Colonel D. Charles Collier (1871-1934)
David Charles Collier was born in Central City, Colorado, on August 14, 1871. His father was a lawyer, a judge and the manager of the Central City Register. Along with his father, mother, brother Frank and sister Mabel, 12-year old "Charlie" arrived in San Diego on the steamer Orizaba in 1884. "Charlie", as everyone who knew him called him, completed his education in San Diego at Russ High School. In March, 1885, he worked for the First National Bank of San Diego and in 1886 worked for a year at his father's law offices of Collier and Mulford. In 1887 he worked for the California National Bank and then as a clerk in the medical department of the Union Pacific Railroad in Denver until 1890, when he returned to San Diego.
At age 20, Collier was admitted to the California Bar and became a lawyer in his father's office. Following his father's death in 1899, he became a law partner of Judge W. P. Andrews. In 1900, he entered a new partnership with Sam F. Smith. As many of his clients were unable to pay him in cash, they gave him real estate they considered worthless. He subdivided this land, put in utilities, planted trees, and sold lots. In 1905, he organized with H.A. Howard the Ralston Realty Company, which changed name in 1908 to D.C. Collier & Co. Collier was also president of the Western Investment Co. and the Santa Maria Land and Water Co.
Collier married Ella Copley in San Diego on January 1, 1896. They had two children, David Copley Collier and Ira Clifton Collier.
Collier ran for Congress as a Republican in 1902 but was defeated. From 1907 to 1911 he served on the staff of California Governor J. N. Gillette, who gave him the title of "Colonel." In 1907, he built a home and poultry farm in La Mesa Springs. In 1908-09, he built the Point Loma railroad line from San Diego to Ocean Beach and sold it to John D. Spreckels when it was completed. In 1908, he was president of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, organized San Diego's reception for the U.S. Navy's Great White Fleet, and gave the town of Ramona a 7.6 acre park. In 1909, he built the Ocean Beach School, and gave decomposed granite to surface driveways and sidewalks on El Cajon Avenue. The same year, the City of San Diego established a 60-acre park near Ocean Beach after Collier agreed to pay for the landscaping. Collier directed aviation meets in San Diego where prominent pilots from around the world participated. In 1910, he organized the Aero Club of San Diego, and gave the community of La Mesa a 5.0-acre park. In 1911, he persuaded Glenn H. Curtiss to bring his aviation company to North Island, and helped secure passage of legislation from the State of California giving San Diego title to its tidelands from National City to Point Loma. In 1912, he organized the Order of Panama. In 1913, he thought up the idea of using tiles from the ruins of the Spanish Presidio to make the cross in Presidio Park.
The most important civic posts Collier held in San Diego were those of Director-General of the Panama-California Exposition from 1909 to 1912, and of president of the Exposition from 1912 to 1914. He gave $500,000 of his own money to the Exposition, served without pay, and paid his own travel expenses on promotional trips to Washington, D.C., South America and Europe. Consequently, his real estate business foundered, he was burdened by debts, and he was compelled to resign the presidency, March 5, 1914.
Collier chose the central mesa of Balboa Park as the site for the Exposition, selected California Mission as the architectural style, approved hiring Bertram Goodhue as consulting architect, and decided on the Indian background of the Southwest as the Exposition's cultural theme. He was a founder of the San Diego Museum (today Museum of Man), a manager of the American School of Social Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a friend of Dr. Edgar L. Hewett, director of the School of American Archaeology and first director of the San Diego Museum.
On November 13, 1934, Collier died of a heart attack at 63 years of age.
for more detail, see [Collier's biography by Richard Amero]
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