George White Marston (October 22, 1850–May 31, 1946) Community leader and Department Store owner October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Business and personal

George W. Marston was born in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin in 1850. Marston learned to skate and continued to enjoy it throughout his life. His father had a chronic respiratory ailment and wanted a better climate for his health, so the family moved to San Diego in 1870. Fort Atkinson is a city located in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

Marston was first a clerk in the Horton House hotel, then entered the mercantile business as a bookkeeper with the firm of Aaron Pauly &; Sons general merchanise store and warehouse. Pauly was the founder of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, and Marston would later be its secretary, then president.

In 1872, Marston clerked for storekeeper Joseph Nash. He and partner Charles Hamilton bought Nash out and ran the store.

In 1878 Marston married Anna Lee Gunn, a teacher and sister of Douglas Gunn, and they had five children. Gunn's uncle was San Diego Union editor Douglas Gunn. The San Diego Union-Tribune is a daily newspaper published in San Diego, California by the Copley Press. ...

After Marston's marriage, he split the store business with his partner Hamilton, with Hamilton taking the grocery side, and Marston taking the dry goods. The Marston Company became the only major department store in San Diego, and was located downtown. It's success was due in due to exclusive business arrangements Marston made with several suppliers. Marston became quite wealthy from his business and became known as a generous philanthropist for San Diego. The downtown Marston department store, at 5th Avenue and C Street, was owned by the family until sold in 1961 to Broadway. The downtown store has sice closed. A philanthropist is someone who devotes his time, money, or effort towards helping others. ...

Marston's business trips took him to major cities such as San Francisco and New York, where he saw great urban parks. This developed an interest to see San Diego's Balboa Park become as great. As a result of his efforts in park development and planning, Marston's efforts have help make Balboa Park a local landmark. Marston hired architect John Nolen to develop the first plan for Balboa Park in 1908 and a more-detailed plan in 1926. Marston served as chairman of the Buildings and Grounds Committee for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. The Exposition established an infrastructure of museums and attractions for the park that still exists today. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Desert garden Museum Botanic building Balboa Park is a 1,200 acres (4. ... The Panama-California Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California between January 1, 1915 and January 1, 1917. ...

Philantrophy

Marston's contributions to San Diego earned him the affectionate title of San Diego's First Citizen." In 1907 Marston bought Presidio Hill with an interest to preserve the old Presidio of San Diego. He couldn't get anyone interested in the project, so he built a private park, Presidio Park, in 1925, hiring Nolen to plan the park. He commissioned the Serra Museum, designed by architect William Templeton Johnson at Presidio Park, and donated the Park to the city in 1929. 1820 map, Presidio of San Diego El Reál Presidio de San Diego (Royal Presidio of San Diego) was first established in May 14, 1769 by Commandant Pedro Fages under authority of the King of Spain as a fort. ...

Marston served on the first board of trustees for the San Diego Public Library in 1882 and founded the San Diego YMCA and served as its president for 22 years. Marston served on the city council during 1887–1889. In 1928, Marston founded and became the San Diego Historical Society's first president. Marston also raised funds and donated his own money to buy land for present-day Torrey Pines State Reserve and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. A Torrey pine in its harsh native habitat. ... Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California is the largest state park in the contiguous United States. ...

George Marston's Residence on 7th Avenue and Upas Street was designed by Irving Gill and William S. Hebbard architects in 1904–05. The residence initially was planned to be built in English Tudor style, but was completed in the Arts and Crafts style, which was becoming in vogue. It was donated to the city of San Diego by Marston's daughter Mary in 1987 and is now a museum at the northwest corner of Balboa Park. Irving Gill (1870 - 1936) was born in Tully (near Syracuse), New York, USA. He trained as an architect and went on to become well known for architecture in Southern California. ... (1863-1930). ... The Tudor style, a term applied to the Perpendicular style, was originally that of the English architecture and decorative arts produced under the Tudor dynasty that ruled England from 1485 to 1603, characterized as an amalgam of Late Gothic style formalized by more concern for regularity and symmetry, with round... It has been suggested that Handicraft be merged into this article or section. ...

Politics

Marston was active politically and called himself an "independent". He was raised a Republican, but swung back and forth between Democratics and Republicans, supporting the party or person most likely to push for reform. He supported California's reform-oriented Progressive Party in the 1910s and early 1920s. The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The United States Progressive Party refers to three distinct political parties in 20th-century United States politics. ...

Marston ran for mayor unsuccessfully in 1913 (against Charles F. O'Neall) and 1917 (against Louis J. Wilde). The 1917 race was a classic "Smokestacks vs. Geraniums" debate, with Wilde calling his opponent "Geranium George", unfairly painting businessman Marston as unfriendly to business. Wilde's campaign slogan was "More Smokestacks", demonstrated during the campaign when he drew a great smokestack belching smoke on a truck through the city streets. Wilde won.

Quote

I feel the development of the city's beauty and civic welfare can go along with the industrial development . . . I am in favor of all things that make for commerce, manufacturing, for all business activity . . . It is absurd to say that I am not in favor of industrial development. I believe in a Greater San Diego—everything that makes for a bigger city. Let us build a great city on a good foundation. Let us have our industries as large as possible. Let us build a complete city.

See also

• George White Marston: A Family Chronicle (1956), compiled by his daughter Mary Gilman Marston
• George White Marston and the San Diego Progressives, 1913-1917, San Diego State Univesity thesis, 1976, by Uldis A. Ports.
• City Planning, Progressivism, and the Development of San Diego, 1908–1926, San Diego State University thesis, 1977 by Gregg R. Hennessey.
• George White Marston Collection, Papers and records, 1870-1946, MS 219, San Diego Historical Society

External links

• George White Marston biography
• "George White & Anna Gunn Marston: A Sketch", The Journal of San Diego History 36:2 & 3 (Spring/Summer 1990) by Gregg R. Hennessey
• The Journal of San Diego History 15:3 (Summer 1969) contains articles on Presidio Park, Junípero Serra Museum and Library, including Marston's role: "Part II - A Young Man Comes to Town", by Wilmer Shields, and "Part VII - San Diego Acquires a Park and Museum"
• "George White Marston and Conservative Reform in San Diego", The Journal of San Diego History 32:4 (Fall 1986) by Gregg R. Hennessey
• "Geraniums vs. Smokestacks: San Diego's Mayoralty Campaign of 1917", The Journal of San Diego History 21:3 (Summer 1975) by Uldis Ports
• "'My Dear Lilla': Marston Family Letters from 1870s San Diego", The Journal of San Diego History 47:3 (Summer 1987) by George P. Marston and Harriett Marston
• "Junípero Serra Museum Architectural, Cultural, and Urban Landmark", The Journal of San Diego History 25:3 (Summer 1979) by Gregg R. Hennessey