The San Francisco call., 1909-08-22
DEATH SUMMONS
|. PIONEER MERCHANT
James Burgess Stetsen, Hard
ware Magnate and Railway
Builder, Expires
Veteran Member of Noted Firm
Succumbs to Ravages OF
Bright's Disease

Death closed the career OF James II.
Stetson. pioneer merchant, street rail-
way magnate. railroad builder and mil
lionaire, at his home, Van Ness avenue
and Clay street. yesterday morning at
o'clock. For several days the veteran
businessman had been stricken with
Brights disease, but Friday night a
change for the better was thought to
have come over the patient. Yester-
day morning. however, he began 10 SINK
and died at o'clock His son, Harry y.
Stetson, and his nephew. William X.
Wheeler. manager of the Merchants
exchange traffic bureau, had been close
watchers at his bedside during the last
hours.
The funeral will be held Monday
morning at 10 o'clock from the resi-
dence in Van Ness avenue. Inc serv-
ices will be read by Rev. Brad1ord
Leavitt, pastor of the First Unitarian
church, which Stetson attended. The
remains will be cremated al Odd Eel
lows cemetery.
FOURTH OF GROUP TO GO
]. B. Stetson was the fourth of
group Of old time friends who USED
annually to meet TO celebrate the birth
day of Stetson, who have passed away
the quartet were Claus Spreckels, Ed
win Goodall and Isaac Upham.
James Burgess Stetson was born
March q, 1881. at Kingston, Mass, OF
old New England stock. He was de-
scendant of Elder Brewster, one of the
early Puritans.
In 1852 Stetson came to California to
seek the fortune which he acquired.
He first devoted himself to mining in
ra =
gagged in the hardware business under
the firm name of Osgood g. Stetson at
Columbia, Tuolumne county, then g
prosperous mining camp. In 1850 the
Arm moved to San Francisco and
opened a store in Montgomery street.
the property later to be the site of
the Occidental hotel. January /, 1878.
hardware firm of HoIbrook, Merrill &
Co. under the new name of Holbrook,
Merrill & Stetson. Stetson retained
his financial interest in the corpora
tion until the time of his death.
RAILROAD ACTIVITIES
He devoted his attention to other
activities. He became president of the
North Pacific Coast railroad and held
that position until the John Martin
syndicate bought the road and 1t be-
came known as the North Shore. He
became interested in the California
street railroad, which was built by
Senator Stanford. Under Stetson's man
agement the Hyde street line was built.
He was extensively interested in ship
ping, being q large share holder In the
Robert Dollar steamship company and
other concerns.
Stetson was the president of the
original traffic association of San Fran
cisco. the organization out of which
grew the plans for constructing the
valley road and the incorporation of
the North American navigation COM
pany. Both the railroad and the steam
ship lines We're undertaken by Stetson
and other public spirited men to save
California from the domination of the
transcontinental railroad lines. Stet-
son was one of the directors of the
Valley road, which laten was sold to
the Santa Fe.
Stetson was a member of the board
of supervisors during the regime OF
Mayor Kalloch and was selected by the
board to supersede the mayor In the
duty of officially entertaining General
Grant when he visited San Francisco
80 years ago.
PUBLIC SPIRITED CITIZEN
!, Stetson married Maria Slack while
he lived In TuoIumne and three chill
dren, now living, were born to them.
4Ac wv Odu6AliCASJ LIS t,dA dAA w MS
low. known in local society as sally
Stetson," and Mrs. Robert Oxnard, are
visiting in Paris. The son, Harry N.
Stetson, is in the city. Stetson's sis
ter, Anna Stetson Wheeler, lived with
her brother after the death of his
wife. Stetson's two nephews, William
r. Wheeler. the traffic manager, and
Charles Stetson Wheeler, the attorney,
are well known.
Stetson was member of the Pacific
Union club. He was public spirited
citizen. During the fire of April, 1906,
he detected an otherwise unnoticed
blaze on the roof of house in Clay
street west of Van Ness and paid man
to extinguish the flame. Had the fire
gained headway on the house the West
ern addition might have been destroyed.
Stetson was proud to recall his action
in the matter and had the charred
shingles of the imperiled house framed
as a memento of the calamity, about
which he also wrote a lucid book of
his personal experiences during the
stressful time.