William Mulholland (1855 - 1935)

Born 11 Sep 1855 in Belfast, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Lillian (Ferguson) Mulholland — married 3 Jul 1890 in Los Angeles, California, USA

Died 22 Jul 1935 at age 79 in Los Angeles County, California,

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Biography

William Mulholland is Notable.

William Mulholland was a Californian.

William Mulholland was born in Belfast, Ireland. His parents Hugh and Ellen Mulholland were Dubliners and they returned to the city a few years after William's birth. His younger brother, Hugh Jr. was born in 1856. At the time of Mulholland's birth, his father was working as a guard for the Royal Mail. In 1862, when William was seven years old, his mother died. Three years later his father remarried. William was educated at O'Connell School by the Christian Brothers in Dublin. After having been beaten by his father for receiving bad marks in school, Mulholland ran off to sea. At 15, he was a member of the British Merchant Navy. He spent the next four years as a seaman primarily sailing Atlantic routes. In 1872 he left the sea and traveled to California. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1877.

Mulholland, who was best described as a self-taught, became the first American civil engineer to use hydraulic sluicing to build a dam while constructing the Silver Lake Reservoir in 1906. This new method attracted nationwide attention of engineers and dam builders. Government engineers adopted the method when building Gatun Dam, on which Mulholland was a consultant, in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1914, the University of California, Berkeley honored Mulholland with an honorary doctorate degree. The inscription on the diploma read, "Percussit saxa et duxit flumina ad terram sitientum" (He broke the rocks and brought the river to the thirsty land).Mulholland's public profile continued to grow. His offices were, at one point, on the top floor of Sid Grauman's Million Dollar Theater. He was even a favorite to become mayor of Los Angeles. However, when asked if he was considering running for office he replied, "I'd rather give birth to a porcupine backward".

William Mulholland

Mulholland For Annexation

Sources

1900 United States Federal Census Name William Mulholland Age 44 Birth Date Sep 1855 Birthplace Ireland Home in 1900 Los Angeles Ward 9, Los Angeles, California Ward of City 9th Street Cummings St House Number 1862 Sheet Number 7 Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation 134 Family Number 137 Race White Gender Male Immigration Year 1870 Relation to Head of House Head Marital Status Married Spouse's Name Lillie Mulholland Marriage Year 1891 Years Married 9 Father's Birthplace Ireland Mother's Birthplace Ireland Years in US 30 Naturalization Na Occupation Civil Engineer Months Not Employed 0 Can Read Yes Can Write Yes Can Speak English Yes House Owned or Rented O Home Free or Mortgaged F Farm or House F Household Members Name Age William Mulholland Lillie Mulholland Rose Mulholland William P Mulholland Thomas F Mulholland Lucile Mulholland Ruth Mulholland [1]

1910 United States Federal Census Name William Mulholland Age in 1910 54 Birth Year abt 1856 Birthplace Ireland Home in 1910 Los Angeles Assembly District 69, Los Angeles, California Street So Cummings St Race White Gender Male Immigration Year 1880 Relation to Head of House Head Marital Status Married Spouse's Name Lillie Mulholland Father's Birthplace Ireland Mother's Birthplace Pennsylvania Native Tongue English Occupation Civil Eng Industry City W Woods Employer, Employee or Other Wage Earner Home Owned or Rented Own Home Free or Mortgaged Free Farm or House House Naturalization Status Naturalized Able to read Yes Able to Write Yes Years Married 19 Out of Work N Number of Weeks Out of Work 0 Household Members Name Age William Mulholland 54 Lillie Mulholland 41 Rose Mulholland 19 Perry Mulholland 17 Thomas Mulholland 15 Lucille Mulholland 14 Ruth Mulholland 12 [2]

1920 United States Federal Census Name William Mulholland Age 64 Birth Year abt 1856 Birthplace Ireland Home in 1920 Los Angeles Assembly District 66, Los Angeles, California Street So Cummings E-6th House Number 1915 Residence Date 1920 Race White Gender Male Immigration Year 1873 Relation to Head of House Head Marital Status Widowed Father's Birthplace Ireland Mother's Birthplace Ireland Native Tongue Irish Able to Speak English Yes Occupation Engineer Industry Civil Employment Field Wage or Salary Home Owned or Rented Own Home Free or Mortgaged Free Naturalization Status Naturalized Able to read Yes Able to Write Yes Household Members Name Age William Mulholland Rose Mulholland Thomas Mulholland Ruth Mulholland [3]

1930 United States Federal Census Name William Mulholland Birth Year abt 1856 Gender Male Race White Age in 1930 74 Birthplace Northern Ireland Marital Status Widowed Relation to Head of House Head Home in 1930 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA Map of Home Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California Street Address South St. Andrews Place Block 266 House Number 426 Dwelling Number 168 Family Number 209 Home Owned or Rented Owned Home Value 20, 000 Radio Set Yes Lives on Farm No Attended School No Able to Read and Write Yes Father's Birthplace Northern Ireland Mother's Birthplace Northern Ireland Language Spoken English Immigration Year 1870 Naturalization Naturalized Able to Speak English Yes Occupation Hydralic Engineer Industry City Class of Worker Wage or salary worker Employment Yes Household Members Name Age William Mulholland Rose Mulholland Thomas F Mulholland Jessie Turner [4]

California, Death Index, 1905-1939 Name William Mulholland Birth Year abt 1856 Death Date 22 Jul 1935 Age at Death 79 Death Place Los Angeles, California, USA [5]

Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1655-1915 Name William Mulholland Baptism Age 0 Event Type Baptism Birth Date 1855 Baptism Date 14 Sep 1855 Baptism Place St Patrick's, Belfast city, Antrim, Ireland Parish Variants Donegall Street, Belfast, St. Patrick's Diocese Down and Connor [6]

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Name William Mulholland Birth Date 11 Sep 1855 Birth Place Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Death Date 22 Jul 1935 Death Place Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States of America Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Burial or Cremation Place Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, United States of America Has Bio? Y Spouse Lillie Ferguson Mulholland Children Lucile Mack URL https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6683

William Mulholland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mulholland https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:San_Fernando_Valley