Francis K. Shattuck
Encyclopedia
Francis Kittredge Shattuck (March 6, 1824 – September 9, 1898) was the most prominent civic leader in the early history of Berkeley, California
, and played an important role in the creation and government of Alameda County as well. He also served as the fifth mayor of the city of Oakland
in 1859, and represented the 4th District in the California State Assembly
from 1860-61. He also served many years on the Board of Supervisors of Alameda County starting in 1860. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Town of Berkeley in 1884.
, Essex County
in northern New York
state. His mother was Betsy Mather, a descendant of Increase Mather
who was the president of Harvard from 1685 to 1701. His father Weston Shattuck, a native of Massachusetts
, was a farmer who died when Francis was 12. Francis earned a teaching certificate by age 18 and was a schoolteacher for four years. He then moved to a small town in Vermont
and worked as a store clerk, until he heard of the discovery of gold in California. He and a friend, George Blake, by then also his brother-in-law, took off for California.
In 1852, Shattuck, Blake and two partners they met in the gold fields, William Hillegass and James Leonard, laid claim to four adjoining 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) strips of land in the area which became the central part of Berkeley. (See Kellersberger's Map
)
Shattuck was instrumental in getting the Central Pacific Railroad
to construct a branch line
into Berkeley in 1876 connecting the community and University of California
with the main line and the railroad's ferry
to San Francisco
.
Shattuck died after being knocked down by a man exiting from a train that Shattuck was attempting to board on Shattuck Avenue. He was buried with his wife, sisters, and George Blake at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.
The principal avenue in the city of Berkeley, Shattuck Avenue, is named for him, as is a smaller street, Kittredge. The Hotel Shattuck occupies the site of his original home.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, and played an important role in the creation and government of Alameda County as well. He also served as the fifth mayor of the city of Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
in 1859, and represented the 4th District in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
from 1860-61. He also served many years on the Board of Supervisors of Alameda County starting in 1860. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Town of Berkeley in 1884.
Biography
Shattuck was born in Crown PointCrown Point, New York
Crown Point is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, "Point au Chevalure."...
, Essex County
Essex County, New York
Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
in northern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state. His mother was Betsy Mather, a descendant of Increase Mather
Increase Mather
Increase Mather was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay . He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials...
who was the president of Harvard from 1685 to 1701. His father Weston Shattuck, a native of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, was a farmer who died when Francis was 12. Francis earned a teaching certificate by age 18 and was a schoolteacher for four years. He then moved to a small town in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and worked as a store clerk, until he heard of the discovery of gold in California. He and a friend, George Blake, by then also his brother-in-law, took off for California.
In 1852, Shattuck, Blake and two partners they met in the gold fields, William Hillegass and James Leonard, laid claim to four adjoining 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) strips of land in the area which became the central part of Berkeley. (See Kellersberger's Map
Kellersberger's Map
Kellersberger's Map is a plat map created in 1856 of Rancho San Antonio on the northeastern shore lands, the Contra Costa of San Francisco Bay, in present day Alameda County, California....
)
Shattuck was instrumental in getting the Central Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
to construct a branch line
Berkeley Branch Railroad
The Berkeley Branch Railroad was a long branch line of the Central Pacific Railroad from a junction in what later became Emeryville called "Shellmound" to what soon became downtown Berkeley, adjacent to the new University of California campus. The line opened on August 16, 1876. The initial...
into Berkeley in 1876 connecting the community and University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
with the main line and the railroad's ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Shattuck died after being knocked down by a man exiting from a train that Shattuck was attempting to board on Shattuck Avenue. He was buried with his wife, sisters, and George Blake at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.
Legacy
Shattuck had two sisters, Millicent and Elizabeth. It was Millicent who married Shattuck's original partner, George Blake. Shattuck, although married (wife: Rosa Maria Morse, b. 6/12/1834, d. 9/12/1908), died childless, and his estate including several Berkeley properties went to his wife and to his nephew, John W. Havens, the son of his sister Elizabeth Helen Shattuck Havens.The principal avenue in the city of Berkeley, Shattuck Avenue, is named for him, as is a smaller street, Kittredge. The Hotel Shattuck occupies the site of his original home.