- Andrew Cassidy
Andrew Cassidy (c. 1817–
November 25 ,1907 ) was an early settler ofSan Diego, California Cassidy was born in
County Cavan ,Ireland and came to America in 1834 when 17.For three years he and was in the Engineering Corps atWest Point , under GeneralGeorge B. McClellan .He then went toWashington, D. C. to work for the Coast Survey Office, under Professor Alexander Bache.About a year later, he was sent to the Pacific Coast as part of a party under Lieutenant William Trowbridge, U. S. Engineers.They reachedSan Francisco in July, 1853, and a month later came toSan Diego , where they built a self-recording tidal gauge station at La Playa in September and left Cassidy in charge.He remained in charge of the tidal gauge and weather observations for seventeen years. He also collected specimens for theSmithsonian Institution .This gauge recorded atsunami fromJapan in December 1854 anda localearthquake on July 1854.This gate is believed to be the earliest recorded earthquake.In 1863 Cassidy married his first wife Rosa Serrano, daughter of José Antonio Serrano and Rafaela Nieves Aquilar. Rosa was only 15 at the time, and she died a few years later, on February 11, 1870. She is buried at El Campo Santo Cemetery in Old Town San Diego.Around the time of his marriage, he acquired Pauma Rancho in
San Luis Rey from his father-in-law.Cassidy's second wife was Mary Providencia Smith, daughter of Albert B. Smith and Guadalupe Machado Wilder de Smith. She was born 1858 and died of cholera September 16, 1878.They had one daughter, Mary Winifred.
In 1864, Mr. Cassidy bought Rancho Soledad, containing 1000 acres (4 km²), in present
Sorrento Valley , San Diego. He raised live stock there until 1887 when he sold the property.This and other property made him prosperous.Cassidy has held several public offices and was a member of the Democratic Party.He wasHe was appointed Deputy Collector of Customs in 1860.Kurtz was president of the San Diego Board of Trustees during 1865–1867, when San Diego did not have a Mayoral form of government.During 1871–1875, he was member of the
San Diego County Board of Supervisors.He was also a member of the Board of Public Works.Cassidy died from "senile debility" in 1907.He was thought of as a kind, generous man.Cassidy Street in
Oceanside, California is named for him.See also
* [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/books/smythe/2-12.htm Biography in "History of San Diego", part 2, chapter 12 (1907) by William Ellsworth Smythe]
* [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/64october/marigrams.htm "Tidal Marigrams", "The Journal of San Diego History" 10:4 (October 1964) by Helen Ghores]
* [http://patflannery.com/IrishHistory/FromShamocksToSerapes.htm#Andrew_Cassidy "From Shamrocks to Serapes" (1995) USD Masters Thesis by Kelly Toblin O'Donnell]
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