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GUISEPPE PROIETTI
The career of Guiseppi Proietti, of San Leandro, affords a concrete example of what may be accomplished through
industry, persistence in pursuit of a definite object and the exercise of intelligent judgment, for he began his
life in this country without capital or influential friends and has succeeded in attaining a measure of Prosperity
that places him among the successful business men of his community. Mr. Proietti was born near Rome, Italy, on
the 23rd of February, 1882, and is a son of Appolinare and Margerita Proietti. He had but little opportunity in
his boyhood to secure an education, for when he was nine years old his father died and three days later he was
compelled to start to work in order to support his mother and family. He was employed as a carpenter and at any
other work he could find, until 1898, when, at the age of sixteen years, he decided to come to the United States,
having heard that larger opportunities for individual advancement could be secured here. He landed at New York
city, and was employed in Pennsylvania. Ohio and Illinois, working in stone quarries and at railroad construction.
He was in Chicago when winter came on and he decided to seek a milder climate. Starting west, he stopped off in
Wyoming and Montana, where he sought work, but being unsuccessful, continued on his way to the coast and arrived
in San Francisco in January, 1907. His first job in California was with Charles Fay, ex postmaster of San Francisco
and a leading contractor, by whom he was employed in clearing up the wreckage of the Phelan building. After that
he was variously employed until July 4, 1908, when he started to sell flowers on the street. Jn his first attempt
he met with encouraging success and continued at it for some time, after which he obtained employment in various
retail flower stores in that city, following that line of work for three years. He then began buying flowers from
the growers in Alameda county, coming down as far as Niles, Hayward and Centerville. He walked down, packed his
flowers in a basket and then returned to San Francisco on the street car. This also proved a good move and he continued
at it successfully for three years, when he decided to go into the florist business, and to that end, in 1919,
he bought six and twenty two hundredths acres of land about one and three quarter miles south of San Leandro, on
which he erected a greenhouse. Each year since then he has made a substantial improvement on the property, until
he now has twelve large greenhouses, with a good boiler plant and a turbine pump system, driven by electric power.
He has invested approximately seventy five thousand dollars in this plant, which is modern in every respect, and
his sales now amount to about twenty five thousand dollars annually, his flowers being sold to San Francisco and
Oakland dealers. The place is known as San Leandro Garden and he has gained a wide reputation for the high grade
of his flowers, mainly roses, tulips, daffodils, gladiolas, peonies and sweet peas, while he has so conducted his
business affairs as to command an excellent credit rating.
On August 12, 1925, in San Francisco, Mr. Proietti was united in marriage to Miss Christina Frigara, who is a native
of Genoa, Italy. In 1904, in Youngstown, Ohio, Mr. Proietti was made a citizen of the United. States and he gives
his political support to the republican party. He is a member of the Jtalian Club of San Leandro and is deservedly
popular among his associates, while throughout the community he commands the confidence and respect of his fellowmen.
From:
History of Alameda County, California
BY: Frank Clinton Merritt
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Chicago, Ill 1928
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