In the passing of Dr. Thomas Coates, September 8, 1900, Pomona experienced a loss that deprived the community of a valuable promoter of the city's prosperity, and that his friends and acquaintances deeply deplored.
Doctor Coates was reared in the state of New York. His tendencies were in the direction of the medical profession, and in early manhood he was a student at Rush Medical College and at Ann Arbor, Mich., graduating from the former institution with the degree of M.D. He practiced his profession in Clarence, Iowa, and in 1883 came to Pomona, where he, with Captain Smith, founded the first bank in the place, the Pomona Valley Bank, of which he was cashier. This bank was later merged into the First National Bank of Pomona, with Stoddard Jess as president, and Doctor Coates as vice-president, which position he held until his death. Later he took up the practice of medicine in Pomona, in which profession he was associated with Dr. Frank Garcelon.
He became very prominent as an exponent of the medical science and was recognized as a fine practitioner. Progressive in his tendencies, he was one of the first men to plant orange trees in the Valley and sent to South America for the young trees. At one time he owned five ranches in the Valley. He was a large owner of Pomona real estate and a prominent man in the community.
His marriage united him with Miss Sarah Emma Cross, a native of Pennsylvania, who died May 12, 1917. Five children were born of their union. The two older, Thomas and Edith Rose, are deceased. The surviving members of the family are: Mrs. Jessie Coates Burleson of Pomona, Mrs. W. Harold Stokes of Pomona, and Charles M., an orchardist in Pomona Valley. Doctor Coates was a member of the school board of Pomona and a trustee in the First Presbyterian Church.
Mrs. Jessie Coates Burleson's husband, Dr. Frank D. Burleson, came from the northern part of the state and practiced dentistry in Pomona up to the time of his death, which occurred in August, 1900. He was born in Sutter Creek, Amador County, Cal., and was a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West. Thomas Coates Burleson, the son of Doctor and Mrs. Burleson, is the only grandchild of Dr. Thomas Coates.
History of Pomona Valley, California, with Biographical Sketches
of The Leading Men and Women of the Valley Who Have Been
Identified With Its Growth and Development from the Early Days
to the Present
Published in Los Angeles, Cal., by the Historic Record Company
1920
Transcribed by Linda Jackson 8/27/08, Pages 288-289
Los Angeles County Biographies ~ Archive Biography Index ~ Archive Index
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