Frederick A. Hihn

[1] Born Friedrich August Ludewig Hühn in the Duchy of Brunswick in modern-day Germany, Hihn emigrated to California during the Gold Rush in 1849.

After an unsuccessful stint as a miner, Hihn returned to San Francisco, where over the next several years he tried a handful of entrepreneurial activities, including selling candy, operating hotels, and owning both a drug store and a soap factory.

Starting in 1865, Frederick A. Hihn and Elihu Anthony built the first private water supply network in the city of Santa Cruz and serving nearby communities.

He served only one term, but continued to be involved in local and regional politics, often to the advantage of his own businesses.

[4] When he died in 1913, Hihn owned a wide variety of businesses, from lumber yards to hotels.