Résumé

Principal, Draftsman/Assistant Designer, California State Bureau of Architecture, Department of Engineering, Sacramento, CA, 1912-1914; (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1913, p. 124) His elder brother, Charles, who already worked in the State Department of Engineering, may have assisted in his hiring.

Assistant State Architect, Office of the California State Architect, Sacramento, CA, 1914-1920. In 1918, the State of California's Division of Architecture, had its offices in Room #600 of the Forum Building in Sacramento. James worked for the State of California until 1922. At the time, the State Architect of California was George B. McDougall (1868-1957).

Architect, Hemmings-Petersen-Hudnutt, Associated Architects and Construction Engineers, Sacramento, CA,. 1920-1922. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1922, n.p.) This firm was designing and supervising the construction of the Sacramento City Schools and its Main Library in 1922. According to a contemporary biographical essay: "[Hemmings-Petersen-Hudnutt] were architects for Sacramento's new schools and Mr. Dean had entire charge of the work of planning, designing and construction, which was accomplished in a most efficient and satisfactory manner." (See G. Walter Reed, History of Sacramento County, California With Biographical Sketches, [Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1923], p. 568-571.)

Partner, [Charles F.] Dean and Dean, Architects, Sacramento, CA, 1922-c. 1929; in 1928, Dean and Dean occupied Room #1406 of the California-Western Life Insurance Company Building. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1928, p. 207)

City Manager, City of Sacramento, Sacramento, CA,1930-1942; Deputy Director, California State Department of Finance, Sacramento, CA, 1943; Chairman of the California State Board of Control amd Director of the State Department of Finance, Sacramento, CA, 1945. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1945, p.195). In1953, James Dean continued in his post as Director of the California State Department of Finance. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1953, p. 180.)

Teaching

Instructor in Architecture, Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, Bryant, TX, c. 1909-1910.

College

B.S., Architecture, Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, Bryant, TX, 1906. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Graduate study, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, c. 1906-1909;

Relocation

Born in Belton, TX, north of Austin, James Somerville Dean attended, like his elder brother, Charles, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, in Bryant. Following graduation, he took up graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, until about 1909. He then returned to Bryant to teach for a year at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, before relocating briefly to Waco, TX. From here, he joined Charles working for the California State Department of Engineering in Sacramento in 1912. Charles may have assisted him in landing employment there.

James S. Dean's name first appears in the Sacramento City Directory in 1913, although his daughter, Charlotte, was born in the city in 1912. While a draftsman working in the California State Engineering Department, James lived in the G. Carlton Apartments. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1913, p. 124)

From at least 1922 until 1926, James S. Dean lived at 1351 40th Street in Sacramento, while his brother and business partner, Charles, resided at 1325 40th Street. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1922, n.p., and Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1924, n.p.) According to the 1930 US Census, this house had an approximate value of $8,000.

He and his wife resided at 1400 N Street from at least 1933 until 1935. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1935, p. 161.) From at least 1940 through 1942, he and Minnie Dean lived at 2787 Marty Way, Sacramento. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1940, p. 153 and the )

From c. 1943 through 1945, James Dean lived at the Sutter Club.

James S. Dean died in Sacramento County, CA at the age of 76.

Parents

His parents were John A. Dean and Eudora Murray Ware (1864-1905).

Spouse

He was married to Minnie Ruth Cook (born 11/06/1888-died 01/23/1943 in Sacramento, CA) c. 1911. (See the Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1935, p. 161.) He was 25 when they married, she 22. Minnie Dean passed away in 1943, after which James resided at the Sutter Club.

He later married Grace T. Dean by 1945.

Children

James and Minnie Dean had at least one child, Charlotte Eudora Dean Dollar (07/28/1912-05/22/1988).

Biographical Notes

President, Sutter Lawn Tennis Club, Sacramento, CA, c. 1923. He was also a 32nd-degree Mason in 1923.

On 04/25/1942, his World War II draft registration card indicated that he stood 5-feet, 9-inches tall, and had a light complexion with gray hair and eyes. He weighed about 194 pounds.

SSN: 558-66-3913.

• Belton, TX (Architect's Birth)
  Belton, TX

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