Samuel E. McDonald is a well known fruit-culturist of San Joaquin county, and his career in that industry has been markedly successful. He has had a varied business experience, in different parts of the country, and as a man of great ability and energy and public-spirited enterprise he has participated actively in affairs in whatever community he has been a resident.

Mr. McDonald is best known to the people of San Joaquin county as the efficient superintendent of the Cutting Fruit Packing Company's fine fruit ranch located four miles east of Acampo. This ranch contains two hundred and eighty acres of land, and of this two hundred and fifteen acres are devoted to the growing of peaches, fifteen acres to apricots, forty acres to prunes, and a few acres to a vineyard. Mr. McDonald has successfully superintended this fruit ranch since October, 1900. Previous to that he was superintendent of the adjoining large fruit ranch owned by Buck and Cory, having served in that capacity for six and a half years. He came to California in 1891, and before going into the fruit industry he was engaged in the real estate business in Stockton.

Mr. McDonald was born in Huron county, Ontario, September 19, 1854, being a son of worthy Scotch people, William and Francis (Robinson) McDonald. At the age of twelve years he accompanied his parents to Pierce county, Wisconsin, where he grew to manhood and finished his education in the public schools of that county. For a number of years he was engaged in business at Esdaile, Wisconsin, principally in merchandising, but also in farming. He was also in business for a time at West Superior, Wisconsin. A stanch Republican in politics, for several years he served as postmaster of Esdaile, where he was also a notary public for eight years, and for six years a justice of the peace. Mr. McDonald is affiliated with Maiden Rock Lodge No. 196, F. & A. M., at Maiden Rock, Wisconsin. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Acampo, and he is serving as one of the church trustees.

Mr. McDonald's first wife was Miss Mary McClelland, a native of Ohio, and she became the mother of three children: Jessie E., the wife of Henry Stuckey, of Seattle, Washington; William E., who is in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railway with his headquarters at San Francisco; and Edith, who is at home. The present Mrs. McDonald was Miss Clara Van Stan, a native of New York city.

Source: History of the New California Its Resources and People, Volume II

The Lewis Publishing Company - 1905
Edited by Leigh H. Irvine