Conner, Horatio Seymour

Horatio S. Conner, born in Auburn, New York, on January 30, 1863, was the son of Joseph and Mathilda Conner. After moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1879, he began a sixteen-year apprenticeship as an electrical engineer with the Brush Electric Light Company while attending night school. He spent over three decades traveling the United States to build major electric light plants and electric streetcar lines, including installations in Virginia City, Nevada, and San Francisco, California. His extensive career eventually led him to transition into a sales role for his final five years on the road before deciding to establish a permanent residence.

Drawn back to California after an initial visit in 1889, Horatio retired from his electrical career in 1916 to purchase a forty-acre ranch on Belmont Avenue in Fresno. He utilized his technical background to modernize the property, installing an electric motor and a pumping plant to cultivate muscats, malagas, and fig trees. As a member of the California Associated Raisin Company, he actively supported local development and became one of the valley’s most enthusiastic boosters. He shared his life in Fresno with his wife, Clara Mitchell Andrus, and both were dedicated members of the First Presbyterian Church.