Duncan McDuffie (September 24, 1877 – 1951) was a

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

, conservationist, and mountaineer based in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, United States.

Developer

McDuffie is best known for developing the Claremont and Northbrae neighborhoods of Berkeley and St. Francis Wood district in San Francisco. His upscale developments were laid out as "residential parks," with streets following the contours of hills and underground power lines. Like many other developments at the time, his developments included racial covenants to exclude non-whites from home ownership, and he also promoted single-family zoning laws to exclude non-whites.

Conservationist

McDuffie was a notable conservationist, and was president of the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

from 1928 to 1931 and 1943–1946.

East Bay Regional Park District

In 1934 McDuffie helped create the

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a Special-purpose district, special district operating in Alameda County, California, Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay (California), East Bay area of the San Fra ...

in the Berkeley Hills.

California state parks

McDuffie helped establish the California state park system with the help of his friend Governor C. C. Young. He won the Pugsley Medal for his service on the California State Parks Commission.

Mountaineer

McDuffie was an accomplished mountaineer in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, and made first ascents of Mount Abbot and Black Kaweah. Along with Joseph N. LeConte and James S. Hutchinson, he pioneered a high mountain route in 1908 from

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

to Kings Canyon, roughly along the route of the modern

John Muir Trail The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite National Park, Yosemite, Kings Canyon National Park, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park, Se ...

. In 28 days, they completed a trip of 228 miles through the high mountains, including several previously unexplored sections.Parsons, Harriet, edited by David R. Brower, Sierra Club: A Handbook, "Mountaineering", Sierra Club, San Francisco, 1947, page 16 McDuffie suffered from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

for nearly 20 years before his death in 1951. The Sierra peak Mount McDuffie is named after him.

References

External links and sources

Duncan McDuffie: Cornelius Amory Pugsley Silver Medal Award, 1928

SIGNATURE STYLE: Duncan McDuffie - Natural neighborhoods: Visionary developer created elegant urban 'residential parks', San Francisco Chronicle, Dave Weinstein, February 7, 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDuffie, Duncan Sierra Club directors American mountain climbers Architects from California Businesspeople from California American real estate and property developers Businesspeople from Berkeley, California 1877 births 1951 deaths People with Parkinson's disease Real estate and property developers from California