Glendale, California Biographies

        W. E. Hewitt, who is the owner and proprietor of the Glendale Laundry, was born July 15, 1875, at Brantford, Ontario, Canada, a son of Thomas C. and Martha S. (Miller) Hewitt. His father was a Canadian and his mother was descended from an old New York State family. His grandfather, Thomas Hewitt, was a native of Ireland and a pioneer railroad man of Canada, who for many years held the post of Division Superintendent of the Grand Turk railroad. His father has been identified with big business all his life, the latter years of his active business career being given to a large printing business of which he was vice-president.

        Mr. Hewitt attended high school in Canada. He spent one year in law school and then for a year was a traveling salesman. He moved to Detroit, Michigan, taking a position with the Detroit Water Works where he remained for eighteen years, starting first as a clerk, and studying nights on a engineering course of the ‘International Correspondence School,” he fitted himself for the splendid position of acting chief civil engineer. He was inspecting engineer when the water tunnel was constructed. This tunnel supplies all Detroit and is considered a very wonderful piece of work. In Detroit he was a member of the Engineers Society and was in the Naval Reserve for three years.

        Early in 1913 he came to Southern California and soon thereafter bought the Glendale Laundry, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Charles Wouter, who was, and now is, one of the largest laundry operators in Chicago. In two years he bought out Mr. Wouter. The business has grown with the city until the plant has been enlarged to its present proportions of 18,000 square feet of floor space. It gives employment to fifty people. Miss Holm is in charge of the office; Mrs. Ingale, of the operating room; George Tyror, engineer; Ed Moffat, in charge of marking and sorting; and Frank Patch is head driver. These employees have been with Mr. Hewitt since he first had the plant.

        Mr. Hewitt is a stockholder and director in the First National Bank, the First Savings Bank, and is a member of the advisory board of the Glendale Avenue branch of the Los Angeles (now Pacific-Southwest) Trust and Savings Bank. He was a stockholder and director of the Bank of Glendale for several years before it was sold to the Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank. He is a charter member of the Rotary Club and was a member of its first board of directors, a member of the Elks Club, Chairman of the City Sewer Committee. He was formerly a vestryman of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. During the war he was chairman of the Casa Verdugo Liberty Bond Drives, a member of the Home Guards, serving also in other auxiliary war work.

        He has traveled extensively, and unlike most Americans, has visited all the states. His latest trip was to the Hawaiian Islands during the winter of 1921-1922. He was sent as the representative of the Chamber of Commerce to Mexico City, for the inauguration of President Obregon, entering the City on the Obregon Special from Nogales. Mr. Hewitt’s father is a resident of California, as was his mother, prior to her death in June 1922. They spent a great deal of their time with him at his residence at 911 Randolph Street.