Los Angeles County, CA, Biographies

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


L. LICHTENBERGER, 
 
capitalist, 24 East Fourth street, Los Angeles, is a native of Germany, born in 
Prussia, August 25, 1835. He attended school there and when sixteen years of age 
emigrated to America and went to Chicago. He served an apprenticeship to the 
trade of carriage and wagon making there and remained in Chicago until 1860, 
when he came to the Pacific Coast. He worked at his trade in San Francisco, and 
in 1864 came to Los Angeles. After being employed at his trade there for a time, 
he engaged in business for himself, at Nos. 3 to 13 North Main street, where his 
block is now located, and he was successfully engaged in the carriage and wagon 
making trade for over twenty years. He built up a very large trade, making a 
specialty of California spring-wagons.  He acquired a high reputation for 
vehicles of his own manufacture and gave employment to a large number of men, 
manufacturing 300 spring-wagons and carriages in one year, and having a trade 
which extended throughout Southern California and Arizona. In 1886 he retired 
from active business, after an honorable business record of over twenty-two 
years. He had little or no capital when he began life and his success is owing 
to his own efforts. He erected a large business block on Main street, and is 
also the owner of other valuable property. He did not invest in real estate as a 
speculation, but always as an investment. When he bought property he had a use 
for it, and in this way his investments have been permanently made and have 
proved very fortunate. Mr. Lichtenberger was elected a member of the city 
council, and after serving one term was elected city treasurer, in 1878. Los 
Angeles has no more generous and worthy citizen, no one more actively identified 
with the progress and development of the city and county, than is Mr. 
Lichtenberger. He was married November 2, 1863, to Miss Emily Basse, a native of 
Germany, who was born in the city of Bohn on the Rhine. They have four children: 
Herman, Amelia, Louis and George.
 
An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California �  Chicago, The Lewis 
Publishing Company, 1889   Page 768
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler