Isaac Newton Van Nuys
Encyclopedia
Isaac Newton Van Nuys was an American
businessman, real estate developer, banker, and agricultural entrepreneur. He founded the community of Van Nuys
in the San Fernando Valley
of Southern California
in 1911. As a major figure in regional history and development, there are schools, streets, libraries, and a Liberty Ship with the name of Van Nuys.
, the son of Peter Van Nuys and Harriet Kerr. His father was born in Millstone, New Jersey
, on February 7, 1808. He moved to West Sparta, in 1822, where he became a farmer and eventually owned 500 acres (2 km²). He also served as a town supervisor and justice of the peace. He died January 2, 1875. The mother of Isaac Van Nuys was born in Cayuga County, New York
, on April 13, 1809. Peter and Harriet were married on November 19, 1829. They had seven children, Caroline M. Van Nuys (born June 4, 1833); Isaac N.; A. Vinton Van Nuys (born June 8, 1840); Ella L. Van Nuys (November 22, 1842-July 22, 1843); Harriett E. Van Nuys (January 9, 1844-August 9, 1871); Webster B. Van Nuys (born February 8, 1847); and Herbert K. Van Nuys (born April 22, 1852).
Isaac attended the academy at Lima, in which he was a student for one year. His relatives emigrated from the Netherlands and located on Long Island, New York.
In 1865 at age 30, Van Nuys moved to California, the first Van Nuys to actually do so. He first lived in Napa
and later Monticello
, where he owned a country store. In 1871, Van Nuys moved to Los Angeles
, where he bought in with Isaac Lankershim's corporation, the San Fernando Homestead Association, that in 1869 had bought the southern half of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
totaling sixty thousand acres (240 km²) and engaged in the raising of stock, principally sheep. In 1873, Van Nuys, and future brother-in-law Isaac Lankershim's son, James Boon (J. B.) Lankershim, moved to the San Fernando Valley and took over management of the property. In 1874 they began raising grain, introducing dryland farming. In 1876 they filled two ships with Valley wheat at the Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro. It was both the first grain cargo ever shipped from the L.A. Harbor, and the first grain ever shipped to Europe
from the United States.
In 1880 Van Nuys and James B. Lankershim formed the The Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company from the San Fernando Homestead Association. Isaac Van Nuys was its president and manager. The company had a four-story building for milling
to produce flour, meals, cracked wheat, hominy and all kinds of feed. Van Nuys also served as vice-president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank
, a director in the Union Bank of Savings, a director in the Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company, and owner of the Van Nuys Hotel, which was erected in 1896 in Downtown Los Angeles
.
Also in 1880, Isaac Van Nuys married Susanna H. Lankershim of Los Angeles, a daughter and sister of his business associates Isaac and James B. Lankershim. They had three children— Annis H.; James Benton; and Kate.
As the City of Los Angeles authorized building 'William Mulholland's' Los Angeles Aqueduct
from the Owens Valley
to the city and valley, land speculation plans for the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company property in the San Fernando Valley were developed. Construction began in l905. Dryland farming could now be turned into crops, orchards and residential towns. In the "biggest land transaction ever recorded in Los Angeles County", a syndicate led by Harry Chandler
, business manager of the Los Angeles Times
, with Isaac Van Nuys, Hobart Johnstone Whitley
, and James B. Lankershim acquired "Tract 1000", the remaining 47500 acres (192 km²) of the southern half of the former Mission lands—everything west of the Lankershim town limits and south of the old furrow (present day Roscoe Boulevard) excluding Rancho Los Encinos
and Rancho El Escorpión
. As the Los Angeles Suburban Homes company, they laid out plans for the towns of Van Nuys
, Marion
(now Reseda) and Owensmouth
(now Canoga Park and West Hills
), a system of highways, and incorporation by the city of Los Angeles to get the Owens River water. In the "Sale of the Century" in November 1910 they sold the remaining livestock and non-land assets of the Lankershim Farming and Milling Company at auction. The Los Angeles Times called the auction "the beginning of a new empire and a new era in the Southland". On February 22, 1911, lot sales begin at the new town of Van Nuys
, California.
Van Nuys was a member of the Masonic order
, connected with Pentalpha Blue Lodge, Signet Chapter, Los Angeles Commandery and Al Malaikah Shrine Temple. He was a Republican
and member of the Baptist church. He also founded Hollywood Cemetery
.
Isaac N. Van Nuys died at age 75, on February 12, 1912. He is interred (in Section G, Lot 118) at the Evergreen Cemetery in East Los Angeles, with a tall and distinctive monument.
On February 23, 1944, a Liberty Ship
was named for Van Nuys, and launched at Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro, California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, real estate developer, banker, and agricultural entrepreneur. He founded the community of Van Nuys
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
in 1911. As a major figure in regional history and development, there are schools, streets, libraries, and a Liberty Ship with the name of Van Nuys.
Biography
Isaac Van Nuys was born in West Sparta, New YorkWest Sparta, New York
West Sparta is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 1,244 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the Town of Sparta....
, the son of Peter Van Nuys and Harriet Kerr. His father was born in Millstone, New Jersey
Millstone, New Jersey
Millstone is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 418.Millstone was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 14, 1894, from portions of Hillsborough Township, based on the results of...
, on February 7, 1808. He moved to West Sparta, in 1822, where he became a farmer and eventually owned 500 acres (2 km²). He also served as a town supervisor and justice of the peace. He died January 2, 1875. The mother of Isaac Van Nuys was born in Cayuga County, New York
Cayuga County, New York
Cayuga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named for one of the tribes of Indians in the Iroquois Confederation. Its county seat is Auburn.- History :...
, on April 13, 1809. Peter and Harriet were married on November 19, 1829. They had seven children, Caroline M. Van Nuys (born June 4, 1833); Isaac N.; A. Vinton Van Nuys (born June 8, 1840); Ella L. Van Nuys (November 22, 1842-July 22, 1843); Harriett E. Van Nuys (January 9, 1844-August 9, 1871); Webster B. Van Nuys (born February 8, 1847); and Herbert K. Van Nuys (born April 22, 1852).
Isaac attended the academy at Lima, in which he was a student for one year. His relatives emigrated from the Netherlands and located on Long Island, New York.
In 1865 at age 30, Van Nuys moved to California, the first Van Nuys to actually do so. He first lived in Napa
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
and later Monticello
Monticello, California
Monticello was a town in Napa County, California. The site of the settlement is completely covered by Lake Berryessa.-History:Monticello was a town erected within Rancho Las Putas, a Mexican land grant of given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to José de Jesús Berelleza and Sexto "Sisto"...
, where he owned a country store. In 1871, Van Nuys moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he bought in with Isaac Lankershim's corporation, the San Fernando Homestead Association, that in 1869 had bought the southern half of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California granted in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Eulogio de Celis...
totaling sixty thousand acres (240 km²) and engaged in the raising of stock, principally sheep. In 1873, Van Nuys, and future brother-in-law Isaac Lankershim's son, James Boon (J. B.) Lankershim, moved to the San Fernando Valley and took over management of the property. In 1874 they began raising grain, introducing dryland farming. In 1876 they filled two ships with Valley wheat at the Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro. It was both the first grain cargo ever shipped from the L.A. Harbor, and the first grain ever shipped to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from the United States.
In 1880 Van Nuys and James B. Lankershim formed the The Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company from the San Fernando Homestead Association. Isaac Van Nuys was its president and manager. The company had a four-story building for milling
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
to produce flour, meals, cracked wheat, hominy and all kinds of feed. Van Nuys also served as vice-president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank
Farmers and Merchants Bank
Farmers and Merchants Bank is a historic lending institution in downtown Los Angeles, California, USA, known both for its architecture and its pivotal role in the economic development of early Los Angeles...
, a director in the Union Bank of Savings, a director in the Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company, and owner of the Van Nuys Hotel, which was erected in 1896 in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
.
Also in 1880, Isaac Van Nuys married Susanna H. Lankershim of Los Angeles, a daughter and sister of his business associates Isaac and James B. Lankershim. They had three children— Annis H.; James Benton; and Kate.
As the City of Los Angeles authorized building 'William Mulholland's' Los Angeles Aqueduct
Los Angeles Aqueduct
The Los Angeles Aqueduct system comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power...
from the Owens Valley
Owens Valley
Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the west edge of the Great Basin section...
to the city and valley, land speculation plans for the Los Angeles Farming and Milling Company property in the San Fernando Valley were developed. Construction began in l905. Dryland farming could now be turned into crops, orchards and residential towns. In the "biggest land transaction ever recorded in Los Angeles County", a syndicate led by Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler was an American newspaper publisher and investor who became owner of the largest real estate empire in the U.S.-Biography:...
, business manager of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, with Isaac Van Nuys, Hobart Johnstone Whitley
Hobart Johnstone Whitley
Hobart Johnstone Whitley , also known as H.J. Whitley is the "Father of Hollywood", was a real estate developer who helped create the Hollywood subdivision in Los Angeles, Southern California. He and his wife, Margaret Virginia Whitley named the town while on their honeymoon in 1886...
, and James B. Lankershim acquired "Tract 1000", the remaining 47500 acres (192 km²) of the southern half of the former Mission lands—everything west of the Lankershim town limits and south of the old furrow (present day Roscoe Boulevard) excluding Rancho Los Encinos
Rancho Los Encinos
Rancho Los Encinos was a Spanish grazing concession, and later Mexican land granted cattle and sheep rancho and travelers way-station on the El Camino Real in the San Fernando Valley, in present day Encino, Los Angeles County, California...
and Rancho El Escorpión
Rancho El Escorpión
Rancho El Escorpión was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to three Chumash Native Americans - Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Mañuel....
. As the Los Angeles Suburban Homes company, they laid out plans for the towns of Van Nuys
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
, Marion
Reseda, Los Angeles, California
Reseda is a San Fernando Valley district in the city of Los Angeles, California.-History:The area now known as Reseda was originally inhabited by Native Americans of the Tongva tribe that lived close to the Los Angeles River....
(now Reseda) and Owensmouth
Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
Canoga Park is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles....
(now Canoga Park and West Hills
West Hills, Los Angeles, California
West Hills is an affluent community and district in the western San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States.West Hills is bordered by Chatsworth and the Chatsworth Reservoir to the north, Canoga Park to the east, Woodland Hills to the south, Hidden Hills to the southwest,...
), a system of highways, and incorporation by the city of Los Angeles to get the Owens River water. In the "Sale of the Century" in November 1910 they sold the remaining livestock and non-land assets of the Lankershim Farming and Milling Company at auction. The Los Angeles Times called the auction "the beginning of a new empire and a new era in the Southland". On February 22, 1911, lot sales begin at the new town of Van Nuys
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
, California.
Van Nuys was a member of the Masonic order
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, connected with Pentalpha Blue Lodge, Signet Chapter, Los Angeles Commandery and Al Malaikah Shrine Temple. He was a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and member of the Baptist church. He also founded Hollywood Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
.
Isaac N. Van Nuys died at age 75, on February 12, 1912. He is interred (in Section G, Lot 118) at the Evergreen Cemetery in East Los Angeles, with a tall and distinctive monument.
On February 23, 1944, a Liberty Ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
was named for Van Nuys, and launched at Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro, California.
See also
- Van Nuys, Los Angeles, CaliforniaVan Nuys, Los Angeles, CaliforniaVan Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
- Van Nuys, IndianaVan Nuys, IndianaVan Nuys is an unincorporated community in Henry Township, Henry County, Indiana and the site of the Indiana Village for Epileptics.-Geography:Van Nuys is located at ....
- History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farming, and fruit orchards flourished and faded...