Bio-Sawyers
SURNAMES: LANKARD,COVERT, SHEFFER,

Varied experiences and associations, with diversified occupations, have given to Charles 0. Dean a broad knowledge of the great West, and have deepened in his mind a conviction that Santa Clara County offers, to energetic settlers with keen business judgment, opportunities unsurpassed by any other section of the great empire by the sunset sea. He was born in New Salem, Armstrong County, Pa., op December 8, 1877, the son of Calvin W. and Amanda (Lankard) Dean, both natives of Pennsylvania. Calvin Dean was an engineer and is now a resident of Los Angeles.

Charles Dean received a good education, having attended the public schools of Pennsylvania. After his school days were over he took up structural engineering with the American Bridge Company, remaining with them for several years constructing bridges and buildings. He came to California in January, 1907, and located at San Francisco, where he was superintendent of construction of steel buildings for three years; then began his career as a contractor of steel structures, in which he made a splendid record, his building operations extending from San Francisco to Prince Rupert, B. C.; and at the latter place he constructed a 20,000 ton floating dry dock, the largest dry dock in the world. Among some of the Class A buildings in San Francisco of which he was the contractor of steel construction, are the First National Bank, Mills Building, Mechanics Institute, Commercial Building, Richelieu Hotel, the Alcazar, Columbia and California theaters; he rebuilt the steel work for the new Emporium and later did the steel work for the addition to the Emporium. He also did many other buildings, in fact twenty-four Class A buildings in the city, probably having more Class A buildings to his credit than any other contractor on the Pacific Coast.

In 1917 he came to Santa Clara County and bought a sixty-acre ranch east of San Jose and after improving it and building a good, substantial residence on the place, he sold it and purchased a twenty-acre orchard on Williams Road, which he also sold at a profit, and then bought another place near by which he turned at a profit and then purchased his present place of twenty-three acres on the Santa Clara-Los Gatos Road where he resides with his family. This orchard is full bearing and devoted to raising cherries, apricots and prunes. Mr. Dean is the local distributor of the Cletrac tractor with offices and show rooms at 269 West Santa Clara Street, and in connection has a complete service department. His territory includes the best portion of Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties, and he also carries a line of agricultural implements to go with his tractor, among them the Knapp disk plow, Oliver mold board plow and the McAdam disk harrow.

In Butler, Pa., Mr. Dean was first married to Miss Myrtle Covert, who passed away leaving two children, Raymond and Richard. Mr. Dean's second marriage occurred at San Jose, when he was united with Miss Mattie E. Sheffer, a native daughter of Santa Clara County, born at Lexington, whose parents were pioneers of the county. Mr. Dean is considered among the most enterprising, capable and resourceful men of his county, and he is the type of citizen whose presence in San Jose has been most helpful to the permanent welfare of the county. He is a Mason of the Royal Arch degree, as well as a member of the Sciots and of the Maccabees. In national politics he is a stanch adherent of the Republican party and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, taking an active part in advancing the commercial importance and prestige of the county.

From Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,  published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1588

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