Sharer, John William

John William Sharer, born near Pittsfield, Illinois, on January 23, 1869, was an enterprising viticulturist and business leader in Fresno County, California. Raised in rural Illinois by his parents, Peter and Elizabeth Sharer, he completed his schooling at sixteen and migrated to California in 1887. He gained early agricultural experience working on local ranches, threshing crews, and hauling lumber from the mountains to support building efforts around Clovis. Beginning in the early 1890s, he farmed grain and collaborated with his brother to plant the very first vineyard in the Enterprise Colony. Through continuous industry, he expanded his original twenty-acre home place into a 100-acre property equipped with an advanced pumping plant and irrigation system.

Beyond his agricultural pursuits, Sharer played a major role in commercial ventures, corporate organizations, and regional cooperative movements. He served as the first president of the Clovis Farmers Union, helping establish packing machinery that later became Plant No. 1 for the California Associated Raisin Company. In 1916, he co-founded the Melvin Grape Growers Association, acting as its long-standing secretary and serving on the board of directors for the California Fruit Exchange. Sharer married Nellie Dawson on October 17, 1894, and together they raised three children: Ralph Vernon, Alice Gertrude, and Everett Eugene. A devout Christian, he served as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Clovis and was repeatedly selected as a director and General Assembly delegate for the San Joaquin Presbytery.