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JAMES V. O'HARA.
James V. O'Hara, one of the best established realtors in this section of California, a real veteran at the business;
president of the Vallejo Real Estate Board and of the Vallejo Insurance Board, former treasurer of the city of
Vallejo and for years accounted one of the real "live wires" of that progressive and flourishing trade
center, widely known for the success of several important subdivision projects that he promoted, one of the most
alert individual factors in the development of this favored region, is a native son of Vallejo and his life has
been spent here, helpful in the promotion of the varied interests of his home town. Mr. O'Hara was born on April
5, 1876, and is a son of John and Margaret (Clark) O'Hara, who were among the helpful pioneers of Vallejo.
Reared at Vallejo, James V. O'Hara received his schooling in the publis schools of that city and supplemented this
by a course in accountancy and general business forms in a well established correspondence school. When fifteen
years of age he became employed as a clerk in a local clothing store, going to work at a wage of ten dollars a
month and being required to be "on the job" from seven in the morning till nine or ten o'clock at night.
For a year he was thus engaged, meanwhile studying bookkeeping and business forms until he had acquired an adequate
technical knowledge of those lines and then he transferred his services to the Aden Lumber Company, of which he
presently was made secretary and office manager, a position he occupied for years and during which time he became
widely known throughout this region and also became thoroughly acquainted with all details of the rapidly expanding
local real estate field. In 1909 Mr. O'Hara bought the real estate business which had been established at Vallejo
by Samuel Hurst, one of the veteran realtors in that city, and has ever since been actively engaged along that
line as well as in the general insurance business, now one of the oldest realtors in continuous business in this
section of the state.
In 1910, the year after he took over this realty business, Mr. O'Hara opened up the now solidly built O'Hara subdivisions
to the city of Vallejo and made a great success of that venture. A later and also successful project of his in
the local realty field was his promotion of the Starr subdivision of sixty five acres on the Benicia road at Cypress
Knoll, and his equally successful promotion of the Vallejo Farm subdivision of fifty acres, all of which "went
over fine," his activities along these lines establishing him firmly as one of the real progressive and farsighted
realtors of this section. Mr. O'Hara's standing in the realty field is revealed by his present position as president
of the Vallejo Real Estate Board and his equally high standing in local insurance circles is revealed in the same
fashion by his position as president of the Vallejo Insurance Board. He also is widely known in local political
circles, was for eight years secretary of the county democratic central committee and has for years been recognized
as one of the real leaders of that party in Solano county.
In 1910 Mr O'Hara was elected city treasurer and tax collector and by reelection was serving his second term in
that office when the city entered upon its present commission form of government. He was appointed to succeed himself
as treasurer but because of the continued pressure of his growing realty business he presently found it necessary
to resign that office and he never since has sought public office. When the locally influential Vallejo Rotary
Club was organized Mr. O'Hara was elected first secretary of the same and in that administrative position was a
valued factor in the pleasant labors of getting Rotary started out in the right direction. He is a member of the
local council of the Knights of Columbus and is also affiliated with the local lodge of the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks. He finds his chief diversion in hunting and has long been recognized as one of the most ardent sportsmen
in this section of the state, president of the Vallejo Gun Club and secretary of the True Sportsmen's Club, in
the affairs of both of which organizations he has long taken a deep and helpful interest. He is recognized as one
of the best "shots" in California, and has numerous trophies of his skill with his trusty gun.
From:
History of Solano County, California
BY: Marguerite Hune
and
Napa County, California
BY: Harry Lawrence Gunn
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Chicago 1926
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