Irvine family of California facts for kids
The Irvine family of Southern California is a well-known family of real estate developers. Through their company, the Irvine Company, they played a very important role in building up Orange County. The city of Irvine and the University of California, Irvine are both named after this family.
James Irvine I (1827–1886)
James Irvine was born in County Down, Ireland in 1827. He was one of nine children. In 1845, a terrible event called the Irish potato famine happened. This caused many people, including James Irvine and his younger brother, to leave Ireland and move to the United States.
James Irvine worked in New York City for two years. In 1848, he moved to California to join the California Gold Rush. He worked as a merchant, selling goods, and also as a miner. In 1854, he bought a share in a business in San Francisco that sold food and groceries. The business was renamed "Irvine & Co."
He started investing his money in real estate (land and buildings) in San Francisco. Soon, he became a very wealthy man. James Irvine also became a partner in a large sheep-raising business. In 1864 and 1866, he bought two huge ranches in Southern California. These ranches were about 48,800 acres and 47,200 acres!
In 1867, James Irvine married Henrietta Maria Rice. She passed away in 1874. He then married Margaret Byrne in 1880. James Irvine I died in 1886.
James Irvine II (1867–1947)
James Harvey Irvine, Sr. was the son of James Irvine I. He was born in San Francisco in 1867. His mother died when he was seven, and his father died when he was about eighteen.
After his father's death, James II's uncle, George Irvine, looked after the family's land in Southern California. When James II turned 25 in 1892, he took over the properties. He bought out the other partners and officially created the Irvine Company.
In 1892, James II married Frances Anita Plum. They had three children: James Harvey "Jase" Irvine Jr., Katharine Helena Irvine, and Myford Plum Irvine. Later, in 1931, James II married Mrs. Kathryn Brown White.
James II lived in San Francisco until the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake. After the earthquake, he moved to the Irvine Ranch. In 1937, he started the James Irvine Foundation. This foundation helps the people of California. James II owned almost one-third of the land in what is now Orange County. The city of Irvine is named after him. He passed away in 1947.
James Irvine III (1894–1935)
James Harvey Irvine, Jr. was the son of James Irvine II. From a young age, he was prepared to take over the family's ranch. He married Madeline Agassiz in 1914, but they later divorced in 1928.
In 1929, he married Athalie Richardson. They had one daughter named Athalie Anita "Joan" Irvine. Sadly, James Irvine III died in 1935 from tuberculosis.
After his death, James II set up The James Irvine Foundation. This charitable organization was created to hold the main ownership of the Irvine Company. When James II died in 1947, his only surviving child, Myford Plum Irvine, became the president of the Irvine Company.
