Smith, Edwin Herbert

Edwin Herbert Smith, born in Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County, California, on January 7, 1876, was a prosperous rancher and lifelong Californian. He was raised on a coastal farm by his father, C. A. Smith, and his mother, Ella Bailey, both of whom belonged to early California pioneer families. Following his mother death when he was sixteen, he began working independently on ranches and moved to Fresno County in 1898. There, he leased land for stock raising and established a valuable cattle brand shaped as a combination of the figure 4 and the letter B.

On April 16, 1904, Edwin married Nannie Manning, a Hanford native and the daughter of Elisha Arnold Manning, with whom they later had one daughter named Adalene Manning. He initially went into partnership with his father-in-law before acquiring his own extensive property holdings, which eventually included 760 acres devoted to cattle raising, alfalfa, and a dairy operation. In 1918, he expanded his agricultural footprint by purchasing a 440-acre ranch near Kerman, outfitting the property with three pumping plants for stock raising and alfalfa cultivation. During the war effort, he actively served his community as captain of the Liberty Loan drives in the Manning district. A supporter of the Republican party, his dedicated civic efforts and successful ranching enterprises contributed significantly to the development of Fresno County.