James Irvine (landowner)
Encyclopedia
The Irvine family were agricultural pioneers and prominent landowners in California who gave their name to the city of Irvine, CA.
, Ireland
on December 27, 1827, the second to the youngest of nine children. When Ireland's potato crop failed in 1845, James Irvine and his younger brother William were among those who left for the United States
. Irvine worked for two years in New York
. In 1848 Irvine went to join the California Gold Rush
as a merchant and miner. In 1854, he purchased an interest in a San Francisco commission house on Front Street, operated by a relative, John Lyons. The business was renamed "Irvine & Co., wholesale produce and grocery merchants". He began investing his profits in income-producing San Francisco real estate and soon became a wealthy man. Irvine also became a silent partner in the sheep raising venture (Flint Bixby & Co) of brothers Thomas and Benjamin Flint, and their cousin Llewellyn Bixby. The purchase of the 48800 acres (197.5 km²) Rancho San Joaquin
in 1864 and the 47200 acres (191 km²) Rancho Lomas de Santiago
in 1866 marked the beginning of their operations in Southern California. In 1867, Irvine married Henrietta Maria (Nettie) Rice, the daughter of prominent Cleveland, Ohio
educator, writer, poet and State Senator Harvey Rice
, who was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice
. Nettie died in 1874, and Irvine married Margaret Byrne in 1880. He died March 15, 1886 and is buried in San Francisco.
, was born October 16, 1867 in San Francisco. His mother died when he was seven years old, and his father died when he was about eighteen. Between the time of James Irvine I's death in 1886 and James Irvine II's inheritance of the Southern California real estate holdings upon his twenty-fifth birthday in 1892, the properties were supervised by James Irvine I's brother, George Irvine. James II bought out Flint and the other partners, and formed the Irvine Company
. He married Frances Anita Plum in 1892, and they had three children, "Jase", James Harvey Irvine Jr. (1894–1935), Katharine Helena Irvine (1894–1920) and Myford Plum Irvine (1898–1959). In 1931, James II married Mrs. Kathryn Brown White, who died in 1950. James II lived in San Francisco until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
, when he relocated to the Irvine Ranch. He was a member of the Bohemian Club
, and kept a residence in San Francisco, at 2421 Pierce Street. He established the James Irvine Foundation
in 1937, an entity dedicated to the "general well-being of the citizens and residents of the state of California." James II owned nearly a third of the land in present day Orange County
. The city of Irvine
(formerly Myford) is named after him. He died of Bright's disease
in 1947.
James Irvine I
James Irvine (1827–1886) was born in County DownCounty Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on December 27, 1827, the second to the youngest of nine children. When Ireland's potato crop failed in 1845, James Irvine and his younger brother William were among those who left for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Irvine worked for two years in 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...
. In 1848 Irvine went to join the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
as a merchant and miner. In 1854, he purchased an interest in a San Francisco commission house on Front Street, operated by a relative, John Lyons. The business was renamed "Irvine & Co., wholesale produce and grocery merchants". He began investing his profits in income-producing San Francisco real estate and soon became a wealthy man. Irvine also became a silent partner in the sheep raising venture (Flint Bixby & Co) of brothers Thomas and Benjamin Flint, and their cousin Llewellyn Bixby. The purchase of the 48800 acres (197.5 km²) Rancho San Joaquin
Rancho San Joaquin
Rancho San Joaquin, the combined Rancho Cienega de las Ranas and Rancho Bolsa de San Joaquin, was a Mexican land grant in present day Orange County, California given to José Antonio Andres Sepúlveda...
in 1864 and the 47200 acres (191 km²) Rancho Lomas de Santiago
Rancho Lomas de Santiago
Rancho Lomas de Santiago was a Mexican land grant given by Mexican Governor Pío Pico to Teodosio Yorba in 1846. The name means "Hills of St. James"...
in 1866 marked the beginning of their operations in Southern California. In 1867, Irvine married Henrietta Maria (Nettie) Rice, the daughter of prominent Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
educator, writer, poet and State Senator Harvey Rice
Harvey Rice
Harvey Rice, LL.D. was an American lawyer, a Democratic state legislator, poet, author and newspaperman prominent in Cleveland, Ohio.-Early life and education:...
, who was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice
Edmund Rice (1638)
Edmund Rice , was an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony who was born in Suffolk, England, and lived in Stanstead, Suffolk and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire prior to sailing with his family to America. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in summer or fall of 1638, presumed to be first...
. Nettie died in 1874, and Irvine married Margaret Byrne in 1880. He died March 15, 1886 and is buried in San Francisco.
James Irvine II
James Harvey Irvine, Sr. (1867–1947), son of James Irvine I and Henrietta Maria (Nettie) RiceHarvey Rice
Harvey Rice, LL.D. was an American lawyer, a Democratic state legislator, poet, author and newspaperman prominent in Cleveland, Ohio.-Early life and education:...
, was born October 16, 1867 in San Francisco. His mother died when he was seven years old, and his father died when he was about eighteen. Between the time of James Irvine I's death in 1886 and James Irvine II's inheritance of the Southern California real estate holdings upon his twenty-fifth birthday in 1892, the properties were supervised by James Irvine I's brother, George Irvine. James II bought out Flint and the other partners, and formed the Irvine Company
Irvine Company
The Irvine Company is a privately held real estate development company based in Newport Beach, Orange County, Southern California. The corporate center of the company lies in Newport Center. A large portion of its operations are centered in and around the City of Irvine, a planned city of 250,000...
. He married Frances Anita Plum in 1892, and they had three children, "Jase", James Harvey Irvine Jr. (1894–1935), Katharine Helena Irvine (1894–1920) and Myford Plum Irvine (1898–1959). In 1931, James II married Mrs. Kathryn Brown White, who died in 1950. James II lived in San Francisco until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, when he relocated to the Irvine Ranch. He was a member of the Bohemian Club
Bohemian Club
The Bohemian Club is a private men's club in San Francisco, California, United States.Its clubhouse is located at 624 Taylor Street in San Francisco...
, and kept a residence in San Francisco, at 2421 Pierce Street. He established the James Irvine Foundation
James Irvine Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit organization established to benefit the people of California. It seeks to promote social equity and enrich the cultural and civic life of America’s most populous state through its grants in three areas: the arts, youth and education, and...
in 1937, an entity dedicated to the "general well-being of the citizens and residents of the state of California." James II owned nearly a third of the land in present day Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. The city of Irvine
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
(formerly Myford) is named after him. He died of Bright's disease
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. The term is no longer used, as diseases are now classified according to their more fully understood causes....
in 1947.
James Irvine III
James Harvey Irvine, Jr. (1894–1935) was groomed since a young man to take over the Ranch. He married Madeline Agassiz in 1914, but they were divorced in 1928. He married Athalie Richardson (1903–1993) in 1929, and they had one daughter, Athalie Anita "Joan" Irvine (1933– ). When James Irvine III died of tuberculosis in 1935, James II set up the James Irvine Foundation, a charitable organization to hold controlling stock in the Irvine Company. When James II died in 1947, Myford Plum Irvine (1898–1959), James II's only surviving child, took over the presidency of the Irvine Company.External links
- Irvine Historical Society
- Irvine Ranch Water District History
- The James Irvine Foundation
- History of Irvine, CA
External image links
- Portrait of Henrietta (Nettie) Rice (1841-1874), wife of James Irvine I
- James Irvine I
- James H. Irvine fishing at his Flying D Ranch in Bozeman, Montana
- Francis Anita Plum Irvine (1862-1909) wife of James Harvey Irvine
- James Irvine Jr., Kathryn Helena Irvine and Myford Plum Irvine
- Irvine brothers James Harvey Jr. (Jase) and Myford swimming at the water storage tank, Irvine Ranch, ca. 1905
- James Harvey Irvine, Jr. and Kathryn Helena Irvine
- Myford Irvine digging out stuck car, Irvine Ranch, ca. 1936
- Myford and Thelma Irvine
- Joan Irvine as a child in wheatfield
- Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke and Joan Irvine Smith at Irvine Cove
- Joan Irvine marriage to Charles Swinden with Linda, Gloria, Myford Irvine
- Joan Irvine Smith with Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke
- Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke
