Luther C. Tibbets
Encyclopedia
Luther Calvin Tibbets was born in South Berwick, York County
, Maine
. He and his wife Eliza Tibbets
grew the first Washington Navel orange
in Riverside, California
in 1871, and founded the California
citrus industry
.
he was successfully involved in grain and cereal dealing, but by refusing to become involved in corrupt operations, his rivals were able to move against him and Tibbets lost his fortune.
In 1863, he married Eliza Lovell
and after the Civil War, the couple relocated to Fredericksburg, Virginia
. Southern feelings towards staunch Union
supporters such as the Tibbets were less than accommodating and the couple suffered extensive persecution. Tibbets became an important abolitionist
and civil rights activist after he was extensively persecuted while in business the post-United States Civil War southern states. Tibbets was involved in a number of law suits involving the state and the Ku Klux Klan
.
Tibbets died in 1902, and is buried with his wife Eliza, at the Evergreen Memorial Park and Cemetery
in Riverside.
received two new citrus trees to grow and test, from the botanist William Saunders
, the Director of the new U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
. The original cuttings were shipped to him from Bahia
, Brazil
.
The seedless Washington Navel oranges became very popular as growers in Southern California would request grafts from the Tibbets. The Tibbets would sell grafts at a "reasonable price" to fellow growers, not wanting to profit from the governments gift. However Luther Tibbets died without the wealth other growers gained from the seedless Navel oranges Eliza and he brought to California's economic and cultural landscape
.
York County, Maine
York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, the population was 197,131. Its county seat is Alfred.Founded in 1636, it is the oldest county in Maine and one of the oldest in the United States....
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. He and his wife Eliza Tibbets
Eliza Tibbets
Eliza Tibbets , on her ranch in Riverside, California with husband Luther C. Tibbets, is known as growing the first Washington navel orange and founding the citrus industry and cultural landscape of orange groves in California, United States...
grew the first Washington Navel orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
in 1871, and founded the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
citrus industry
Citrus production
Citrus fruits are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade. There are two main markets for citrus fruit:* the fresh fruit market* the processed citrus fruits market...
.
History
Tibbets was from Maine farming stock but began his career in the mercantile grocery business. During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he was successfully involved in grain and cereal dealing, but by refusing to become involved in corrupt operations, his rivals were able to move against him and Tibbets lost his fortune.
In 1863, he married Eliza Lovell
Eliza Tibbets
Eliza Tibbets , on her ranch in Riverside, California with husband Luther C. Tibbets, is known as growing the first Washington navel orange and founding the citrus industry and cultural landscape of orange groves in California, United States...
and after the Civil War, the couple relocated to Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
. Southern feelings towards staunch Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
supporters such as the Tibbets were less than accommodating and the couple suffered extensive persecution. Tibbets became an important abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
and civil rights activist after he was extensively persecuted while in business the post-United States Civil War southern states. Tibbets was involved in a number of law suits involving the state and the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
Tibbets died in 1902, and is buried with his wife Eliza, at the Evergreen Memorial Park and Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery (Riverside, California)
Evergreen Cemetery, or Evergreen Memorial Park is a cemetery in Riverside, California, United States. The first burial occurred in 1872, and the cemetery became the resting place of many historic figures of Riverside.-History:...
in Riverside.
Navel Orange introduction
In 1873 Eliza TibbetsEliza Tibbets
Eliza Tibbets , on her ranch in Riverside, California with husband Luther C. Tibbets, is known as growing the first Washington navel orange and founding the citrus industry and cultural landscape of orange groves in California, United States...
received two new citrus trees to grow and test, from the botanist William Saunders
William Saunders
William Saunders was a botanist, nurseryman, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and horticulturist...
, the Director of the new U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. The original cuttings were shipped to him from Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
The seedless Washington Navel oranges became very popular as growers in Southern California would request grafts from the Tibbets. The Tibbets would sell grafts at a "reasonable price" to fellow growers, not wanting to profit from the governments gift. However Luther Tibbets died without the wealth other growers gained from the seedless Navel oranges Eliza and he brought to California's economic and cultural landscape
Cultural landscape
Cultural Landscapes have been defined by the World Heritage Committee as distinct geographical areas or properties uniquely "..represent[ing] the combined work of nature and of man.."....
.
External links
- Biography from An Illustrated History of Southern California
- NY Times Archives: Featured Story
- Picture of President Roosevelt replanting one of the original orange trees in Riverside (Gravestone shows last name as "L. C. Tibbetts" (2 "t"s at end))
