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originally named
Collier Park: William Cleator Park, Dusty Rhodes Park, and a neighborhood park still named for Collier. Other portions of the parcel became a junior high school (originally Collier Junior High, now Correia Middle School), a YMCA facility, a church, and Nimitz Boulevard. He also contributed to the development of a park in La Mesa that still bears his name. He donated 10 acres of land in Ramona which became the first county park in San Diego County.
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150:), then worked as a janitor and a bookkeeper. By age 20 he was working as a lawyer in his father's office. At age 16 he bought property in Ocean Beach, at "Alligator Rock" (now Ocean Front St. at Bacon and Coronado streets), and built a hut there. He gradually expanded the hut into a large house with a bathing pool and a Japanese garden, where he lived for decades.
142:. His parents were David Charles Collier, an attorney, judge, and journalist, and Martha Maria (Johnson) Collier. The younger David Charles Collier was generally called "Charlie". He moved to San Diego with his family om 1884, when he was 12 years old. He and his family often picnicked or camped on the beach in the then-undeveloped neighborhood of
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He ran unsuccessfully for city council (1917) and for county supervisor (1932). He continued his development activities, particularly in Ocean Beach and Point Loma. Between 1918 and 1930 he took a variety of positions in
Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City, including several positions directing
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He served without pay, paid his own travel expenses to
Sacramento and Washington to lobby for the Exposition, and donated $ 500,000 to the Exposition. By 1914 his business was suffering so badly that he had to resign as president and go back to practicing law and selling real estate. He remained
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After his father's death in 1899 he went into law practice with Judge W. P. Andrews and later with Sam F. Smith. Many of his clients paid him in real estate instead of cash, often unloading undeveloped parcels that they considered worthless. So he spent more and more of his time in real estate
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His philanthropy was generous and widespread, particularly involving the donation of land for public purposes. He built Ocean Beach
Elementary School, a two-room schoolhouse, and donated 60 acres of land in Ocean Beach "for the children". Eventual uses of that land included three parks, all
248:- and to highlight San Diego's position as the closest American port to that canal - Collier became the prime mover. He served as Director General of the Panama California Exposition from 1909 to 1912, and president of the Exposition from 1912 to 1914. Collier chose the central mesa of
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development under various names: Ralston Realty
Company in 1904, Easton Collier Company in 1905, Western Investment Company in 1908, and D. C. Collier and Company in 1909. He subdivided the land, put in utilities, planted trees, and sold lots in many neighborhoods including Ocean Beach,
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to be the consulting architect. He also chose "human progress" to be the
Exposition's cultural theme. The theme exhibit, particularly focused on the anthropology of the Southwestern United States, later became the San Diego Museum of Man, of which he was a founder.
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He also bought property in Ramona including five gold mines, and built a country home there on a 240-acre ranch. He also owned a home and poultry farm in La Mesa (then called La Mesa
Springs), and built the city's first springhouse to bottle and sell water.
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from 1907 to 1911. It was
Gillett who gave him the courtesy title of "Colonel," which stuck with him for the rest of his life. He was a flamboyant dresser and a conspicuous consumer, owning the first phonograph and the first automobile in San Diego.
222:, and helping the city of San Diego gain possession of its tidelands from the state. He served as president of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. He served on the staff of California Governor
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and became a newspaperman. D. C. Collier married his second wife, Ruth E. Everson, on
November 14, 1915. Following her death in 1916, he married Clytie B. Lyon on December 13, 1919.
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major expositions. In 1930 he resumed the practice of law in San Diego. He died of a heart attack on
November 13, 1934; his estate proved to be close to bankruptcy. Since he was a
162:, on January 1, 1896; they divorced in 1914. They had two sons, David Copley Collier and Ira Clifton Collier. David became a military aviator and was killed in a crash during
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207:. He built a railroad line to Ocean Beach in 1909, greatly hastening development there, and is considered by some to be the "true father of Ocean Beach".
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or as "Charlie" and sometimes given the honorary title of "Colonel", was an American real estate developer, civic leader, and philanthropist in
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As his business prospered he took a leading role in civic affairs, influencing the city's decision about where to purchase water, persuading
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Collier Neighborhood Park in Ocean Beach, Collier Park in La Mesa, and Collier County Park in Ramona are all named for him.
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active with the Exposition, serving as a public relations commissioner. As a trustee of the defunct
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When the city of San Diego began to consider holding an exposition to celebrate the opening of the
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There's Only One Point Loma: The Cream of San Diego the Beautiful, on the Harbor of the Sun
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122:(1915–16). He was also a prime developer of several areas of San Diego as well as
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director of 1915-16 Expo in San Diego; developer of many areas of San Diego
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area of Balboa Park in 1936 during the second San Diego exposition, the
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in Ocean Beach he arranged to sell its exotic animals to the fledgling
130:. In his day he was described as "San Diego's foremost citizen."
434:"Colonel D. C. Collier: An inspiration to the citizens of today"
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507:"The making of the Panama-California Exposition, 1909-1915"
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to bring his fledgling aviation company to North Island in
386:"Part Four in Quest for OB's True Birthday and Founder"
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David C. Collier letters and an autobiography, MSS 863
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He married Ella May Copley, the sister of Congressman
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David C. Collier autobiography and letters, MSS 789
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517:(1). San Diego History Center. Archived from
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304:California Pacific International Exposition
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348:"Colonel D.C. Collier and Collier Park"
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256:as the architectural style, and hired
837:List of primary and secondary schools
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384:Gormlie, Frank (September 20, 2012).
138:Collier was born August 14, 1871, in
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1036:20th-century American businesspeople
1031:19th-century American businesspeople
461:. D. C. Collier & Company. 1913.
146:. He attended Russ High School (now
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1026:People from Central City, Colorado
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252:as the site, selected California
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588:L. Tom Perry Special Collections
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1041:People from La Mesa, California
986:Philanthropists from California
505:Amero, Richard (Winter 1990).
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981:Businesspeople from San Diego
346:Beck, Darrell (May 1, 2011).
89:lawyer, real estate developer
1046:San Diego High School alumni
511:Journal of San Diego History
410:"Death takes Col. Collier".
240:California Panama Exposition
120:Panama California Exposition
23:David Charles "D.C." Collier
809:Metropolitan Transit System
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938:(weekend Japanese school)
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1021:Lawyers from San Diego
1006:Ocean Beach, San Diego
140:Central City, Colorado
45:Central City, Colorado
897:San Pasqual Union ESD
592:Harold B. Lee Library
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540:"Collier County Park"
438:BalboaParkHistory.net
412:The Los Angeles Times
300:California Quadrangle
148:San Diego High School
104:David Charles Collier
1016:History of San Diego
106:, commonly known as
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877:Escondido Union ESD
544:County of San Diego
414:. 14 November 1934.
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288:Mount Hope Cemetery
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762:Emergency services
358:on 1 February 2013
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892:National ESD
847:Coronado USD
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547:. Retrieved
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519:the original
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481:the original
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991:1871 births
693:Skyscrapers
395:29 November
294:Recognition
250:Balboa Park
164:World War I
144:Ocean Beach
78:Nationality
970:Categories
726:Government
549:5 November
525:2020-10-30
487:6 November
473:"Timeline"
443:5 November
362:6 November
329:References
197:North Park
181:Point Loma
134:Early life
116:California
71:California
59:1934-11-14
907:Santee SD
852:Poway USD
830:Education
769:Hospitals
748:Libraries
663:Companies
284:Freemason
112:San Diego
67:San Diego
682:Timeline
646:By topic
220:Coronado
81:American
819:trolley
804:Airport
678:History
673:Economy
668:Culture
658:Climate
653:Beaches
254:Mission
205:Encanto
124:La Mesa
57: (
779:Police
708:Sports
703:People
390:OB Rag
203:, and
174:Career
154:Family
128:Ramona
784:crime
733:Mayor
698:Parks
688:Media
774:Fire
753:Port
551:2012
489:2012
445:2012
397:2012
364:2012
126:and
52:Died
38:Born
814:bus
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