.1ARED SIDNEY TORRANCE, in a Characteristic Pose, from a Snapshot by Mrs. Torrance.

The Founder of the Modern Industrial City Placed a Record of Achievement on Southern California's Pages

IT TOOK a remarkable man son, Cyrenius Chapin Torrance, Water Company; Los Angeles Bank; Pasa­ to look at the broad, sandy, was to become the father of Trust and Savings Jared Sidney. Educated in law, dena Electric Light and Power windswept acres of potatoes Cyrenius Torrance was attor-| Company; Ventura County and beans in 1911 and to en­ ney for the Seneca Indian na­ Power Company; Union Tool vision in their stead a modern tion from 1852 to 1855, and was Company; California Industrial industrial city that would lead district attorney of Erie county Company; Torrance, Marshall the world in many features, which includes Buffalo, from and Company; Doming uez 25 years hence. 1861 to 1864. Land Company; Dominguez And it was a remarkable Born In 1852 Land Corporation; Chester man who did it. Jared Sidney Fireproof Building Company; Torrancr, father of this twen­ JARED SIDNEY TORRANCEy( some' Los Angeles Public Market, tieth century wonder develop­ was born at Gowanda, Inc.; McKinley Home for Boys; ment, had begun life as a lum­ 30 miles southeast of Buffalo, LaVerne Sanitarium; South­ berman in western New York August 3, 1852. He attended^ west Museum; and the Barlow slate, then had branched out the Sheffield Scientific School whence he* Sanitarium Association. Over into realty operations and of Yale University, 100 of the corporations with I >;i nking before he came to graduated in 1875 with the de- ( California. gree of Ph. B. His business!* each capitalized at $1,000,000 or In 1754 the great-grandfather career as lumberman, realty more. of Jared Sidney Torrance, Rob­ operator and banker was be­ was a member town, Go­ Mr. Torrance ert Torrance by name, came gun in his old home of the Valley Hunt Club of to California from Mayoghle, wanda, but his failing health Pasadena; California Club of County Derry, Ireland. Locat­ necessitated a change of cli­ Los Angeles; and Los Angeles ing first at Woodbury, Conn., mate. Two years were spent , Chamber of Commerce. Politi- ' uid his wife, nee Lucy Peck, in Stralsund after which, in * , cally he was an independent. quently settled at Middle- 1887, ho settled in Pasadena, ' Kiry, Vt. where he engaged in realty op- > Twice Wedded erations and developed the HE WAS twice married, his Revolutionary Ancestor electric lighting system of that first wife being Annie Laurie TWO SONS were born to city. Fowler, of Oakland, whom he this union. The elder, Robert, From that time until his wed at Pasadena, February 13, was a "Green Mountain boy" death he was an officer or di- \ 1889; and his second being who served in the French and rector in over 140 corporations, Helena Hedy, of San Francisco, Indian wars, and, during the including such diversified fields ( to whom he was married June Revolutionary war, was en- as educational, industrial, land, 6, 1914. Two sons, Jared Sid­ K-'^ed in casting ordnance in cattle, oil, electricity, transpor­ ney, Jr., and John Fowler Tor­ a factory at Litchfield, Conn., tation, banking, bonds, agricul­ rance, were born of the first owned by the famous patriot, ture, horticulture, real estate, union, their mother dving in Ethan Alien. Perhaps the mod­ and various public utilities. 1893. ern machine development so v ^ When Mr. Torrance died at well exemplified in modern Tycoon of Business III phis South Pasadena home, on Torrance owes its roots to the CHIEF among these corpora- ( March 29, 1921, he left an es- strain in the Torrance family tions were the Union Oil Com-^. ^tate valued in probate court displayed in this early-day pany of California; Edtson\ jat $2,918,581. In addition to American mechanic. Electric Company (of which he* [providing for his widow 'and The second son, Styles, was vice-president*; Palomar {relatives, his will included gen- settled in western New York Land and Cattle Company ,w rous bequests for many chari-. and established a large woolen owning 2,000,000 acres of graz-f^ table institutions, including the mill near Buffalo. He married ing land in northern Chihua-k 'Jared Sidney Torrance Mem­ Matilda Hubbard, and their hua, Mexico; Chino Land and*l orial Hospital.