Hagerty, Harry W.

Harry W. Hagerty, raised in Fresno County from the age of five, graduated from Fresno High School in 1905 before starting his professional career as a clerk for the Southern Pacific Railway. Seeking greater independence, he purchased and successfully developed a forty-acre vineyard at Mount Campbell, which he sold at a substantial profit in 1912. He then leveraged his viticultural expertise to become the general superintendent for the Wallace Trust Company, capably managing their expansive 870-acre diversified agricultural and livestock operations.

In Fresno, Hagerty married San Francisco native Maybelle Bitzer, with whom he raised two children, Jane Helen and William Jerome, in their modern home in Eggers Colony. He further cemented his influence in the regional grape industry as an active member of the California Associated Raisin Company and as a director, stockholder, and vice-president of the Backer Vineyard Company. Highly regarded for his professional versatility and progressive leadership, Hagerty successfully managed hundreds of acres of family and commercial holdings, securing a prominent reputation throughout Fresno County.