Sime, Alexander

Alexander Sime, born in Scotland on June 10, 1844, was the son of James and Mary Robbie Sime and spent his early life on his father’s farm before gaining extensive international experience. After attending local parochial schools, he migrated to the Argentine Republic in 1868 to help manage a sheep ranch before returning to Scotland to work as a bookkeeper for the Caledonian Railway Company. He first immigrated to the United States in 1872 to farm land near Lincoln, Nebraska, eventually returning to Scotland where he married Helen Brown McPherson on February 28, 1878. The couple returned to America in 1881 to settle in Palo Alto County, Iowa, where Mr. Sime spent five years managing the massive 30,000-acre Blairgowrie farm. He subsequently entered the carriage manufacturing business in Iowa and later engaged in real estate and personal farming in Hall County, Texas.

In 1903, Mr. Sime relocated to Laton, California, where he built a prosperous career as a capitalist, rancher, and business owner. Alongside C. A. Smith, he co-owned a 140-acre stock and dairy ranch near Laton, while also holding a quarter interest in the Laton Lumber Company. He and his wife raised two children, James and Edwin Spencer, with Edwin later pursuing mining and cattle ventures in Mexico. Active in civic affairs, Mr. Sime served through the chairs of the local Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge, while Mrs. Sime earned government recognition for her extensive volunteer work with the Red Cross. His long trajectory of agricultural management and business enterprise made him a respected and influential figure in early Fresno County.