office in the U. S.

(via http://www.sunnysanpedro.com)