Thomas E. Caldecott

Thomas Edwin Caldecott (July 27, 1878 – July 23, 1951) was a pharmacist[1] and politician. From 1923, Caldecott served in politics in Alameda County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area until 1951. The Caldecott Tunnel which is a key highway link through the Berkeley Hills is named after him.[2][3][4]

Thomas E. Caldecott
BornJuly 27, 1878
Chester, England
DiedJuly 23, 1951(1951-07-23) (aged 72)
Berkeley, California, United States
Occupationpharmacist, politician

Caldecott was born in Chester, England[1] on July 27, 1878. Both of his parents were Welsh. The family immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1] about 1882. Caldecott grew up in Canada, and obtained a pharmacy degree from the University of Toronto in 1900. Thomas and his brother visited Berkeley, California, and shortly thereafter in 1903, moved their entire family there. That same year, Caldecott bought a pharmacy[5] at Dwight Way and Shattuck Avenue, later moved to Ashby Avenue and Adeline Street in the Webb Block, a building which was designated a local landmark in 2004.[6]

In 1910, Caldecott married Australian-born nurse Eveline Grooms (1888–1977),[3] who worked at Berkeley's Alta Bates Hospital. They had three children: Chester Edwin (1911–1984; an attorney),[3] Thomas William (1914–1994; a judge and state assemblyman),[3] and Elizabeth Fanny ("Betty") (1918–1983; an army nurse and lieutenant).[1]

Caldecott was elected to the City Council of Berkeley in 1923.[1][3][5][7] In 1930,[1][3][5] he was appointed to fill out the remaining term of Mayor Michael B. Driver. He then successfully ran for the office of Mayor in 1931, serving until December 1932.[3][8] He was then elected as a supervisor on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors,[1][3][4][5][8][9] serving from 1933 until his death in 1951.[1][5] He was chairman of the board[5] from 1945-1946.[1] In 1948, he formed the Alameda County Highway Committee, "to solve sectional differences over highway problems."[10] He was also instrumental in establishing a new Alameda County Juvenile Hall, which was completed after his death.[11]

Caldecott served as the president of Joint Highway District 13,[4][12] which oversaw the construction of the multi-bore Broadway Low Level Tunnel through the Berkeley Hills east of San Francisco Bay.[13] When opened in 1937,[14] it was the longest tunnel in the State of California, and accomplished the opening up of the entire region east of the hills as a major suburb of the Bay Area. At an event that year, Caldecott was honored "as the man responsible for the success of the project".[4] In 1941,[5] Caldecott was publicly commended for his "untiring efforts" in bringing the project to a successful completion.[3] In 1960, the tunnel was re-named the "Caldecott Tunnel", in recognition of his leadership on the project.[3][4][12][15]

Caldecott died of a heart attack at his Berkeley home on July 23, 1951.[1]

References
  1. "Thomas E. Caldecott, E. Bay Supervisor, Dies". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 24 July 1951. p. 34. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  2. Kleps, Ralph N (1961). "Assembly of Concurrent Resolution No. 8--Relative to the concurrent designation of the Broadway low level tunnel as "Caldecott Tunnel"". Statutes of California 1960 and 1961. 1. California State Legislature. p. 488. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  3. "Supervisors Request Naming Tunnel for Thomas Caldecott". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 23 March 1960. p. E17. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  4. Solon, Mary; McCosker, Mary (2014). Building the Caldecott Tunnel. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467131810. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  5. "Thomas E. Caldecott". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 25 July 1951. p. 40. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  6. Brenneman, Richard (10 December 2004). "Cottage Landmarked, But Addition Approved". The Berkeley Daily Planet. Berkeley, California. p. 1. Retrieved 5 April 2019. The least contentious decision of the night was the 15-minute hearing to landmark the Webb Block at Adeline and Ashby. Designed by Charles W. McCall for Christopher Webb, the building once housed the pharmacy of Thomas E. Caldecott, who later became the Alameda County Supervisor whose name graces the most famous of the East Bay tunnels.
  7. "California Nuggets". National Association of Retail Druggists. April 5, 1923. p. 594. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  8. "Caldecott Will Be Mayor Till Jan. 1". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 10 November 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  9. "History - Alameda County Sesquicentennial. Board of Supervisors 1885-Present". Alameda County, CA. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  10. "Razeto's First Act - Sets Tube Dedication". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 3 February 1963. p. 18. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  11. "Juvenile Hall Memorial Plaque To Bear Name of Caldecott". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 21 January 1953. p. 36. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  12. "Low Level Tunnel to be Renamed for Caldecott". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 17 August 1960. p. 9. Retrieved 5 April 2019. The Broadway low level tunnel will be renamed tomorrow in honor of the man who fought for its construction - the late Thomas E. Caldecott. ... As chairman of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and Joint High District 13, Caldecott championed the project which became the longest highway tunnel in the state. It was completed in 1937.
  13. California Highways and Public Works, Official Journal of the Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California, July, 1934, p.4, photo of Caldecott at opening p.16
  14. California Highways and Public Works, Official Journal of the Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California, December, 1937, p.13
  15. California Highways and Public Works, Official Journal of the Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California, Vol.39, Nos.9-10, September-October, 1960, p.60
  • Berkeley Gazette, July 24, 1951 (obituary with biography)


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