Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....Morris, Alf. 1852 - 
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Author: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908)

    ALF. MORRIS, popular citizen of Santa Monica and president of the City
Council, is a native of England, now fifty-six years of age. He received his
education in a private grammar school and at the age of sixteen years entered
the counting house of one of the largest foreign shippers as an accountant. He
spent several years in this employ and acquired a thorough knowledge of the
business. Subsequently he took a position as an employee of the Great Western R.
R. Company, acting as chief clerk in a branch office. He arrived in New York
City nearly thirty years ago and spent two years traveling in the states. He
then engaged in the hotel business in the city of Chicago and met with a liberal
degree of success. He came to California and located at Santa Monica in 1894,
successfully conducting a restaurant business. In October, 1898, he purchased
the Santa Monica Steam Laundry, operating the same until October, 1905. He built
up an extensive and profitable business in this line, later disposing of it. He
then bent his energies to the building of the Kensington Apartments. These have
proven to be, not only an innovation in the line of family residential
apartments, but with their convenient location to the quick transportation to
and from Los Angeles, their close proximity to the sea beach and surf bathing
and with their grand views of the ocean, they compose one of the most valuable
property holdings of the kind extant. Meantime, Mr. Morris has made several
profitable real estate deals and has, withal, become one of Santa Monica's most
substantial property owners.

    Mr. Morris has always been enterprising and alive to the best interests of
his adopted city, and has borne his part in the promotion of its civic and
political welfare. He was elected to the first city council under the
Freeholders Charter from the fourth ward and took his seat April 15th, 1907. He
was chosen presiding officer of this body. As president of the council his
services have proven valuable, having brought honor and dignity to the position
by the pursuance of a broad, impartial and judicious policy. His genial
personality, uniform kindness and courteous bearing must have had much to do
with his prosperity and success in life.

    Mr. Morris' mother died when he was yet a youth. His father, was, for many
years, a manager for some of the largest mercantile houses in England. He died
greatly respected in the year 1891. Mr. Morris married Miss Annette Olsen in the
city of New York, January 20th, 1890. She is a daughter of Prof. O. Olsen, of
Chicago, a native of Norway, and one of the finest scenic and landscape painters
in the country.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities: prefaced with a brief
history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County,
1542 to 1908: supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and
embellished with views of historic landmarks and portraits of representative
people.

Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908)


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