Shannon, L. S.

L. S. Shannon, born in Millerton, Fresno County, on July 4, 1871, was a prominent vineyard owner and manager from a distinguished pioneer family. He was the son of J. M. Shannon, a former under-sheriff and townsite agent for the Pacific Improvement Company, and the grandson of Judge Gillum Baley. Raised in Fresno from an early age, he attended local public schools, the Alameda high school, and a business college in Oakland. Before entering agriculture, he gained valuable business experience working eight years for the Pacific Improvement Company in San Francisco and six years for the Oakland Gas Light and Heat Company.

On August 2, 1903, Mr. Shannon married Jane Lawrence in Alameda, and together they had two children, Milam Jefferson and Lawrence Dudley. Returning his focus to Fresno County, he became one of the owners and the superintendent of the Shannon Estate vineyard, where he specialized in growing and marketing table grapes. Under his direction, the estate produced high quality Malaga, Emperor, Muscat, and Sultana grapes, alongside peaches and alfalfa, shipping products to major Eastern markets under the Shannon Estate Brand. Active in civic affairs, he served six years as a trustee for the Walnut school district and held memberships with the Native Sons of the Golden West and the Elks fraternity.