HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY 542
W. K. ROBERTS
Newspaper Man, Editor, and Justice of the Peace
Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County
SURNAMES: SIMS, HUNTER
A highly-esteemed, and therefore, very influential, progressive and
public-spirited gentleman, who is inspired with broad humanitarian
sentiments and, although not wealthy, is able to accomplish much for
others as well as for himself, is W. K. Roberts, newspaper man, editor
and justice of the peace at Sunnyvale. He was born at Mexico, Mo., on
January 22, 1856, and when eighteen migrated westward to the Rocky
Mountain States, trying his fortune first in Colorado, and afterward in
Texas. From there he came to San Francisco, where he spent five years
in the drug trade; and next he crossed the Pacific to Hawaii. He was
there while King Kalakaua was on the throne, and he met him, attended
several of his feasts, and later met Queen "Lil," as she was popularly
called.
William T. Roberts, the father of our subject, was a native of
Kentucky, who married Miss Fannie Sims, a native of Virginia, thus
blending English, Irish and Welsh blood.
Growing up under poor schooling conditions, Mr. Roberts led a kind of
cowboy life for some time, after leaving home, owing to disagreement
with his father, who was a Mexican War veteran. He first came to
California in 1881, and in the Bay City obtained work as a clerk in W.
Mayhew's drug store, 144 Fourth Street, and attended evening schools to
pursue general studies. He studied surgery under Dr. L. C. Lane, and
took a commercial course at Heald's Business College. In 1886, he went
to Hawaii, and the follwing year pushed on to China, entering the
Imperial Maritime Customs Service, and for fifteen years was in the
employ of the Chinese Government. He had the honor of serving under Sir
Robert Hart, who was then Inspector General of Customs for the Chinese
Government; and while not becoming a Chinese subject, he attained to
mandarin civil rank of the fourth class. He was thus employed for
fifteen years at Canton, Swatow, Shanghai, Nanking, Kiu Kiang, Han Kow,
Shasi, and Chungking, the latter city being fifteen hundred miles up
the Ynag-tse-Kiang River. He learned to speak and write the North China
language. During the Boxer War he was in charge of the Port of Shasi
and held it for the Manchu Government during the period of hostilities.
Having obtained two years' leave of absence, Mr. Roberts returned to
California; and at Sonoma City, in 1903, he was married to Miss Ethel
Hunter, a Sonoma County girl. He also bought a ranch near Sonoma, and
in 1905 returned to China; and soon after he resigned his position at
Shanghai and came back to Sonoma County, Mrs. Roberts had remained in
California, where her first child was born.
From Sonoma County Mr. Roberts moved down to Sunnyvale and bought the
Sunnyvale Standard, which had been founded by J. H. McCarthy, who had
sold it to G. B. Tuley, who in turn disposed of it to our subject; and
this newspaper he ran as a six-column, four-page weekly, from 1907 to
1921--except for three years, when it was managed by R.S. Crowl. On
August 21, 1921 Mr. Roberts relinquished control as both publisher and
editor, handing over the reins to the new proprietor, A. T. Fetter.
During this period of jounalistic activity, Mr. Roberts served as
Sunnyvale's first justice of the peace, first taking office through
appointment by the county supervisors. In 1914, he was regularly
elected justice by his fellow-citizens; and four years later he was
reelected. He is also the town recorder, and is the first and only
occupant of that office, having commenced when Sunnyvale was
incorporated in 1914. Mr. Roberts not only invested in the "Standard"
and its office building, but he bought residence and other property,
including a number of vacant lots, and had worked hard, through his
newspaper, in favor of incorporation. He has been equally assiduous in
forwarding the commercial and general development of the town, and for
years he has been, as he still is, the efficient secretary of the
Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce.
During Mr. Roberts' first leave of absence from his post in China, in
1895, he joined the International Colonization Society, whose offices
were at Birming-
ham, Ala., and made a voyage to Liberia, on the West Coast of Africa,
as assistant medical officer on the ship "Laurada," which carried over
360 AfroAmericans to that colony; and he wrote, as the result, "An
African Canaan for the American Negro." Since then he has written
several other works. As a confirmed apostle of the theory and practice
of right living, he wrote "Health From Natural Foods." and he is also
author of a treatise on "The Mongolian Problem," and a book entiteld
"Divinity and Man." In matters of religion he prefers the Unitarian
form of faith; and in national political affairs, he works as an
Independent Republican. His pen has also done good service in helping
to organize the South Shore Port Company, for the development of a
south bay port near Sunnyvale, which is to be available for deep-water
ships.
Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have two children. Wilma M. is a junior in the
Santa Clara high school; and Alexander H. is a pupil in the eighth
grade of the grammar school. Mr. Roberts has been an active member of
the Pomona Grange, and is now serving his third year as its chaplain.
Transcribed by Marie Clayton, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California, published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 542
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