Nevada Genealogy Trails Washoe County Hon. S. J. Hodgkinson Biography

HON. S. J. HODGKINSON. There is no druggist of Reno who has longer been a resident of the city than has Hon. S. J. Hodgkinson. and he is likewise numbered among the pioneers of Nevada, having settled here in territorial days. Widely known and respected throughout the state, his record will prove of interest to many of our readers, and it is therefore with pleasure that we present this record. A native of Missouri, he was born in 1852, and is of English ancestry. His parents, S. H. and Mary Ann (Jackson) Hodgkinson, were both natives of England.

Crossing the Atlantic to the United States, his father resided in Missouri for some time. In the fifties he, accompanied by his wife, three daughters and son crossed the plains to California. He worked on a ranch in Santa Clara county, and in 1860 came to the territory of Nevada, settling on a ranch on the east fork of the Carson river near Carson City. There he cultivated and improved a farm, and, selling that property, purchased a home in Carson City and was engaged in teaming there. For some time he held the office of constable, and he was captain of the guards at the state penitentiary under P. C. Hyman. Both he and his wife were earnest Christian people, his membership being with the Methodist church, while she belonged to the Episcopal church. In politics he was a Democrat, and as a citizen was known for his loyalty to all that he believed would prove of general benefit. He died in 1891, and his good wife, still surviving him at the age of seventy years, is now living in San Francisco.

S. J. Hodgkinson was in his ninth year when he arrived in Nevada. He was educated in a private seminary in Carson City, and when thirteen years of age entered the drug store of O. P. Willis as a clerk. For eight years he remained with that gentleman, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the business and serving his employer so faithfully that he won his unqualified confidence and regard. He was at first paid twenty dollars per month, and his wages were advanced from time to time as he became more capable and acquired a more comprehensive understanding of the business. On leaving the service of Mr. Willis he accepted a clerkship in the store of John G. Fox, a dealer in general merchandise, jewelry and notions. Later he spent a year and a half in marking clothes in a laundry, and for two years was inside guard at the penitentiary under General Eatterman. It was on the 22d of September, 1882, that Mr. Hodgkinson arrived in Reno, where he secured a position in the drug store of John Myers. A little later he borrowed the four thousand dollars with which he purchased the business of his employer, and from that time until the present his patronage has steadily grown. Soon he had discharged all of his indebtedness, and he now owns a store building as well as his stock and is enjoying a most extensive patronage. For more than twenty-one years he has engaged in business in Reno, and his reputable business methods, his enterprise and probity have won for him the confidence and good will of the entire public. In 1890 Mr. Hodgkinson was joined in wedlock to Miss Eugene E. Wall, a native of Rensselaer Falls, New York, and a graduate of St. Lawrence University. Three sons graced this marriage, all born in Reno: Lawrence J., Francis and Samuel J. Mrs. Hodgkinson is a valued member of the Episcopal church and is an estimable lady, presiding with gracious hospitality over their pleasant home. Mr. Hodgkinson is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and in the latter is past grand chancellor. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he has been chief of the Reno fire department for twelve years. He was elected and served for two terms in the Nevada state assembly, and he served on the staff of Governor Bradley with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He has also been a captain of Company of the National Guards of Nevada. He was the first president of the first board of pharmacists of the state. He has been active in public life as a representative of commercial and political interests, and the salient features of his character have been allegiance to duty, strong purpose and unfaltering energy in carrying forward any task or trust reposed in him.