William Hartshorn Bonsall (February 10, 1846 – July 20, 1905) was an American military man, newspaper and magazine publisher, real-estate investor and insurance adjuster who was the effective manager of the California Veterans home in the 19th century and was a president of the Los Angeles City Council in the 20th.

Personal

Bonsall was born on February 10, 1846, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Samuel Bonsall and Mary Mills. He went to school in Cincinnati and

Ironton, Ohio Ironton is a city in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 10,571 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in southern Ohio, southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River, it is northwest of Huntingt ...

.Los Angeles Public Library reference file, November 13, 1937
/ref> He was married on October 2, 1871, in

Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth is a city in Scioto County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, Ohio, Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky and just east of the mouth of th ...

, to Ellen Doddridge McFarland of Los Angeles, and they had five children, Samuel N., Albert M., Jennie (Mrs. Thomas P. Newton), Elisa (Mrs. Samuel M. Haskins) and Bessie (Mrs. Ernest C. Hamilton). He died on July 20, 1905, in the family home at 1315 West Adams Street (in today's University Park area, after complaining of a heart ailment ten days previously and being ill all that time. Besides his wife and children, he was survived by two brothers and three sisters – Charles and Edward Bonsall of Ohio and Mrs. Morenci of Los Angeles and Mrs. William Higgins and Mrs. B.F. Richardson of Ohio."Death Calls Major Bonsall," ''Los Angeles Times,'' July 21, 1905, page II-1
/ref> Although Bonsall was a member of the Christian Science Church at the time of his death, private funeral services at his home and public services at Rosedale Cemetery were officiated by J.J. Wilkins, dean of the Episcopal St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral. Pallbearers included Harrison Gray Otis, the publisher of the ''Los Angeles Times.'' Some three hundred veterans were brought by

private railroad car A private railroad car, private railway coach, private car, or private varnish is a railroad Passenger railroad car, passenger car either originally built or later converted for service as a business car for private individuals. A private car cou ...

via the Los Angeles-Pacific Electric Company from the Sawtelle depot to attend.

Military

Bonsall joined the Union Army in August 1862 as a private in the 117th Ohio Infantry, which reorganized as the 1st Ohio Heavy Artillery. In 1863 he was promoted to regimental

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

sergeant and then to regimental

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

. At the close of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

in 1865, he was offered the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, but declined due to the death of his father, which made him responsible for the rest of the family.

Vocation

Bonsall began his civilian career in the insurance business in Portsmouth, then for two years was one of the editors and publishers of the Portsmouth ''Tribune.'' The family then moved to

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

. In November 1866 the family moved to Los Angeles, where he began a real estate business along with Theodore Wiesendanger in the Bryson Block at the corner of Main and Court streets. He later became a traveling adjuster for an insurance company."Incorporated: Anaheim Street Car Company," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 27, 1887, page 2
/ref> In 1887 Bonsall was an investor in the Centinela Land Company, headed by developer Daniel Freeman, and the Redondo Beach Company, as well as the

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

Street Car Company, with Wiesendanger. In 1889 he was one of the investors in a proposed

narrow-gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter cur ...

between Los Angeles and Redondo, with "steamers, tugs, vessels, barges, etc., to run in connection with the railway."

Public service

Veterans Home

During the Republican

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

administration, Bonsall was appointed a member of the Board of Managers of the

National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

. Because he lived in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

, the veterans home there came under his control as the effective local manager. He served for six years before resigning, his post being filled by former California Governor Henry Markham of Pasadena. Requiring approval by Congress in a

joint resolution In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires passage by the Senate and the House of Representatives and is presented to the president for their approval or disapproval. Generally, there is no legal diffe ...

, his 1898 appointment was opposed in the House of Representatives by Rep. Eugene F. Loud, who said that he had not received a "fair hearing" in the matter and that Bonsall was "unknown to the volunteer soldiers." The resolution was approved by a vote of 126 to 56. As a board member, Bonsall made trips to the East on business. He was in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, the day President McKinley died, and with other board members he attended the funeral ceremonies in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

. He left the board in 1904,"Bonsall Retires," ''Los Angeles Times,'' March 5, 1904, page 12
/ref> with this statement:

This Soldiers' Home business takes up a great deal of time. There is no salary nor other monetary compensation in it, and I think some other gentleman should have a chance to secure the honor for the next few years. I want to add that I cannot forget how gracefully ex-Gov. Markham acted six years ago, when he withdrew in my favor; and as his name is now mentioned among those of other distinguished gentlemen, I think it is a graceful thing in me to withdraw in his favor.

City Council

In 1889, Bonsall was elected on the Republican ticket to the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

from the 3rd

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

, running against Charles Gassen, the Democratic nominee, and Dr. Bryant, an independent. Two years later he was reelected and then chosen by the council as its president.

Other

In September 1890, Bonsall was chairman of the city's Board of

Public Works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

, and in July 1891 he was temporary secretary of the Los Angeles County Highway and Forestry Association, which was working to establish and maintain "credible highways" in the county. In December 1892, he served as acting

Mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

for a week.

Legacy

Bonsall's family home on West Adams Boulevard, by then in decrepit condition, was rescued from demolition in 1980. At least one developer wanted to raze the building, which by 1980 had been divided into cheap apartments, and construct low-cost, government-subsidized public housing. The deal, however, fell through, and the building remains a multiple-family structure. Bonsallo Avenue was named for him. He lived less than a mile from the street's northern segment (near the corner of West Adams Blvd and

Vermont Avenue Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north–south streets in City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, California. With a length of , is the third longest of the north–south thoroughfares in the region. For most of its length be ...

). Another street, Bonsall Avenue, on the campus of the West Los Angeles Medical Center, was also named in his honor.
Location of Bonsall Avenue on ''Mapping L.A.''

Notes and references

Access to the ''Los Angeles Times'' links may require the use of a library card.