Harrison Gray Otis

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Otis and Related Families
by Joshua Perry

Harrison Gray Otis

10 SmartMatches

Birth:	10 Feb 1837 in Lowell, Washington, OH ¹
Death:	30 Jul 1917 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA ¹ ²
Sex:	M
Father:	Stephen Otis b. 10 Jun 1784 in Norfolk, Litchfield County, Connecticut
Mother:	Sarah Dyer b. 1 Sep 1789

Burial: Hollywood Cemetery, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA ²

Occupation: Army General, Los Angeles Times Editor/Publisher ¹ ²

Spouses & Children

Eliza Ann Wetherby (Wife) b. 16 Aug 1833 in Walpole, Cheshire, NH

Marriage:	11 Sep 1859 in Lowell, Washington, OH
Children:
Harrison Gray Otis Jr. b. May 1861 in Marietta, Washington, OH Beulah Lillian Otis b. 22 Sep 1864 in Washington, DC Emma Marian Otis b. 1 Jul 1866 in Marietta, Washington, OH Mabel Otis b. 28 May 1871 in Washington, DC Esther Otis b. 1875

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Notes

Individual:
His wife was possessed of unusual literary ability, and wa
s associated with her husband in journalism for more than a quarter of a century. Some of her sketches and poems have been collected and published, such as "Echoes from Elfland" [1900], "California Where Sets the Sun" [1905].

Mr. Otis was born on a farm in Washington Co., O., and atte nded the common schools in the winters until he was fourteen years old, when he became a printer's apprentice, and acquired mainly in the printing office the training for his subsequent career. He spent, however, a few months in the winter of 1856-57, in Wetberby's Academy at Lowell, 0.. and afterwards graduated from Granger's Commercial College at Columbus, O.

He served in the War of the Rebellion throughout the confli ct, having been enrolled as a private in the Twelfth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers [Colonel John W. Lowe] at Camp Dennison, June 25, 1861; mustered in June 29, 1861, and took the field with his regiment July 6, 1861, under Brigadier-General J.D. Cox in the Western Virginia campaign. He was promoted to First Sergeant Mar. 1, 1862, to Second Lieutenant Nov. 12, 1862; to First Lieutenant May 30, 1863, and to Captain July 1, 1864. He was transferred on the latter date to the Twenty-third Ohio Veteran Volunteers, the regiment of ex-President Hayes and ex-President McKinley, Mr. McKinley and Mr. Otis later becoming fast personal friends. In 1865, at the close of the war, he was breveted Major and Lieutenant-Colonel upon the unsolicited recommendation of his commanding officer "for gallant and meritorious services during the war". He had served forty-nine months in the army, participated in fifteen engagements, was twice wounded in battle, and received several promotions, including two brevets.

At the close, of the war he became the owner of a small new spaper and printing plant at Marietta, O. He was official Reporter of the Ohio House of Representatives, 1866-67: foreman of the Government Printing Office at Washington, 1869-70: and chief of a division in the U.S. Patent Office in 1871-76. He became the nominal owner, manager, editor and publisher of the "Santa Barbara Press", March 1876. Was principal United States Treasury Agent in charge of the Seal Islands of Alaska, 1879-81. Aug. 1, 1882, became a fourth owner in the Los Angeles Times-Mirror Company, and continued publication of that paper, becoming its President and General Manager, the paper having grown to a daily circulation of 50,000.

He served in the Spanish-American War [1898] and in the Fil ipino insurrection as Brigadier General of Volunteers, his brigade constituting the principal force engaged in the battle and capture of Caloocan on Feb. 10, 1899. On the 2nd of April, 1899, he was relieved of his command, at his own request, and returned to the United States, where he was honorably discharged from the military services on July 2, 1899. He was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate as "Major General by brevet for meritorious conduct in action at Caloocan, Mar. 25, 1899."

General Otis was a Republican, and an active political work er. He was a delegate from Kentucky to the Republican National Convention of 1860, which nominated Abraham Lincoln for President, and was also a delegate for the Soldiers' and Sailors' National Convention at Chicago in 1868, which first nominated U.S. Gen. Grant for the Presidency. When Mr. McKinley was first elected President, he offered Mr. Otis the consulship to Calcutta, but the appointment was refused.

During the Presidential campaign of 1888, and at the time o f the Sackville-West incident. Mr. Otis came prominently to the front in connection with the famous "Murchison" letter. In an article published in the Chicago Tribune at that time, a man who knew Mr. Otis intimately says. "If I had been asked to pick out a man in the whole state of California who would be just the one to engineer this clever scheme of Mr. Quay, I would have selected Otis at once. He is shrewd, cautious, and at the same time daring, while he has little to learn of the ins and outs of political intrigue."

General Otis was said to be a man of pleasant address, affa ble manner and great energy. He was a member of the American Academy of Science, member of the Associated Press and American Newspaper Publishers' Association.,of numerous military societies and fraternities, etc., etc. He and his paper were known as active opponents of the "closed shop" industry. The destruction of the old Times building by a bomb explosion was almost a national episode and one of the best known incidents of his struggle with the labor unions.

His end came at the home of his daughter. Mrs. Harry Chandl er, in Hollywood, where he had been living for several months, and was the result of a rupture of the heart, coming just after the General had eaten breakfast in bed. That he recognized it as fatal was indicated by his remark, in a low, unexcited tone, "I am gone". Mr. and Mrs. Chandler hastened to his bedside, but death ensued almost instantly.

The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon. Augus t 1, in the First Congregational Church. There, to the bier of the soldier, journalist-patriot, came a great concourse of people, representing almost every walk in life. Hundreds of people were unable to get inside the building. Eloquent addresses by Dr. Hugh K. Walker and Dr. Charles E. Locke, both of whom had known General Otis well, expressed esteem, admiration and affection. Listening, hundreds of Times' employes were thrilled sadly, for he had been their mentor and friend, the master craftsman whose teachings made them better and more efficient workers.

For more than a quarter of a century, General Otis was a to wering figure in the city of Los Angeles. During the later years of his life, the influence of his personality outgrew boundaries; he became a national figure. Besides his work of building up a great newspaper, he participated in many constructive enterprises in Southern California. He loved the truth. He loved Los Angeles and Southern California, and helped to make them strong. His motto was: "Stand fast, stand firm, stand sure, stand true".

In 1917 he donated his residence in Los Angeles for "the ad vancement of Art in the West". and in it was established an Art School, which was affiliated with the department of Fine Arts of the Museum of History. In August, 1920, a group of sculpture, erected in his memory, was unveiled in West Lake Park.

Sources

Title: Weatherbee Round-Up, Volume XIV, Number 2
Publication: March / April 1990
Title: Weatherbee Round-Up, Volume XIV, Number 3
Publication: May / June 1990

SmartMatches

Individuals from other files that are believed to be the same person:

Harrison Gray Otis Gen.	of Ancestry
Harrison Gray Otis	of MyData.ftl
Harrison Gray Otis	of C:\PAFs\OURPAF.paf.ged
Harrison Gray Otis	of Trischmann
Harrison Gray Otis	of Tardif & Boyle
Harrison Gray Otis	of The Attig & Otis line
Harrison Gray Otis	of Baker Byrd Logan Family
Harrison Gray Otis	of Bernabe
Harrison Gray Otis	of Baker, Byrd, Logan, Bean, Moody &c.
Harrison Gray Otis	of Scullin1.ged

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