Bio-Sawyers
SURNAMES: FEOGH, BLAIR, RIORDAN,
An enterprising, experienced and successful business man, who is the worthy representative of one of the most influential, ,because most progressive men of affairs in the California commercial world in his day is Weir C. Losse, of the well known firm of Losse Bros., of San Jose. He was born at Indianapolis, November 7, 1887, the son of Henry E. Losse, a native of New York City, where he was born in 1853. He migrated West to St. Louis as a young man; there finished his education, and married Miss Caroline Feogh ( transcribers note:bio of brother says Keogh), of St. Louis, but really also a native of New York City; then he returned to New York City, and entered the service of Austin, Nichols & Co., the wholesale grocers; then came back to St. Louis, and going to Indianapolis, he assisted in forming the firm of Losse, Kuhn & Larger, wholesale grocers of that city. This firm sold out in 1890, and all three of the business associates came out to Santa Clara County, Cal. H. E. Losse was the first to visit the Coast, coming here in 1889, to buy prunes and dried fruit for his Indianapolis wholesale establishment. He was so favorably impressed with the Santa Clara Valley that he induced his partners to say good-bye to the Hoosier State, come to San Jose and build the packing house near the Southern Pacific Depot, for which they were famous from 1890, since it was one of the first wholesale dried fruit packing houses in the city.
H. E. Losse soon bought a ranch of 1100 acres at Visalia, and later it was sold to California Packing Corporation. Later Mr. Losse's San Jose packing house was burned in 1911, and he then made his headquarters in his Santa Clara packing house, continuing until he sold it to Rosenburg Bros. Mr. Losse, in 1909, had purchased the great Delmas Ranch of 504 acres, near Sunnyvale, which once belonged to the well known criminal lawyer of that name, and Mr. Losse continued setting out orchards and to manage it until his death, April 11, 1918, at his home in Sunnyvale. Mrs. Losse died at Santa Barbara in the spring of 1921, leaving this valuable ranch to the three children surviving her: A. N. Losse, who was born at Indianapolis and married on June 23, 1881; W. C. Losse, the subject of our story; and a daughter, Vivian Losse, now the wife of Dr. Blair, who also resides in San Jose.
Messrs. Losse Bros. own n the largest apricot orchard in the state, consisting of 150 acres, orchards of peaches, pears and prunes. Although plentifully endowed with this world's wealth, Mr. Losse and his brother, after recently selling 164 acres to Mr. C. Schlessinger, continue to visit the Fruitvale district every day, and to do their full share of labor in the orchard. H. E. Losse was president of the old Santa Clara Valley Bank of Santa Clara, which was later sold to the Bank of Italy, and the sons inherit his exceptional business ability.
At Santa Clara, in
June, 1917, Mr. Losse was married to Miss Anita Riordan of San Jose,
and they reside at 50 Hanchett Avenue, in that city. Mr. Losse is a
prominent member of the Country Club. A sister of Mr. Losse, Mrs.
Blair, lives at 7 Martin Avenue, and has two children: Beatrice L. and
Caroline. Santa Clara County has been developed largely through such
men of rare foresight, optimism, courage and aggressive enterprise as
the late H. E. Losse and his equally public spirited, gifted sons.
From Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California, published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1604
SANTA CLARA COUNTY The Valley of Heart's Delight