Harris Weinstock (1854–1922) was an American businessman. He was the co-founder of Lubin and Weinstock department store in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. As the founding State Market Commissioner, he oversaw regulations and marketing for the citrus, poultry and fishing industries in California. He was a founder of the

Commonwealth Club of California The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to ...

Early life

Harris Weinstock was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family on September 18, 1854, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. He emigrated to the United States at the age of one, settling in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where his father was a businessman. He was educated in New York, and he moved to California in 1869.

Career

With his half-brother David Lubin, he opened a drygoods store in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, in 1872. They subsequently co-founded Lubin and Weinstock, a department store in

, later known as

Weinstock's Weinstock's, originally Weinstock, Lubin, and Co., was an American department store chain headquartered in Sacramento, California. It was founded by Harris Weinstock and his half-brother, David Lubin. The first location opened in 1874 on the c ...

. He was also an investor in the Weinstock, Lubin Real Estate Company; the Weinstock, Nichols Company; and the National Bank of D. O. Mills. Weinstock served in the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

from 1881 to 1895, retiring as Colonel. Meanwhile, he joined the board of trustees of the

California State Library The California State Library is the state library of the State of California, founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. The Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. Today, it is the central ...

in 1887. Seven years later, in 1895, he joined the State Board of Horticulture. Weinstock became a freeholder of Sacramento in 1891. In 1913, he was appointed to the

Commission on Industrial Relations The Commission on Industrial Relations (also known as the Walsh Commission) p. 12. was a commission created by the U.S. Congress on August 23, 1912, to scrutinize US labor law. The commission studied work conditions throughout the industrial Un ...

by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. p. 19. He also served on the executive committee of the

National Civic Federation The National Civic Federation (NCF) was an American economic organization founded in 1900 which brought together chosen representatives of big business and organized labor, as well as consumer advocates in an attempt to ameliorate labor disputes. I ...

, which attempted to alleviate conflict between employers and labor unions. He was subsequently appointed to the State Industrial Accident Commission. Weinstock was elected the first President of the

in 1903. Weinstock drafted the Weinstock Arbitration Bill of 1911, which prohibited strikes and lockouts during the arbitration process. In 1912, Weinstock was appointed by Governor

Hiram Johnson Hiram Warren Johnson (September 2, 1866August 6, 1945) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917 and represented California in the U.S. Senate for five terms from 1917 to 1945. Johns ...

to investigate the

San diego free speech fight The San Diego free speech fight in San Diego, California, in 1912 was one of the most famous class conflicts over the free speech rights of labor unions. Starting out as one of several direct actions known as free speech fights carried out acr ...

. By 1915, Weinstock was appointed as first director of the State Market Commission of California. As Commissioner, Weinstock imposed regulations on the citrus and poultry industries, ensuring that farmers were paid their fair share and helping the industries with marketing. He also established the State Fish Exchange. He resigned in January 1920. Weinstock served as the vice president of the

Jewish Publication Society The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by Reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...

. He was also a member of the Jewish Historical Society.

Personal life and death

Weinstock married Barbara Felsenthal. They had two sons, Robert Weinstock and Walter Weinstock, and two daughters, Mrs Samuel Frankenheimer of

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

, and Mrs Burton E. Towne of

Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city in San Joaquin County, California, United States, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 66,348 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History When a gro ...

. Weinstock fell from his horse while riding near

Los Altos, California Los Altos (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Heights") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 31,625 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Most of the city's growth ...

, in August 1922. He died of a skull fracture at the nearby hospital in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

on August 22. By the time of his death, he was worth an estimated US$500,000. His wife inherited his estate.

Works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstock, Harris 1854 births 1922 deaths Businesspeople from London Businesspeople from Sacramento, California English emigrants to the United States American company founders American people of English-Jewish descent English Jews