William Newton Monroe: Monrovia’s Father
Written by Oliver Beckwith, Monrovia Historical Museum Board Member
William Newton Monroe (1841-1935) did many things in his long life. While still in his teens he was a teacher in Iowa. When the Civil War began he served two years in 1st Iowa Cavalry where, among other things, he saw action against Quantrill’s Raiders at Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Monroe joined the 7th Iowa Cavalry Regiment in 1863, and completed his military service as a brevet Major in 1864 at Ft. Kearney, Nebraska. It was there he met a teacher, Mary Jane Hall, and on Christmas Eve, 1863, they were married. Together they raised five children, Milton, George, Myrtle, Annetta and Mabelle.
After the war William joined his father-in-law Milton Hall in building a part of the transcontinental railroad. Monroe was good at supervising train construction, and in the following decades he built railroads in the American Southwest, Mexico, Alaska, and Chile. As a result William Monroe supervised construction of the northernmost and southernmost railroads in the Western Hemisphere.
We all recognize William Monroe as the father of Monrovia, and those of us who live here are beneficiaries of the city he created. In the postwar years Monroe had been supervising the building of railroads in Arizona and Texas, but in 1884 he and Mary Jane decided to settle down in Southern California. They were attracted to the beautiful foothills and water sources that came from them. In 1885 Monroe purchased some land from Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, and built the home we know today as The Oaks on Primrose Avenue.
In that same year Monroe teamed up with Edward F. Spence, then Mayor of Los Angeles, real estate attorney John D. Bicknell, railroad entrepreneur James F. Crank, and local landowner Jeremiah Falvey to purchase the land needed to create the city of Monrovia. The land was organized into lots and put up for sale in 1886, and by 1887 Monrovia became the 4th city in Los Angeles County to be incorporated.
In his lifetime Monroe faced many challenges. As a young man he served in the Civil War, and after Monrovia was incorporated its citizens suffered through more wars and economic downturns. He accomplished many things and had some failures too, but William Newton Monroe could always look at his greatest success, the City of Monrovia. If you would like to know more about William Monroe’s story please visit us at The Monrovia Historical Museum. On your visit you can purchase Richard Singer’s book, 1887: A History of Early Monrovia to find more details about William Monroe’s life.
Biographical Links:
Written by Oliver Beckwith, Monrovia Historical Museum Board Member
William Newton Monroe (1841-1935) did many things in his long life. While still in his teens he was a teacher in Iowa. When the Civil War began he served two years in 1st Iowa Cavalry where, among other things, he saw action against Quantrill’s Raiders at Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Monroe joined the 7th Iowa Cavalry Regiment in 1863, and completed his military service as a brevet Major in 1864 at Ft. Kearney, Nebraska. It was there he met a teacher, Mary Jane Hall, and on Christmas Eve, 1863, they were married. Together they raised five children, Milton, George, Myrtle, Annetta and Mabelle.
After the war William joined his father-in-law Milton Hall in building a part of the transcontinental railroad. Monroe was good at supervising train construction, and in the following decades he built railroads in the American Southwest, Mexico, Alaska, and Chile. As a result William Monroe supervised construction of the northernmost and southernmost railroads in the Western Hemisphere.
We all recognize William Monroe as the father of Monrovia, and those of us who live here are beneficiaries of the city he created. In the postwar years Monroe had been supervising the building of railroads in Arizona and Texas, but in 1884 he and Mary Jane decided to settle down in Southern California. They were attracted to the beautiful foothills and water sources that came from them. In 1885 Monroe purchased some land from Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, and built the home we know today as The Oaks on Primrose Avenue.
In that same year Monroe teamed up with Edward F. Spence, then Mayor of Los Angeles, real estate attorney John D. Bicknell, railroad entrepreneur James F. Crank, and local landowner Jeremiah Falvey to purchase the land needed to create the city of Monrovia. The land was organized into lots and put up for sale in 1886, and by 1887 Monrovia became the 4th city in Los Angeles County to be incorporated.
In his lifetime Monroe faced many challenges. As a young man he served in the Civil War, and after Monrovia was incorporated its citizens suffered through more wars and economic downturns. He accomplished many things and had some failures too, but William Newton Monroe could always look at his greatest success, the City of Monrovia. If you would like to know more about William Monroe’s story please visit us at The Monrovia Historical Museum. On your visit you can purchase Richard Singer’s book, 1887: A History of Early Monrovia to find more details about William Monroe’s life.
Biographical Links:
- City of Monrovia Legacy Project - Short Bio of William N. Monroe by T.M. Hotchkiss, 1985
- PPOlinks - Ten-page Biography of William N. Monroe by Edithe Harbison Hathaway, 1931
- Wikipedia - Vocation and Public Service History of William N. Monroe
RSS Feed