San Mateo County CA Archives Biographies.....McSweeney, Ambrose December 20, 1870 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com and Regina Gualco rmgualco@yahoo.com August 16, 2006, 12:16 am

Author: S. J. Clarke (1928)


AMBROSE McSWEENEY

   In the field of public service Ambrose McSweeney has done important and
valuable work as tax collector for San Mateo county, an office which he has
filled for sixteen years, and his activities as a realtor have been equally
beneficial. He was born December 20, 1870, in San Francisco, California, and was
graduated from the Lincoln grammar school in that city. He was employed as a
clerk in the San Francisco post office and in 1896 came to South San Francisco
as a federal inspector of the department of animal industry, holding the
position for nine years after which he entered the political arena. He was
elected justice of the peace of the first township and acted in that capacity
for four years. He was made city recorder of South San Francisco and for eight
years was a member of its board of school trustees. He champions every project
for civic growth and betterment and belongs to the Chambers of Commerce of South
San Francisco and Redwood City. Mr. McSweeney is a stanch republican and since
January, 1911, has been tax collector for San Mateo county. He gives to the
office the service of an expert and his long retention in the position proves
conclusively that his worth is appreciated. At first he had one assistant during
the busy season and now requires twelve deputies. Introducing new and improved
methods, Mr. McSweeney has wrought a marked transformation in this department
and in one year there was a gain of twenty per cent in tax collections.

   Mr. McSweeney is a sagacious, farsighted business man and receives
substantial returns from his investments. He has laid out a number of
subdivisions, figuring conspicuously in development projects throughout the
county, and is also a director of the Bank of South San Francisco. He joined the
Order of Yeomen at San Bruno and is also a member of San Mateo Lodge, No. 1112,
of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. During the World war he acted as
vice chairman of the Red Cross organization in the first district and was also
chairman of the committee that promoted the sale of War Savings stamps in this
district. He has conscientiously fulfilled every duty and obligation in life
arid his reward is the unqualified respect and enduring regard of his fellow
citizens.

   In 1897 Mr. McSweeney married Miss Mary O'Rourke, a native of San Jose,
California, while her parents were natives of Ireland. They went to Australia
and afterward came to California, settling in Santa Clara county. Mrs. McSweeney
was a teacher in the public schools. They have become the parents of a son,
Byrne, who enlisted while a student at the University, went to Santa Clara
reserve officers' training camp and was in the engineering department. At the
end of the war he was discharged. He is now connected with the internal revenue
department of the United States government, working in the San Francisco office.
Mr. and Mrs. McSweeney also lost one child at the age of three and a half years.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY
OF
SAN MATEO
COUNTY
CALIFORNIA
VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO, ILL. 
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1928

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