Antoine Borel
Antoine Borel | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 29, 1840 Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
| Died | March 26, 1915 (aged 74) Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Occupation(s) | banker, director |
Antoine Borel (December 29, 1840 – March 26, 1915) was a banker for the eponymous Borel & Co., headquartered in San Francisco, California. He was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland and emigrated to the United States in 1862, where he founded his bank and served as a director for several companies, including the Spring Valley Water Company, the California Street Cable Company, and the Bankers' Investment Company. He died following an operation in Switzerland, to where he had returned in July 1914 for health issues.
Early life[edit]
Borel was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and completed his education in Switzerland and Germany. He emigrated to San Francisco, arriving in 1862,[1] following his brother Alfred,[2] who had arrived in 1855.[3]: 81
Career[edit]
Alfred Borel had founded Borel & Co.; after Antoine joined him in 1862, the business was turned over to Antoine when Alfred returned to Europe.[3]: 81 Antoine was appointed the vice-consul of Switzerland to California and Nevada when he was 21, ascending to consul-general in 1885, a position he held until 1913.[2] Antoine served on the board of several companies, including the Spring Valley Water Company, the California Street Cable Company, the Wells Fargo Express Company, and the Bank of California Company.[4]
Borel was a prominent philanthropist in San Mateo, where he had established a summer home on the advice of their family's doctors. After a fire in 1883 which destroyed the public library, Borel donated land for a new library building, which was subsequently destroyed in another fire in 1887.[3]: 86–87 Borel also built a chapel on the edge of his property, later known as Geneva Chapel, in 1892; it later was turned over to Saint Matthews Episcopal Church in 1902, and then to the Hillbarn Theatre, a community theater organization, in 1937.[3]: 117
Personal life and legacy[edit]
Antoine Borel and his wife, Grace (née Canitrot), had seven children,[2] six of which were living at the time of his death:[5] five daughters and one son.[1]
Borel died on March 26, 1915,[6] in Lausanne, Switzerland, following an intestinal operation. He had returned to Switzerland in July 1914 with members of his family for health reasons,[1] and took up residence there after being stranded by World War I.[7]
Borel Place, an office development which was started in the 1960s on a site west of El Camino Real near SR-92 in San Mateo, California, was owned and used by Antoine Borel as his summer residence.[8] Borel had acquired the site in 1874 from the estate of F. L. A. Pioche.[2][9][10] After his death, it became the home for the Borel family, including San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Aylett R. Cotton, Jr., son of Aylett R. Cotton, who had married two of Borel's daughters.[8][11] The Borel mansion was destroyed in a fire on June 8, 1962.[3]: 140
A middle school[12] and small neighborhood park in the same area also are named for Borel.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Antoine Borel, banker, dies in Switzerland". San Mateo Leader. Vol. XXVII, no. 13. April 1, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Person Record: Borel, Antoine". San Mateo County Historical Association. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Postel, Mitchell P. (1994). "III: From Whistle Stop to Village: 1865–1887". San Mateo: A Centennial History. San Francisco: Scottwall Associates. pp. 39–90. ISBN 0-942087-08-9.
- ^ Buchanan, Paul D. (October 8, 2001). "Hillbarn Theater". Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Antoine Borel's Widow Is Awarded $200,000". San Francisco Call. September 23, 1916. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Antoine Borel Dies While Seeking Health". San Jose Mercury Herald. Associated Press. March 28, 1915. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Robt. Bruce In England Plans S. F. Return". The San Francisco Call and Post. September 22, 1914. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
Letters received here from Antoine Borel and his family state that they are established safely at their chalet, near Neufchatel, in Switzerland.
Mr. and Mrs. Antoine Borel Sr., with their daughter, Miss Chonita Lupita, and Mr. and Mrs. Louis Bovet (Grace Borel) went abroad early in July. When hostilities began they abandoned all idea of traveling and established themselves in their chalet, where they intend to remain until the war ceases. Their horses and automobiles were confiscated. - ^ a b "Borel Estate Office Project Begins". Redwood City Tribune. September 7, 1962. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Svanevik, Michael; Burgett, Shirley (February 17, 2017). "Matters Historical: Bringing a sense of Swiss aristocracy to San Mateo". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Paul, Ken; Gautraud, Alexandra (1989). "Borel Estate". San Mateo! A sketchbook tour of the San Francisco Peninsula's past. Palo Alto, California: CastleRock Press. pp. 107–110. ISBN 0-944879-03-9. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Levy, Joan (August 8, 2005). "Judge Cotton was a natural". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Borel Middle School History". San Mateo-Foster City School District. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
Borel opened on April 11, 1929, as an elementary school with 150 students and 4 teachers. The school was named in honor of Antoine Borel, a San Mateo community leader.
External links[edit]
- "Antoine Borel, portrait by Alice Brown Chittenden". National Portrait Gallery. 1916.