Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....Porter, Adelbert Deloss 1845 - 1911
************************************************
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:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 23, 2006, 8:55 pm

Author: Tom Gregory (1913)

ADELBERT DELOSS PORTER

    In the quality of her citizenship Woodland always has been blessed. Numerous
as have been the men identified with her progress, devoted to her well-being and
loyal to her welfare, perhaps none has manifested a more sincere interest in
civic upbuilding than that which gave individuality to the noble and successful
career of A. D. Porter, and his passing out of life removed an influential
factor from the throbbing current of local commerce and finance. For almost
one-half century it was his privilege to be identified with the history of Yolo
county. When in later life he turned in retrospect to the changes wrought during
that long period of growth, he might well have exclaimed: "All of which I saw
and part of which I was." It was during 1870 that he relinquished agricultural
activities in the country and came into town, whose upward progress he aided
ever afterward. While he was a man of diversified abilities and varied
interests, he became especially prominent and influential in business and
financial affairs. The realm of politics he never entered, yet civic duty and
good government were among the causes that enlisted his mind and heart. By
reason of his stanch devotion to all that makes for the welfare of mankind and
the uplifting of humanity, his death was a great loss to all unselfish and
high-minded citizenship.

    Mr. Porter came to California from Wisconsin, where he was born at Racine,
October 23, 1845, and where he received a common-school education at Menasha,
Winnebago county. During 1861 he left home and journeyed to New York City, where
he took passage on a ship bound for the Isthmus of Panama. From Aspinwall he
crossed to the Pacific coast, thence sailed up to San Francisco and immediately
after leaving his ship came direct to Yolo county, where ever afterward he made
his home. Here he found work as a farm laborer. After he had gained a thorough
experience in agriculture as conducted in this county he began to rent land.
From the first his economy and wise judgment brought him satisfactory returns.
Until 1867 he lived on land adjacent to the Sacramento river, but in that year
he removed to what was known as the Bellesterling ranch and there he remained
for three years.

    When he relinquished agricultural activities to take up business pursuits,
Mr. Porter selected Woodland as a most desirable location and in 1870 he rented
a small room and embarked in the grocery trade. It was not long until his small
quarters were insufficient to accommodate the needs of a growing business. To
secure adequate accommodations he built a store on Main street, but this he was
soon obliged to enlarge. Later he added a ware-house, in order to have abundance
of space for the storage of his large stock of groceries. The variety of the
stock was increased as the demands of the trade grew larger and eventually the
store became one of the most important of its kind in the entire county.
Meanwhile it had been brought to the keen mental vision of this progressive
merchant that Woodland offered an excellent opening for a banking institution.
Thereupon he began to interest capitalists in the undertaking and without
difficulty he secured the needed number of stockholders for raising $300,000 of
capital stock, with a limit of $10,000 to each person. In January of 1883 the
Bank of Yolo was organized and on the 1st of June following it opened for
business. After serving for many years on the board, he finally retired from the
directorate and sold all of his stock in the institution. This bank now has a
combined commercial and savings capital and surplus of $500,000.

    During the period of his management of a bank devoted especially to business
men and large depositors, it had been brought to the knowledge of Mr. Porter
that there was need of a savings institution whereby young people might be
encouraged to save their small earnings. Older people also had expressed their
desire for such a bank, in order that they might receive interest on time
deposits. Therefore in 1891 he organized the Yolo County Savings Bank in
Woodland, with a capital of $60,000. The original headquarters of the bank were
in rented rooms, but later Mr. Porter bought a site on Main and College streets
and erected a structure equipped with all modern banking facilities and
conveniences. Until his death he continued to serve as president of this bank.
Meanwhile he had acquired other interests, prominent among which was his
identification, with A. W. Gable and J. Byrns, in the building of the Byrns
hotel in 1883, and subsequently by purchasing the Byrns interest he became
two-thirds owner of the hotel. He also owned a residence on Main street, one of
the most attractive homes of Woodland. Three years after coming to the west he
had married Miss Elizabeth Mosby, who died June 14, 1897. Of their nine
children, Lena died in 1885, Frank in 1904 and three others passed away in
infancy. W. A. resides in Berkeley, Clarence became a farmer in Mexico, Harry D.
remains in Woodland and Cora, Mrs. Talbot Ware, is living in Berkeley. July 4,
1902, Mr. Porter married Mrs. Mattie Knox, who survives him.

    In the midst of his usual business activities death came suddenly and
unexpectedly to Mr. Porter. On the 3d of March, 1911, after a busy day at the
bank, he returned home, cheerful and apparently as well as usual. It had been
his intention to pass the evening at a basket-ball game, but when he found that
his wife, who was ill, would be left alone, he excused himself to his friends
and passed the evening in her company, retiring shortly after nine o'clock.
Between ten and eleven o'clock he was awake and conversed with his wife, but
after dropping to sleep again his breathing became heavy and he relapsed into
unconsciousness, from which physicians could not rally him. He did not again
speak or give any sign of recognition. The immediate cause of death was cerebral
thrombosis, a condition resulting from degenerative changes in the arteries of
the brain and closely connected with a weakness of the heart.

    One who had known Mr. Porter for twenty years said of him: "No one could
come into contact with Mr. Porter without feeling that he was a remarkable man,
a man of high sense of honor, a man of generous and exalted instincts and high
ideals. He was public spirited and very earnest and unselfish in promoting the
interests of the state, county and city, and he could be depended upon to
liberally encourage every legitimate public and private enterprise the purpose
of which was to promote the general good and prosperity. Although his career was
remarkably brilliant he was exceedingly modest in relating an account of it.
Coming to California while yet a boy, with no advantageous circumstances to
smooth his pathway, by his genius, superb judgment and dauntless courage he
accumulated a handsome competency and rounded out a business career of which the
highest and noblest might be justly proud. And this was accomplished by such
means as an honorable and just man may always employ. He was charitable and
hospitable in a marked degree. No one in distress ever appealed to his sympathy
and went away empty-handed. Many a young man starting in life felt the influence
of his favor; he having fought the great battle of life successfully, knew its
trials and loved to smooth the pathway to success for the young. Charitable
benefactions at all times and in many forms were generously, though
unostentatiously, dispensed by him among those who were less fortunate than
himself. Many a poor man, many an honest laborer, many a poor widow and orphan
child will miss his thoughtful generosity. He was a man not only of sound
judgment, but a man of strong convictions and fearless in their advocacy, and
yet he was tolerant of the views of others and reasonable in all things. His
judgment in important business matters was so well recognized that it was much
sought after by others and was always freely and frankly given. Indeed, his
whole life from his boyhood days in faraway Wisconsin to the hour of his decease
was an exemplification of honest effort, intelligent judgment and honorable
conduct in every detail."


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches
OF
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth
and Development From the Early Days to the Present

HISTORY BY
TOM GREGORY
AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913]


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yolo/bios/porter876nbs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/

File size: 9.1 Kb