The morning call., 1893-11-05

Sacramento, thence he went to Dry Creek.
where he made $1,000. which was suose-
seauently stolen from him, but undismaved
he labored with renewed energy until his
loss was replaced.
But there were less laborious roads TO
he returned to Sacramento. purchased a
team, and. fitting. out with general as
sortment Of miners goods, he again made
bis way to his old stamping ground. :"
Bidwels Bar. This venture proved fairly
successful. and shortly thereafter he came
to San francisco, where he purchased a
large supply of clothing, shipping the same
TO Shasta and dispnsing OF them at talr
Droflt. He afterward transported goods TO
Nevada CITY, but the market being over
stocked he took portion of his wares TO
Benicia, where he again embarked in the
clothing business. In 1853 the Legislature
assem- bled at Benicia. and, while business
was brisk and times were good. Mr.
Montgomery, with characteristic foresight.
thought 1t good time to sell out, which
ne did, and undertook to establish stage
line between Benicia and Napa.
In the stage-line enterprise, however, he
was not successful owing to i'll health and
the high price OF horses, so he struck out
upon new path. Returning to Sacra-
mento he opened dollar-a-night lodging
house and established several bowling
diiCyS. III icoe GudU wear U6 lOuuu tDdI
he had netted abOnt $4,000 from the specu-
lation, and satisfied with these results he
sold out and invested in a quartz mine Oh
Grizzly Flat in Ell Dorado County. This
investment resulted in neither profit nor
loss, the oEe about balancing the other.
The turning point of Mr.. Montgomery's
financial course was reached when he
made his first investment in real estate. AT
the solicitation of John NJ. Rhodes, a
nd
Wilson $4,000 on his ranch in Colusa
County. and this was the initial movement
In business which resulted in placing
Mr.. Montgomery in the front rank of Cali
fornia capitalists. He stocked the Touring
mill of Judge Wilson for one year, and by
his energy and enterprise infused new
life into the agricultural resources of
the UDDer Sacramento Valley.
In 1857 Alexander Montgomery paid his
native home visit Subsequently he
made tour of Europe, visiting the Paris
Exposition in 1867 aud every capital ex-
cept Lisbon, and he travelled also through
Asia Minor and Egypt and Northern
Africa. His tour included the Rhine,
Rhone, Danube, Nile, Mississippi and st.
Lawrence rivers, and he went through the
Suez canal before it was finished.
After his return to this State Mr.. Mont
gomery was known in business as a
capitalist In 1883 he changed his resi-
dence from Colusa County to a cozy home
in Oakland, and later he purchased the
magnificent mansion built by Delos Lake
in this city, on the northwest corner of
Vallejo and Leavenwortn streets. where
he had since resided. The maiden name
of his wife was Elizabeth A. Green, and
she. with two children, survives him.
Mr.. Montgomery was prominent men,
Der of the Scotch-Irsh Society in this
country. he was president of that organ
iZation in California and vice-president of
it in the nation. To that society he do
mated $4,000. He was member of the Ma
sonic order also. and gave $4,000 to
Pacific Lodge No. 1876.
In politics he was originally Wing,
and, as matter of course, identified him.
self with the natural successor of the
Wing party, the Republican.
But it was as a pioneer that Mr.. Mont
gomery was perhaps best known. He was
once president of the Society of California
pioneers, and he made the charity fund of
that organization bigger by donation Of
$4,000.
AS fortunate pioneer and as great
giver was he known, for he presented to
the Presbyterian Theological Seminary
the princely sum of S250,000, and Mont
gomery Hall. a fine stone structure at San
Anselm0, now stands as monument to
his munificence. Among his smaller gifts
was $500 to the Alexander Montgomery
astronomical library at the Lick Observa-
tory on Mount Hamilton.