Phineas Banning
Ninetenth century American businessman and entrepreneur, founder of the Port of Los Angeles.
Born	1830 Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Died	1885 Wilmington, California, USA

Phineas Banning (1830-1885) was an American businessman, stagecoach driver, entrepreneur, and general best known to history as 'the Father of the Port of Los Angeles.' It was his drive and ambition that served to lay the foundations for what would become one of the busiest and most productive ports in the world. Image File history File links Banning. ... The Port of Los Angeles is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown. ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: A Place To Be Somebody Founded Incorporated 1638 1832  County New Castle County Mayor James M. Baker (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 44. ... State nickname: The First State Other U.S. States Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D) Senators Joe Biden (D) Thomas Carper (D) Official languages None Area 6,452 km² (49th)  - Land 5,068 km²  - Water 1,387 km² (21. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington Wilmington, California is a small industrial town, incorporated into the city of Los Angeles. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official language(s) English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Port of Los Angeles is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown. ...

Early life

Banning was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1830, the seventh of eleven children. At the age of thirteen, he moved to Philadelphia to work in his oldest brother's law firm. By his late teens, Banning was working on the busy dockyards of Philadelphia. At the age of twenty, Banning signed up to work a passage to a then-exotic destination--Southern California. Motto: A Place To Be Somebody Founded Incorporated 1638 1832  County New Castle County Mayor James M. Baker (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 44. ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Independence Hall, as it appears today. ... Aphorism Critical legal studies Jurisprudence Law (principle) Legal research Letter versus Spirit List of legal abbreviations Legal code Natural justice Natural law Philosophy of law Religious law External links Find more information on Law by searching one of Wikipedias sibling projects: Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School... A dock is an area of water between two piers or alongside a pier, forming a chamber used for building or repairing one ship. ... Independence Hall, as it appears today. ... Southern California Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis that is the southern one-third of the state of California. ...

California and enterprise

Banning arrived in San Pedro, California in 1851, after a long and harrowing land and sea voyage that included crossing the isthmus of Panama by land before taking another ship north to California. The twenty-one year old was ambitious and full of energy, and soon found work in the tiny fishing village of San Pedro initially as a store clerk and later as a stagecoach driver on the small line that connected the coastal hamlet with the tiny pueblo of Los Angeles, a dusty town of less than 2,000 inhabitants over 20 miles (30 km) to the inland north. San Pedro is a community within Los Angeles, California, annexed in 1909 and a major seaport of the area. ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official language(s) English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... San Pedro is a community within Los Angeles, California, annexed in 1909 and a major seaport of the area. ... Buffalo soldiers guard a Concord style stagecoach somewhere in the American West, ca. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ...

Ever ambitious, Banning eventually saved his money, bought his own supplies, and began his own staging and shipping company, eventually establishing a small but extremely successful business over several years. By the 1860's, Banning wagons were traveling to Salt Lake City, the Kern River gold fields, the new military installation at Yuma, Arizona, the Mormon settlement at San Bernardino, and in a general arc around the Southern California region. In the United Kingdom, from approximately the mid-seventeenth century for a period of about 200 years, the Coaching Inn was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure. ... Shipping is the transport of cargo between seaports by ships, typically large steel vessels powered by diesel engines or steam turbine plants. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... The Kern River is a river in eastern California in the United States, approximately 155 mi (249 km) long. ... Yuma is a city located in Yuma county, Arizona, United States. ... The term Mormon is a colloquial name referring to Latter Day Saints, derived in the 1830s from the Book of Mormon, one of their books of scripture, whose compiler was called the prophet Mormon. ... San Bernardino is the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Southern California Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis that is the southern one-third of the state of California. ...

Banning was not content to consolidate business interests in staging. He also began expanding the rudimentary harbor and dock systems at San Pedro from their early beginnings as illegal exchange sites for mission contraband during the Spanish and Mexican eras, and began the process of making them efficient, manageable enterprises. In the late 1850's, Banning and a group of other local Southern California investors purchased 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land adjacent to San Pedro for the expansion of the port. The new land purchase was soon incorporated as Wilmington, after Banning's Delaware birthplace. Banning invested the profits from his bourgeoning trade networks into the development of a more sophisticated port complex and for the creation of roads, telegraphs and other connections to Los Angeles. In 1859, the first ocean-going vessel anchored in the Los Angeles-Wilmington harbor, and the 1860s saw the beginning of small-scale maritime trade between San Pedro and ships anchored in the deeper parts of the harbor. After a government-funded dredging made a deepwater harbor and breakwater a reality, the port continued to grow at a steady rate. The Spanish Missions of California (more simply referred to as the California Missions) comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholic Dominicans, Jesuits, and Franciscans, to spread the Christian doctrine among the local Native Americans, but with the added benefit of giving Spain a toehold in the frontier... Southern California Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis that is the southern one-third of the state of California. ... San Pedro is a community within Los Angeles, California, annexed in 1909 and a major seaport of the area. ... For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington Wilmington, California is a small industrial town, incorporated into the city of Los Angeles. ... State nickname: The First State Other U.S. States Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D) Senators Joe Biden (D) Thomas Carper (D) Official languages None Area 6,452 km² (49th)  - Land 5,068 km²  - Water 1,387 km² (21. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ...

Family life

Banning married Rebecca Sanford, the younger sister of his first California employer. Phineas and Rebecca had eight children, of which three survived into adulthood--William Banning (1857-1946), Joseph Brent Banning (1862-1920), and Hancock Banning (1865-1925). Family life was relatively stable in the Banning household, and Phineas was doting, if distant father to his three boys, who grew up around the docks that were beginning to expand in San Pedro. Rebecca Sanford died in childbirth in 1868, and the child, Vincent Banning, died as well. Banning subsequently married a wealthy heiress, Mary Hollister, whose family lent the name to the city of Hollister, California. Phineas and Mary had three children, two of which survived to adulthood--Mary H. Banning (1871-1953) and Lucy Tichenor Banning (1873-1929). 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events WIKIPEDIA EATS VAGINA January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Hollister is the county seat of San Benito County, California. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Southern Californian development: 1860-1880

Civil War California

Following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, several Southern states broke away to form the Confederate States of America, beginning the American Civil War (1861-1865). The reaches of war were felt as far off as California, and particularly in Los Angeles, which contained large numbers of Confederate sympathizers, a particularly alarming development for the new territory. An astute businessman as well as vocal patriot, Banning and fellow Californian politician B.D. Wilson donated adjacent plots of land in Wilmington for the construction of a military base. The strategic outpost, named Camp Drum (1861-1871), served as the headquarters of the Union's Southwestern command for the state of California and territory of Arizona. The move brought Union troops to Wilmington, where they quickly realized that all spending money would be readily reincorporated into Banning's business enterprises, bringing the Delaware transplant even more riches. Following the close of the American Civil War in 1865, Camp Drum eventually disbanded, but the port and harbor continued to grow. Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans February 4, 1861 until captured May... The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-three mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official language(s) English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... For other meanings of confederate and confederacy, see confederacy (disambiguation) National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Largest... For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington Wilmington, California is a small industrial town, incorporated into the city of Los Angeles. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official language(s) English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Other U.S. States Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano (D) Senators John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R) Official language(s) English Area 295,254 km² (6th)  - Land 294,312 km²  - Water 942 km² (0. ... Map of the division of the states during the Civil War. ... For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington Wilmington, California is a small industrial town, incorporated into the city of Los Angeles. ... State nickname: The First State Other U.S. States Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D) Senators Joe Biden (D) Thomas Carper (D) Official languages None Area 6,452 km² (49th)  - Land 5,068 km²  - Water 1,387 km² (21. ... The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-three mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...

The American government presented Banning with an honorific title, that of brigadier general of the California first brigade. The title was purely symbolic, yet Banning insisted on being referred to as "General Banning" for the last two decades of his life. An honorific is a term used to convey esteem or respect. ...

1870s: Railroads, industries, and breakwaters

Banning spent the 1870s in a frenzy of activity. He worked as senator in the California state senate, campaigining for greater transportation connections to the city of Los Angeles and the growing port, his personal project. Banning eventually pushed through the plan for a small railroad linking Wilmington/San Pedro with the main city of Los Angeles, effectively halving the time necessary for the trip, but the joy was short-lived. The Southern Pacific Railroad began building track to connect Southern California to the greater national ralroad lines, and demanded much of Los Angeles' prime real estate, an enormous sum of money, and Banning's small connector line railroad in exchange for adding Los Angeles as a terminus on the railroad. Realizing that Los Angeles would wither into nothingness if the company bypassed it, the city complied and Banning surrendered his hard-earned railroad. A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ...

Several personal successes marked the decade for Banning as well, however. The first breakwater was built for the nascent port in 1873, and Banning began to work for the Southern Pacific as a railroad agent. By 1880, the 50 year old Banning had retreated to the peacefulness of his life in Wilmington and managed several smaller business interests; it was on a business trip to San Francisco in 1884 that Banning was struck by a streetcar and eventually died of his injuries in 1885. 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... Cable Car in San Francisco A San Francisco cable car A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are propelled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Banning's legacies lived on, however, and the dreams of the irrepressible businessman were realized with the final federal approval of the Port of Los Angeles in the early twentieth century, and the completion of a full breakwater in 1914, creating one of the busiest harbors in the world. Banning's chief residence, constructed in Wilmington in 1863, is open to the public as a museum and display depicting Victorian era California life. The Port of Los Angeles is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown. ... Breakwater has several meanings, including: a structure for protecting a beach or harbour a 1988 album named Breakwater by Lennie Gallant. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of Great Britain is considered the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ...

External links

• Phineas Banning biography

• Banning Residence Museum, Wilmington, California