California Biographies

Source: History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of 
the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with 
its growth and development from the early days to the present (1919)

History By Paul E. Vandor 
Illustrated, Complete In Two Volumes 
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1919
 
Notes: Missing+page1185-1186

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives 
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


PETER KOVACEVICH.� A young man of sterling worth, foresighted- 
ness and exceptional enterprise, who has become a successful and prominent 
broker and buyer of green and dried fruits, planning to make a specialty of 
figs and table grapes for eastern shipments, is Peter Kovacevich with offices 
at 108 Trust Company's Building, Fresno. 

He is a native of Stari Grad, Dalmatia, Jugoslavia, born May 8, 1893, and 
attended public school in his native country. In his seventeenth year he 
came to California � in 1910 � and joined his father, four brothers and two 
sisters in Fresno County. For three years he worked for salary for his older 
brother John Kovacevich, Jr., then, for a year he acted as his foreman, all 
the while gathering knowledge and experience sure to be of great service 
to him later. 

In 1915 he started in business for himself, commencing to buy figs; the 
next year he dealt in figs, also in other fruits; but in 1917 and 1918 he limited 
himself to figs, and bought on a large scale, purchasing 150 tons of figs. In 
1919 he bought about 200 tons of figs and 2,000 tons of Malaga grapes for 
eastern markets as table fruit. The successful progress he made speaks for 
itself. While the great war was going on he bought liberally of Liberty 
Bonds and assisted personally and otherwise to his utmost in Red Cross work. 
As an able-bodied American, he was duly registered in the army draft � a fact 
that will always be a source of pride to him, for he was ready to respond if 
Uncle Sam had need of him ; but he was not called and so had no chance 
to make the supreme sacrifice. During the war, he was very attentive to 
local Jugoslavic affairs, having contributed liberally to the national fund, 
and the old country policies of the Jugoslavic question on the Balkan Pen- 
insula.