- Thomas E. Caldecott
Thomas Edwin Caldecott (
1878 -1951 ) was a politician inAlameda County, California in theSan Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. TheCaldecott Tunnel which is a key highway link through theBerkeley Hills is named after him.Caldecott was born in
Chester, England on July 27, 1878. Both of his parents were Welsh. The family emigrated toToronto, Canada about 1882. Caldecott grew up in Canada, and obtained a pharmacy degree from theUniversity of Toronto in 1900. Thomas and his brother visitedBerkeley, California , and shortly thereafter in 1903, moved their entire family there. That same year, Caldecott bought a pharmacy at Dwight Way and Shattuck Avenue, later moved to Ashby and Adeline Avenues in the Webb Block, a building which was designated a local landmark in 2004.In 1910, Caldecott married Australian-born nurse Eveline Grooms who worked at Berkeley's
Alta Bates Hospital . They had three children: Chester Edwin (1911-1984), Thomas William (1914-1994), and Betty. His son Thomas William Caldecott was elected and served as a state assemblyman for District 18 from 1946-1958. [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/5516]Caldecott was elected to the City Council of Berkeley in 1923. In 1930, he was appointed to fill out the remaining term of Mayor
Michael B. Driver . He then successfully ran for the office of Mayor in 1931, serving until December, 1932. He subsequently served (1933-1951) as a supervisor on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. He also served as the president of Joint Highway District 13 which oversaw the construction of the multi-bore tunnel which bears his name.Caldecott died of a heart attack at his Berkeley home on July 23, 1951.
References
* "Berkeley Gazette", July 24, 1951
* [http://www.acgov.org/ac150/board1885.htm Past Supervisors of Alameda County]
* [http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?archiveDate=12-10-04&storyID=20259 Thomas E. Caldecott's Pharmacy Landmarked]
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