Harris Newmark
Encyclopedia
Harris Newmark was a Prussia
n-American
businessman, philanthropist
, and historian
. Born in Löbau
in Province of Saxony
(now Saxony
, in eastern Germany
) Newmark emigrated to the United States in 1853, sailed from Europe to New York City
to San Francisco, and finally settled in Los Angeles
. The Newmark clan was one of the founding families of the Los Angeles area.
Newmark's memoir, Sixty Years in Southern California: 1853-1913, has been cited in dozens of academic papers and books, and is considered to be the Los Angeles equivalent of a Pepys diary.
and Denmark
to sell his ink
and blackening products. He made a sales trip to New York City in 1837, but became ill and returned home in 1838. His son J.P. Newmark, Harris's brother, emigrated to California
in 1848, and beckoned Harris to follow. Many Newmark relatives already resided there. Newmark took the advice, and sailed for New York City. He then boarded a second ship for California, crossed the isthmus of Panama
and arrived in San Francisco in October 1853. He eventually made it to Los Angeles, where he took his first American job as a clerk for his brother J.P. At the time, Newmark had limited English-language skills; he spoke German
, Swedish
, and had picked up the Spanish language
while en route to and in California.
In 1854, his uncle Joseph Newmark arrived in Los Angeles with his wife and six children. They provided Newmark with a home, and his aunt taught Newmark how to read, write, and spell in English. On March 24, 1858, he married his cousin Sarah in the family home; his uncle Joseph officiated, and subsequently became Harris' father-in-law.
and dry goods
merchant, but he also dabbled in other fields. He even tried sheep farming, but he was preoccupied with the burgeoning real estate
opportunities to be had in the Los Angeles area. Newmark bought and sold properties throughout southern California, and made a fortune in the process.
At the end of 1885, Newmark retired from the grocery business to devote more time to his real estate and investment pursuits. In 1886, he and five well-known businessmen – Newmark, his nephew Kaspare Cohn, John D. Bicknell
, Stephen M. White, and I.W. Hellman
– purchased a 5000 acres (20.2 km²) ranch located in East Los Angeles
called Rancho Repetto
. The land had been owned by an Italian settler named Alessandro Repetto, who bequeathed the ranch to his brother Antonio. Newmark's group bought the inheritance for US$60,000, or about $12 per acre.
In May 1899, Newmark subdivided the tract owned by himself and his nephew, after contracting with William Mulholland
to design and construct a suitable water system for the new settlement. Accounts differ on the actual size of Newmark and Cohn's parcel, but it was somewhere around 1,200 to 1500 acres (6.1 km²). A piece of this tract adjacent to the tracks of the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad
was developed into a town site called Newmark. The remaining land was subdivided into 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) lots suitable for small-scale agriculture. The entire settlement, including the Newmark town site, was given the name Montebello. When the town incorporated in 1920, Montebello replaced Newmark as the new city's name.
, was a charter member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
, and was one of the organizers of the Board of Trade, which helped bring railroad service to California. He was the president of Congregation B'nai B'rith in 1887 (he inherited the title from his uncle and father-in-law Joseph Newmark) and a founder of the Jewish Orphans Home. Newmark was also instrumental in the establishment of the Southwest Museum
, which is now part of the Autry National Center
. He and other Newmarks were leaders of the local Odd Fellows
and were Masons
.
Newmark's memoir, Sixty Years in Southern California, was assembled with the assistance of his sons and a Pasadena
historian. It has been called "one of the great autobiographies" by an American Jewish writer, and "the single most valuable memoir" about southern California
in the 19th century. The American Memory
project of the Library of Congress
has the entire memoir available online.
Harris Newmark High School, a continuation high school
in the Los Angeles Unified School District
is named in his honor, as is the Harris Newmark Building in downtown Los Angeles. Now called the New Mart building, the edifice was the first high-rise structure in the city, and was built in 1928 by Newmark's sons.
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
, and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
. Born in Löbau
Lobau
The Lobau is a Vienna floodplain on the northern side of the Danube and partly in Großenzersdorf, Lower Austria. It has been part of the Danube-Auen National Park since 1996 and has been a protected area since 1978. It is used as a recreational area and is known as a site of nudism. There is...
in Province of Saxony
Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.-History:The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:...
(now Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, in eastern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) Newmark emigrated to the United States in 1853, sailed from Europe to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to San Francisco, and finally settled in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The Newmark clan was one of the founding families of the Los Angeles area.
Newmark's memoir, Sixty Years in Southern California: 1853-1913, has been cited in dozens of academic papers and books, and is considered to be the Los Angeles equivalent of a Pepys diary.
Early years
Newmark was the son of Phillip and Esther Newmark. Phillip Newmark traveled to SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to sell his ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
and blackening products. He made a sales trip to New York City in 1837, but became ill and returned home in 1838. His son J.P. Newmark, Harris's brother, emigrated to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1848, and beckoned Harris to follow. Many Newmark relatives already resided there. Newmark took the advice, and sailed for New York City. He then boarded a second ship for California, crossed the isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
and arrived in San Francisco in October 1853. He eventually made it to Los Angeles, where he took his first American job as a clerk for his brother J.P. At the time, Newmark had limited English-language skills; he spoke German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, and had picked up the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
while en route to and in California.
In 1854, his uncle Joseph Newmark arrived in Los Angeles with his wife and six children. They provided Newmark with a home, and his aunt taught Newmark how to read, write, and spell in English. On March 24, 1858, he married his cousin Sarah in the family home; his uncle Joseph officiated, and subsequently became Harris' father-in-law.
Businessman
Newmark developed several successful businesses, which employed most if not all of a near-inexhaustible list of Newmark family members. Newmark was chiefly a grocerGrocer
A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
and dry goods
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
merchant, but he also dabbled in other fields. He even tried sheep farming, but he was preoccupied with the burgeoning real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
opportunities to be had in the Los Angeles area. Newmark bought and sold properties throughout southern California, and made a fortune in the process.
At the end of 1885, Newmark retired from the grocery business to devote more time to his real estate and investment pursuits. In 1886, he and five well-known businessmen – Newmark, his nephew Kaspare Cohn, John D. Bicknell
John Dustin Bicknell
John D. Bicknell was an American real estate attorney and investor. From 1872 to 1907 he participated in the Los Angeles real estate boom, and founded the law firm that is presently known as Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher....
, Stephen M. White, and I.W. Hellman
Isaias W. Hellman
Isaias Wolf Hellman was a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist, and a founding father of the University of Southern California.-Biography:...
– purchased a 5000 acres (20.2 km²) ranch located in East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles (region)
East Los Angeles is the portion of the City of Los Angeles that lies east of Downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles River and the unincorporated areas of Lincoln Heights, west of the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles and City Terrace, south of Cypress Park, and north of Vernon, California and...
called Rancho Repetto
Rancho La Merced
Rancho La Merced was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Casilda Soto de Lobo. The name means "Mercy of God". The northwest section of Montebello and the southeastern part of Monterey Park now occupy the area of...
. The land had been owned by an Italian settler named Alessandro Repetto, who bequeathed the ranch to his brother Antonio. Newmark's group bought the inheritance for US$60,000, or about $12 per acre.
In May 1899, Newmark subdivided the tract owned by himself and his nephew, after contracting with William Mulholland
William Mulholland
William Mulholland was the head of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, in Los Angeles. He was responsible for building the water aqueducts and dams that allowed the city to grow into one of the largest in the world. His methods of obtaining water for the city led to disputes collectively...
to design and construct a suitable water system for the new settlement. Accounts differ on the actual size of Newmark and Cohn's parcel, but it was somewhere around 1,200 to 1500 acres (6.1 km²). A piece of this tract adjacent to the tracks of the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad
Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities, via Las Vegas, Nevada. Incorporated in Utah in 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, the line was largely the brainchild of William Andrews Clark,...
was developed into a town site called Newmark. The remaining land was subdivided into 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) lots suitable for small-scale agriculture. The entire settlement, including the Newmark town site, was given the name Montebello. When the town incorporated in 1920, Montebello replaced Newmark as the new city's name.
Legacy
Newmark made many contributions to the economy and culture of Los Angeles, and gave his time and his money to causes he felt were worthy. He was one of the founders of the Los Angeles Public LibraryLos Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
, was a charter member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce is southern California's largest not-for-profit business federation, representing the interests of more than 235,000 businesses in L.A...
, and was one of the organizers of the Board of Trade, which helped bring railroad service to California. He was the president of Congregation B'nai B'rith in 1887 (he inherited the title from his uncle and father-in-law Joseph Newmark) and a founder of the Jewish Orphans Home. Newmark was also instrumental in the establishment of the Southwest Museum
Southwest Museum
The Southwest Museum of the American Indian is a museum, library, and archive located in the Mt. Washington area of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Autry National Center. Its collections deal mainly with the American Indian...
, which is now part of the Autry National Center
Autry National Center
The Autry National Center of the American West is an intercultural center and museum in Los Angeles, California that celebrates the diversity and history of the American West through three important institutions: the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of the American West, and the...
. He and other Newmarks were leaders of the local Odd Fellows
IOOF
IOOF may refer to:* IOOF , Australian financial services company* Independent Order of Odd Fellows, fraternal organization...
and were Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.
Newmark's memoir, Sixty Years in Southern California, was assembled with the assistance of his sons and a Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
historian. It has been called "one of the great autobiographies" by an American Jewish writer, and "the single most valuable memoir" about southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
in the 19th century. The American Memory
American Memory
American Memory is an Internet-based archive for public domain image resources, as well as audio, video, and archived Web content. It is published by the Library of Congress...
project of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
has the entire memoir available online.
Harris Newmark High School, a continuation high school
Continuation high school
A continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school primarily for students who are considered at-risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same but the scheduling is more flexible to allow students to earn their credits at a quicker...
in the Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
is named in his honor, as is the Harris Newmark Building in downtown Los Angeles. Now called the New Mart building, the edifice was the first high-rise structure in the city, and was built in 1928 by Newmark's sons.
External links
- Harris Newmark Family - Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Jewish History timeline of Jewish history, including Newmark contributions
- Harris Newmark High School
- photo of the Harris Newmark Building
- City of Montebello, California