John
Downey was born in Ireland, in 1799.
He emigrated to the United States in 1818 and after settling in Ohio,
found work in a drug store.
In 1848 gold was discovered on land owned by John
Sutter in California. Downey joined the Gold
Rush and later claimed that he only had $10 dollars when he arrived
in California. After a short unsuccessful period as a miner, Downey
moved to Los Angeles and with financial
help provided by J. P. McFarland, opened his own drug store. This
was a success and Downey was able to buy a large ranch.
Downey became active in the Democratic
Party and in 1861 became governor of California. During the Civil
War Downey helped raised troops for the Union Army but his own
sympathies were with the Confederate Army.
After the war Downey became involved in real estate and in 1871 joined
with I. W. Hellman to establish the Farmers and Merchants Bank. Two
years later his company, the Downey Land Association, began building
houses in East Los Angeles. He was also one of the founders of the
Pioneer Oil Company and was the main figure behind the building of
the Los Angeles Public Library.
On 29th January, 1883, Downey and his wife were on a train that crashed
in the Techachapi Mountains. Downey's wife was killed and he suffered
from nervous shock until his death in Los
Angeles.
Available
from Amazon Books (order below)
