Henry Gaylord Wilshire
Encyclopedia
Henry Gaylord Wilshire (1861–1927), known to his contemporaries by his middle name of "Gaylord," was a land developer, publisher and outspoken socialist who gave Los Angeles' famous Wilshire Boulevard
its name.
.
Wilshire moved to Los Angeles, California
in 1884.
In 1895 he began developing 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) stretching westward from Westlake Park
for an elite residential subdivision. He donated a strip of land to the city of Los Angeles for a boulevard through what was then a barley field, on the conditions that it would be named for him and that railroad lines and commercial or industrial trucking would be banned.
In 1900, Wilshire was arrested for speaking in a public park in Los Angeles. A judge dismissed the charges, but the incident caused Wilshire to leave Los Angeles for New York.
for Attorney General in 1891, for the British Parliament in 1894, for Congress in the California 6th District again in 1900, this time on the ticket of the Social Democratic Party of America, for the Canadian Parliament in 1902, and for Congress from New York in 1904.
In 1900, Wilshire launched the first of his publishing ventures in Los Angeles, a magazine called The Challenge. At least 40 issues of the publication were produced between December 1900 and October 1901. The name of this publication was subsequently changed to Wilshire's Monthly Magazine in 1901, before being shorted to Wilshire's Magazine (1902) and Wilshire's (1904), with publication variously in New York and Toronto. First a small-format magazine, later a tabloid newspaper, Wilshire's continued in production until February 1915.
Wilshire Drive in Phoenix, Arizona was named after him.
Wilshire's body was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
its name.
Early years
Henry Gaylord Wilshire was born June 7, 1861, in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
.
Wilshire moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1884.
In 1895 he began developing 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) stretching westward from Westlake Park
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.- Geography :...
for an elite residential subdivision. He donated a strip of land to the city of Los Angeles for a boulevard through what was then a barley field, on the conditions that it would be named for him and that railroad lines and commercial or industrial trucking would be banned.
In 1900, Wilshire was arrested for speaking in a public park in Los Angeles. A judge dismissed the charges, but the incident caused Wilshire to leave Los Angeles for New York.
Political career
Wilshire was a frequent and far-ranging political candidate. He stood as the Nationalist Party Congressional candidate for the 6th California District in 1890, as the candidate of the Socialist Labor PartySocialist Labor Party of America
The Socialist Labor Party of America , established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party, is the oldest socialist political party in the United States and the second oldest socialist party in the world. Originally known as the Workingmen's Party of America, the party changed its name in 1877 and has...
for Attorney General in 1891, for the British Parliament in 1894, for Congress in the California 6th District again in 1900, this time on the ticket of the Social Democratic Party of America, for the Canadian Parliament in 1902, and for Congress from New York in 1904.
In 1900, Wilshire launched the first of his publishing ventures in Los Angeles, a magazine called The Challenge. At least 40 issues of the publication were produced between December 1900 and October 1901. The name of this publication was subsequently changed to Wilshire's Monthly Magazine in 1901, before being shorted to Wilshire's Magazine (1902) and Wilshire's (1904), with publication variously in New York and Toronto. First a small-format magazine, later a tabloid newspaper, Wilshire's continued in production until February 1915.
Death and legacy
Wilshire eventually returned to Los Angeles and made much of his connection with the now famous Boulevard that bore his name, although he had no involvement with its gradual expansion in the years while he was absent from the region. He made and lost several fortunes during his lifetime and died destitute on September 7, 1927 in New York.Wilshire Drive in Phoenix, Arizona was named after him.
Wilshire's body was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.
Books and pamphlets
- Why American Workingmen Should Be Socialists. 1891. —Four page leaflet.
- Free Trade vs. Protection. New York: Socialist League of America, 1892.
- The Poor Farmer and Why He is Poor. Fullerton, CA: Nationalist Publication Co., n.d. [c. 1899].
- Liquid Air: Perpetual Motion at Last: Tripler's Surplusage Explained. Los Angeles, n.p., 1899.
- The Problem of the Trust. Los Angeles: [Gaylord Wilshire], 1900.
- The Trust Problem. Los Angeles: Social Democratic Party, 1900.
- Imperialism. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Branch of the Social Democratic Party, 1900.
- A Business-like City Charter. Los Angeles: Allied Printing, 1900.
- Trusts and Imperialism. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1901.
- Imperative Mandate, Initiative and Referendum: Adopted in the Late Proposed New Charter for Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Gaylord Wilshire, 1901.
- Debate on socialism, Wilshire-Seligman: A Verbatim Report of the Greatest Debate in the History of Socialism in the United States, Which Took Place in Cooper Union, January 16, 1903, New York City. With E.R.A. Seligman. New York: Wilshire's Magazine, 1903.
- Ten Cents a Year. New York: Wilshire Book Co., 1905.
- Wilshire-Carver Debate on Socialism: Gaylord Wilshire vs. Thomas Nixon Carver: Held January 15, 1906, at Hartford, Conn. Before the "Get Together Club." New York: Wilshire Book Co., 1906.
- Socialism: A Religion. New York: Wilshire Book Co., 1906.
- Wilshire Editorials. New York: Wilshire Book Co., 1906.
- Socialism Inevitable (Wilshire Editorials). New York: Wilshire Book Co., 1907.
- Socialism: The Mallock-Wilshire Argument. New York: Wilshire Book Co., n.d. [c. 1907].
- The Significance of the Trusts. New York : Wilshire Book Co., n.d. [c. 1900s].
- Hop Lee and the Pelican. New York : Wilshire Book Co., n.d. [c. 1900s].
- Why a Workingman Should Be a Socialist. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., n.d. [c. 1912].
- Syndicalism: What It Is. London: 20th Century Press, 1912.
- I-ON-A-CO: The Short Road to Health. Los Angeles: [Gaylord Wilshire], n.d. [c. 1926].
Magazines
- Wilshire's Magazine [Toronto], 1903, part 1. Issues 54-58. Google Books project. Retrieved April 21, 2010.