Author Description

Excerpt from Pacic Service Magazine, Vol. 17: July, 1927 Wigginton Ellis Creed was a native of California, born in Fresno, February 8, 1877. His father, William Henry Creed, was a prominent attorney of that city. While he was still of tender years his family moved to Oakland and there young Creed mapped out his course of life. From the public schools he passed into the University of California, where he took up the study of law. He graduated in 1898. In due course he was admitted to the bar of California and commenced practice in San Francisco. In 1902 he became a member of the firm Of Titus, Wright and Creed. During a number of years Of successful practice he made a close study of public utility administration and banking, and it was not long before he attracted the attention of the great captains of industry on the western rim of this continent. He came into special prominence in 1915 through being chosen to straighten out the tangled affairs of the Peoples Water Company in Oakland. In the prosecution of this task his ability as an organizer came to the front, the result being the incorporation of the present East Bay Water Company and Mr. Creed's election to the presidency, an Office he occupied for two years. And so it came to pass that when, in July, 1920, the late Mr. F. G. Drum decided to resign the presidency of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, his unerring eye picked out the man to succeed him. On July 28, 1920, the Board of Directors of Pacific Service accepted the resignation of Mr. Drum and elected Wigginton E. Creed in his place. To what skill, to what earnest application, to what masterly resource he brought to bear upon his leadership, the story of our company's progress in the past seven years bears ample testimony. He had other interests, too, which made demands upon his time and energies. He was president of the Columbia Steel Corporation of Pittsburg, Contra Costa County; president of the wholesale lumber company of C. A. Hooper and Comp