Romain, Frank M.

Frank M. Romain, born in Toronto on September 4, 1861, was an enterprising Canadian immigrant who became a prominent leader in the California packing industry. The son of W. F. Romain and Ann Chisholm, he completed a business course at Upper Canada College before working five years for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. He subsequently migrated to Riverside, California, where he began a career with the Griffin and Skelly Company and advanced to take charge of the Riverside plant within a year. In 1887, he moved to Fresno to establish a new plant for the company, applying his extensive experience to steadily build up the business. Under his energetic leadership, the dry fruit-packing plant grew to immense proportions and employed 500 people during its peak seasons.

On November 1, 1916, the enterprise merged with several other packing and canning associations to form the massive California Packing Corporation. Mr. Romain was appointed manager and director of the sixteen packing houses located in the San Joaquin Valley, overseeing operations that employed several thousand people. In his personal life, he married Lelia Quinn in April 1892, who later passed away on February 6, 1917. Beyond his commercial achievements, he was an Episcopalian, a member of the Odd Fellows and Elks, and active in the Republican party. He also served as president of the Sunnyside Country Club and maintained memberships in the Sequoia and Commercial Clubs.