James Boon Lankershim (1850–1931) was an American heir, landowner and real estate developer.

Early life

James Boon Lankershim was born on March 24, 1850, in

Charleston, Missouri Charleston is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,056 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Mississippi County. It is a home to a local correctional facility. History Charleston is the largest to ...

.FindAGrave
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Isaac Lankershim Isaac Lankershim (April 8, 1818/19/20 – April 10, 1882) was a German-born American landowner and pioneer in California. He was the owner of 60,000 acres in Los Angeles County, California. Early life Sources from during his life vary on Lankersh ...

(1818–1882), a German-born Californian landowner who owned 60,000 acres in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

, and his mother was Annis Lydia Moore (1818–1901), an English-born Californian.Cecilia Rasmussen
A possible romance led to lawsuit, death
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The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', December 02, 2007Joann Deutch
The Tale Of Notable Dead Lankershim
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Canyon News ''Canyon News'' is an English-language weekly newspaper published in Beverly Hills, California . It is distributed internationally and is published in conjunction with the ''San Francisco News''. Named for its location and coverage area, ''Cany ...

'', April 25, 2009

Career

Hotel Lankershim with airships postcard 1909

Lankershim joined his father's company, the San Fernando Farm Homestead Association, together with his brother in law,

Isaac Newton Van Nuys Isaac Newton Van Nuys (; November 20, 1836 – February 12, 1912) was an American businessman, farmer and rancher who owned the entire southern portion of the San Fernando Valley—an area 15 miles long and 6 miles wide. With the approach of ...

(1836–1912), focusing on real estate while Van Nuys focused on wheat. He built the Hotel Lankershim (completed 1905) on the corner of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and 7th Avenue in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

, now demolished and used as space for a parking lot. He also built the San Fernando Building on the corner of 4th Avenue and Main Street, where his name is embedded in the tiles at the entrance.Los Angeles Conservancy
/ref> In 1885, Lankershim established a cavalry unit in the

California National Guard The California National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. The CA National Guard has three components: the CA Army National Guard, CA Air National Guard, and CA State Guard. ...

, Troop D, and became lieutenant colonel. Lankershim served as the first president of the

Los Angeles Athletic Club Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) is a privately owned Sports club, athletic club and social club in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, United States. Established in 1880, the club is today best known for its John R. Wooden Award pr ...

, a private member's club in Los Angeles.Los Angeles Athletic Club History
/ref>

Personal life, death and legacy

Lankershim married Carolina "Carrie" Adelaide Jones in 1881. By 1900, they separated and she moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, only to return briefly during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. They had two children, Jack Lankershim and Doria Lankershim. In the 1920s, he retired and moved to the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. On April 2, 1921, he donated 20 acres of the San Fernando Valley to the Boys Scouts of America, later known as the Arthur Letts Boy Scout Camp after Arthur Letts (1862–1923). In 1940, they built an obelisk in his honor on the donated land. In 1924, silent actress Adele Blood (1886–1936) introduced him to Irene Herbert, a nurse who became his companion for four years until his family fired her. He died on October 16, 1931, and his ashes were scattered across the San Fernando Valley. After his death, Irene Herbert claimed she had a $500,000-promisory note from her former employer and sued the Lankershim family, but later gave up and committed suicide.

Lankershim Boulevard Lankershim Boulevard is a major north-south thoroughfare in the eastern San Fernando Valley, primarily within the City of Los Angeles, in Los Angeles County, California. Geography Lankershim Boulevard begins at San Fernando Road in the Sun ...

in Los Angeles is named for the Lankershim family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankershim, James Boone 1850 births 1931 deaths People from Charleston, Missouri People from Los Angeles County, California Businesspeople from Los Angeles Land owners from California People in 19th-century California American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of German-Jewish descent 19th century in Los Angeles 20th century in Los Angeles