Kings County CA Archives Biographies.....Decker, Louis January 14, 1866 - 
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Kellie Crnkovich markkell95@aol.com and Kathy Sedler  December 21, 2005, 2:20 pm

Author: History of Tulare and Kings Counties

Prominent and active in the industrial and civic world of LeŽmoore is Louis 
Decker, born at Ligonier, Ind., January 14, 1866. When four years old he was 
taken by his parents to Alexander, Nebr., where he lived until 1886, when in 
company with Charles Russell, also of Alexander, he came to Lemoore, where he 
has attained to prominence in many ways and become one of its well-known 
merchants. Mr. Decker was employed five years as a clerk in the store of M. 
Lovelace, then bought a fruit farm at Grangeville on which he lived during the 
ensuing five years. In 1896 he became a clerk in Kutner-Goldstein's store at 
Hanford, and after three years' employment there he went to the oil fields in 
Kern county and put in two years in the development of oil lands. After that 
for some time he was a successful contractor and builder in San Francisco. 
Coming back to Lemoore in 1901, he a second time entered the employ of Mr. 
Lovelace with whom he remained four years until he became bookkeeper of the 
Bank of Lemoore, and this position he filled until January, 1912, when he 
resigned it to buy the M. Lovelace store. He carries a line of farm implements, 
agricultural machinery and carriages, his specialties including the McCormick 
and Buckeye implements, the California Moline plows and the Studebaker wagons. 
He is part owner and manager of the Lemoore garage, with L. H. Byron, who has 
the agency for the country round Lemoore and Coalinga for the Ford motor 
vehicles and does a general garage and repair business. His implement building 
is constructed of corrugated iron and occupies a ground space of 100x150 feet, 
and his garage, of the same material, occupies a ground space of 75x150 feet. 
The latter has been enlarged three times. The original garage was 75x75 feet in 
area; twenty-five feet was added to its length and later it was brought up to 
its present capacity. Having recently built a new residence on Lemoore avenue, 
Mr. Decker is now the owner of two houses in the city. He has in many ways 
demonstrated his public spirit and has served as city clerk of Lemoore, a term 
as city clerk by appointment, and a term in the same office by election. In 
1893, at the first election after the organization of Kings county, he was a. 
candidate for county recorder against F. M. Fraser and was defeated by only 
five votes. He is secretary of the Odd Fellows' Hall association and is a Past 
Grand of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a past clerk 
of the Lemoore organization of the Woodmen of the World, and in 1891 was a 
delegate to the High Court of the Independent Order of Foresters held at Los 
Angeles.

On May 3, 1911, Mr. Decker married Maria Westerhoff, of Alexander, Nebr., a 
daughter of William Westerhoff, who was a pioneer in that state.


Additional Comments:
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - 
Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913
pp. 591-592
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler









File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kings/bios/decker210bs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/

File size: 3.6 Kb