Goldsmith, Du Val P.

DuVal P. Goldsmith, born in Virginia in 1877 into a prominent family of English descent, trained as an electrical engineer at the Polytechnic Institute before building a successful twelve-year career testing dangerous high-voltage machinery for the Westinghouse Company. In 1912, he relocated to California to apply his technical expertise to major Western engineering projects, serving as an engineer in San Bernardino and as a construction foreman on the Big Creek project. By 1915, he moved to Fresno County to assume charge of the Kings River Station for the San Joaquin Light & Power Company.

Alongside his industrial career, Goldsmith and his wife, Zada Russell—a native of New York and a descendant of a highly distinguished Civil War officer—invested in the local agricultural boom by developing a twenty-acre orchard and vineyard tract in the Round Mountain District. The couple, who were childhood playmates before marrying in 1901, successfully raised five children while remaining deeply connected to their Episcopalian faith and fraternal organizations like the Masons. Highly respected for his specialized knowledge and civic character, Goldsmith remains an essential figure in Fresno County’s technological and agricultural advancement.