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{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
'''"Colonel" Ed Fletcher''' (December 31, 1872 – October 15, 1955) was a real estate developer and [[United States|U.S.]] [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] and [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[politician]] from [[San Diego, California]].▼
|name = Ed Fletcher
|image = Ed Fletcher.jpg
|caption =
|birth_date = {{birth date|1872|12|31}}
|birth_place = [[Littleton, Massachusetts]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1955|10|15|1872|12|31}}
|death_place = [[San Diego, California]], U.S.
|state_senate = California
|district = [[California's 40th State Senate district|40th]]
|term_start = January 7, 1935
|term_end = January 6, 1947
|preceded = [[William E. Harper]]
|succeeded = [[Fred H. Kraft]]
|party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|spouse = {{marriage|Mary C. Batchelder|1896|end=}}
|children = 10
|education =
|branch = [[California National Guard]]
|rank = Lieutenant Colonel
}}
▲'''"Colonel" Ed Fletcher''' (December 31, 1872 – October 15, 1955) was a real estate developer and [[United States|U.S.]] [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] and [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[politician]] from [[San Diego, California]].
In 1888 Fletcher, age 15, came to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] alone, and with $6.10 in his pocket began selling produce.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Black |first1=Samuel T. |title=San Diego county, California; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement |date=1913 |publisher=Chicago, S.J. Clarke |pages=128 |url=https://archive.org/details/sandiegocountyca02blac/page/128 |accessdate=28 August 2019}}</ref>▼
He was a born salesman and soon had his own business with a partner. In 1901, he entered the real estate business as a land agent, and started a partnership in 1908 with William J. Gross, silent film actor and producer. That partnership developed Grossmont, [[Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, California|Mt. Helix]], and [[Del Mar, California|Del Mar]]. Fletcher donated land on Mt. Helix where Easter Sunrise services are held.▼
== Early life and career ==
▲Fletcher was born 1872 in [[Littleton, Massachusetts]], son of Charles Kimball Fletcher. His family moved to [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] and [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], where he attended school. In 1888 Fletcher, age 15, came to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] alone, and with $6.10 in his pocket began selling produce.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Black |first1=Samuel T. |title=San Diego county, California; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement |date=1913 |publisher=Chicago, S.J. Clarke |pages=128 |url=https://archive.org/details/sandiegocountyca02blac/page/128 |
▲He was a born salesman and soon had his own business with a partner. In 1901, he entered the real estate business as a land agent, and started a partnership in 1908 with William J. Gross, silent film actor and producer. That partnership developed Grossmont, [[Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, California|Mt. Helix]], and [[Del Mar, California|Del Mar]]. Fletcher donated land on Mt. Helix where Easter Sunrise services are held. With [[George Marston (California politician)|George Marston]], he developed [[Pine Hills, San Diego County, California|Pine Hills]].<ref>https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/21299/files/historic%20background%20study.pdf</ref>
In 1907, Fletcher was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the [[United States National Guard|California National Guard]], which earned him the title "Colonel", which stuck for the remainder of his life. Fletcher became interested in road building and saw to it many road projects were completed. With Fred Jackson, Fletcher raised civic interest to building a road to [[Imperial Valley (California)|Imperial Valley]], thence a [[Old Plank Road|plank road]] across the desert to [[Yuma, Arizona]].
Fletcher was later active in having state and U.S. highways built to San Diego.
Fletcher also took an interest in developing projects delivering water to San Diego, including creating [[Lake Hodges]]. Fletcher and Montana businessman James A. Murray purchased the San Diego Flume Company on June 1, 1910, renaming it the [[Cuyamaca Water Company]]. Fletcher and Murray owned and operated the company for 15 years, making or planning improvements to the water system of [[San Diego County, California|San Diego County]] including the construction of the [[San Vicente Dam]] and Reservoir, among others.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Register of Cuyamaca Water Company Records - MSS 503|url = http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0503.html|website = libraries.ucsd.edu|
In 1919, Fletcher was elected the first president of the [[Dixie Overland Highway|Dixie Overland Highway Association]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Route 80 The Dixie Overland Highway - General Highway History - Highway History - Federal Highway Administration |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us80.cfm |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.fhwa.dot.gov}}</ref> In 1923, Fletcher presided over a ceremony full of [[fanfare]] dedicating a commemorative highway milestone honoring [[Robert E. Lee]] at [[Horton Plaza Park]] in downtown San Diego. The monument marked the arrival of the [[Robert E. Lee Highway]] at the Pacific Coast. President [[Calvin Coolidge]] was reported to have pushed a button in the White House that triggered a gong at the ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Diane |date=2020-06-24 |title=Lee highway marker was quietly removed from Horton Plaza |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/columnists/story/2020-06-24/lee-marker-removal-sparks-pros-and-cons |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=[[San Diego Union-Tribune]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Political career ==
In 1934 Fletcher was elected to the [[California State Senate]], and served until 1947. Sometime while in the Senate, he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic. He authored laws creating the San Diego County Water Authority and transferring ownership of [[Mission Bay, California|Mission Bay]] to the city. While in the Senate he was able to acquire for San Diego a heroic statue of [[Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo]], donated to the state in 1939 by the government of [[Portugal]] and claimed by both San Diego and [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]. Fletcher personally "kidnapped" the statue from its storage in a garage at a private residence in Oakland; the statue is now on display at [[Cabrillo National Monument]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080803/news_lz1mc3cabrill.html|title=Cabrillo statue's journey to San Diego marked by legal twists|last=Crawford|first=Richard|date=August 3, 2008|work=San Diego Union Tribune|
== Personal life ==
Fletcher married Mary C. Batchelder April 8, 1896 at [[Ayer, Massachusetts]]. They had ten children, including [[Charles K. Fletcher]], who would become a Congressman in 1947 and served until 1949. Fletcher died in 1955 in San Diego.
==Recognition==
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*Fletcher Point on the southern shore of [[Lake Hodges]]
== Colonel Fletcher Building ==
{{Main|Colonel Fletcher Building}}
The Fletcher Building, located at Sixth and Broadway in San Diego, housed the [[Barnett-Stine]] department store and later the [[Owl Drug Company]], was built by Fletcher in 1906 along with Frank Salmans, and designed by Edward Quayle. {{As of|2005}} it was being remodeled by Champion Development Group.<ref name = LLC2005/>
==References==
*{{cite book|author=Fletcher, Ed|year=1952|title=Memoirs of Ed Fletcher
*{{cite book|author=Black, Samuel T.|year=1913|title=San Diego County California; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement|url=https://archive.org/details/sandiegocountyca01blac|publisher=The S. J. Clark Publishing Company, Chicago}}, vol. 1, pp.
* {{cite book|author=Heilbron, Carl|year=1936|title=History of San Diego County|publisher=San Diego Press Club}} Biography. Also has biography of his wife.
*{{cite book|author=Newland, James D.|year=2015|title=Around Mt. Helix|publisher=Arcadia Publishing}}, pp.
==Notes==
{{reflist | refs =
<ref name = LLC2005>
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| pages = 142
|issn=0036-4045
|
}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
* [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bio/fletcher/fletcher.htm Biography] (San Diego Historical Society). Based on Heilbron's biography (above)
*[http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0081.html Ed Fletcher Papers] MSS 81. [http://libraries.ucsd.edu/collections/sca/ Special Collections & Archives], UC San Diego Library.
* [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/5482 Join California Edward Fletcher]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Ed}}
[[Category:California state senators]]
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[[Category:California Democrats]]
[[Category:People from Littleton, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:20th-century American legislators]]
[[Category:20th-century California politicians]]
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