Daniel Freeman (Los Angeles County) facts for kids
Daniel Freeman (1837–1918) was an important landowner and developer in Los Angeles County, California, during the 1800s. He is famous for founding the city of Inglewood, California. He was also the first farmer to grow a lot of wheat in Southern California.
About Daniel Freeman
Daniel Freeman was born on June 30, 1837, in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. His parents were Daniel Wesley Freeman and Isabella Bailey. He had a brother, Charles, and a sister, Phoebe.
He went to local schools and then to Lynn Grove Academy until 1857. He later studied law and earned his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School at the University of Toronto in 1864.
In 1866, Daniel Freeman married Catherine Grace Christie Higginson. They moved to San Francisco in 1873, and later to Los Angeles County. They had three children: Archibald, Charles, and Grace. His wife passed away before him.
For many years, the family lived in a small house on their land. This house later became known as the Centinela Adobe and is now a historic site. In 1891, he built a large home in Inglewood. This house was later torn down in 1972 because there wasn't enough money to keep it up.
Freeman was a member of the Episcopal Church and a Republican. He helped start and was the first president of the California Club in Los Angeles. He also led the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce from 1893 to 1894.
Daniel Freeman passed away on September 28, 1918, at age 81. He died from heart failure at his home in Inglewood. A simple service was held for him, and he was cremated at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. Important people like newspaper editor Charles Fletcher Lummis attended his service.
He was survived by his two children, Grace Howland and A.C. Freeman. In his will, he left most of his money, which was a lot, to his granddaughter, Alice Cruz Freeman. He also gave money to the University of Southern California and other family members.
His Work and Businesses
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Before becoming a farmer, Daniel Freeman taught school from 1857 to 1858. He then studied law and worked as a lawyer until 1873. That's when he moved to the United States and started farming. He often called himself a "farmer" or a "rancher."
His first big farming project was buying the 25,000-acre Rancho Sausal Redondo. This huge ranch included areas where cities like El Segundo, Playa del Rey, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa Beach were later built.
At first, the ranch was used for sheep farming. But soon, Freeman became the first person in Southern California to grow a lot of wheat. He later sold parts of his ranch and invested in other things. In 1889, he built a large three-story building in downtown Los Angeles called the Freeman Block. It was one of the first big buildings on Spring Street.
He also invested in the Panorama Building. This building showed a huge painting of the Panorama of the Siege of Paris, which was a battle from the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War. The building later became a skating rink and was eventually torn down.
In 1892, Freeman bought a steamer ship called the Southern California. He used it to bring coal from British Columbia. He also started a brick-making business. His bricks were used to build many business buildings on Spring Street and Broadway in Los Angeles.
He was also a director for the Southern California Railway Co..
Drawing by Toshio Aoki
In 1895, a Japanese artist named Toshio Aoki visited Los Angeles. He drew pictures of nine important people in the city, and Daniel Freeman was one of them.
Aoki said about Freeman: "He is big man—big heart—big brain. So I make him big leader and give him the sword and the cap and the gown of one great Japanese man which has power over many and has large—you call it retinue, is it not?—of those which follow him in all things. You call him Duke of the Inglewood? Ah, that is good. He has much lands and property, you say? That is good; so much I see in his face and I know you tell truly."
