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


EDWARD O'NEAL. � When a man occupies a position of trust and re- 
sponsibility by reason of merit, it is certainly more satisfactory than if he 
secured it by "pull." To have reached the top, knowing every step of the 
way gives a man confidence in himself, and this, in turn, creates confidence 
in him by those with whom he comes in contact. Mr. O'Neal is a good exam- 
ple of this. 

He was born near Weatherford. in Parker County, Texas, March 4, 1879. 
He was raised on a farm and educated there. He worked on a farm until 
he" was twenty years of age, when he started into the oil business, entering 
the employ of the Texas Oil Company at Gates, Texas. This company sent 
him to Tulsa, Okla., where he remained for a time. He became an expert 
oil man, filling different positions in the oil fields and in the refining depart- 
ments. For three months he was with the Pierce-Fordyce Oil Company at 
Fort Worth, Texas. In 1911 he came to California and went to work for the 
Producers' Transportation Company, at San Luis Obispo, where he remained 
for two years. He started in as pipeman, soon became assistant foreman, 
and later district foreman. In 1913 he moved to Coalinga, where he was with 
the same company in the oil fields, becoming district foreman in the Coalinga 
fields. 

In March, 1918, Mr. O'Neal was appointed city marshal and tax collec- 
tor for Coalinga. To this appointment he is giving the same careful attention 
that has characterized all his work. He is fearless in the discharge of his 
duties as a peace officer. He has made some very important arrests, at one 
time apprehending a diamond thief who had stolen in Coalinga, recovering 
all the diamonds. At another time, when the Wallace Hardware Store was 
robbed, Mr. O'Neal succeeded in capturing the thief. A crazy man who was 
running amuck in Coalinga, was taken in tow, and is now in the Fresno 
County jail. This is considered one of the most important arrests that he has 
made, as it turned out that the man is a German spy. Because of his activity 
in the discharge of his duties, Mr. O'Neal is regarded as the right man in 
the right place, and has many friends in Coalinga and vicinity. He was made 
a Mason in Oak Cliff, Texas, and is a member of the Oil Workers' Union. 

He was married to Ada Thompson, of Texas, and they have four daugh- 
ters : Lena Mae; Pauline; Pearl; and Ella. In the fall of 1918 Mr. O'Neal 
resigned his position as city marshal to resume his work in the oil fields.