A look back -- Jerry Person

Jerry Person

I’ve recently been reading in the newspaper that some of our local

newspaper columnists are seeking the vacated seat on the Huntington Beach

City Council and I would like all of you to know that this lone wolf

columnist will not be running for the open seat.

Well this week I thought it would be interesting to look back at the

lives of two councilmen of long ago.

Our first one is Orvil Ray Harris who served our city during the

halcyon oil boom days from 1926 to 1930.

It was in Madison, Kansas that Harris was born on July 2, 1896.

His family moved to Huntington Beach early in Harris’ youth and he

attended our local schools.

After graduation Harris went to work with his father, a local building

contractor, to build many of the older homes in the Downtown area. In

1918 when America entered World War I, Harris joined the Navy where he

remained until the war ended and he came home in 1919.

In 1921 he went to work in our oil fields as a rig builder for

Standard Oil Company where he remained for the next 10 years.

A year after joining Standard, Harris married Ruby Ellen Miller on

March 13, 1922 and to this union came four children -- Ralph, Leroy,

Harold and Thelma.

Ruby lived at 705 10th St.

Active in civic matters, Harris served as a Huntington Beach

councilman for four years between 1926 to 1930.

Harris was an active member of our Masonic Lodge, and our local

American Legion Post as well as a regular member of our Methodist church.

But a long life was not forthcoming for this energetic young man.

While on a vacation to the Virginia Lakes region near Bishop, Harris

became ill and died on August 20, 1931.

The flag at city hall was lowered to half-mast in his memory.

The other councilman to look back at is J.W. Mitchell, who served on

the city council at the same time Harris did from 1926 to 1930.

James Walter Mitchell was born in Butler county Iowa on June 27, 1865,

the year our great Civil War ended.

Mitchell attended grade school there and when he was a little older

the family moved to Minnesota to farm. Young Mitchell helped his father

to till the soil. But farm life was not for Mitchell and after graduation

he went on to teach in Minnesota’s rural schools.

In 1894 Mitchell married his sweetheart from Sibley, Iowa Mary O’Keefe

and to this union four children were born. Paul, Louis, Mildred and Ruth

were his greatest joy in life.

In 1897 James and Mary moved to Salem, Ore. and a warmer climate.

After a year they moved to Sodaville, Ore. where Mitchell would become

the town mayor.

He ran a general mercantile business for 12 years and during this time

became a justice of the peace.

President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Mitchell postmaster

ofSodaville.

Mitchell served on the town’s board of education, and from his first

days in Sodaville he was a member of the Modern Woodsmen of America. By

1909 however, the family tired of Oregon and relocated to the still

warmer climate of San Diego where Mitchell sold real estate until 1917.

In that year he and his family moved to Huntington Beach to live. And

while here he continued to sell real estate and as time passed he became

more interested in our city politics. He joined and was active in our

chamber of commerce for many years. Mitchell was active in helping get

coast highway completed. He was also very active in our local Baptist

church where he was made a

trustee and also the church’s treasurer.

But as the years passed illness followed and on August 23, 1931, just

three days after fellow councilman, Harris died, Mitchell passed away.

The flag at city hall now flew at half-mast for two of its respected

councilmen.

Several of our residents would be included in both of their services,

for Huntington Beach was such a tightly joined family.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.