Sequeira, Louis George

Louis George Sequeira, born in the Azores Islands on September 27, 1865, was a progressive business man who contributed to the upbuilding of Fresno County, California. After immigrating to America in 1882 and landing at Boston, he traveled directly to Fresno County and found his first employment on the William Allen ranch in Helm Colony. He learned the sheep business there, later running his own sheep operation for several years before working three years for the Sanger Lumber Company. Believing strongly in the area’s future, he bought and developed several ranches, including a forty-acre property east of Caruthers planted with vines, peaches, and alfalfa that he sold in 1912.

In addition to developing ranches and trading Fresno real estate, Mr. Sequeira operated a local grocery store at E and Tuolumne streets for sixteen years. On February 2, 1918, he purchased the Murray Cabinet and Show Case Company on E Street, which grew into the largest factory of its kind between San Francisco and Los Angeles. He married Rosa Calderia in Selma on February 13, 1893, and together they raised five children named Josephine, Mary, Louis, Antone, and Rosie. A charter member and past president of the Fresno Lodge of I. D. E. S., he also belonged to the U. P. E. C., the Merchants Association, and owned valuable real estate in Van Nuys, Los Angeles County.