Charles A. Bon, c.1901 8

Charles Armand Bon (July 29, 1864 – June 23, 1902) served 14 months of a two year term on City Council as an at-large council member. He was elected in 1901 but died in 1902 during his term. He was a Republican. 1

Charles Bon was born on July 29th, 1864 in San Francisco to Jean Baptiste Bon and his wife Augustina Maria de la Luz ("Lucy"). The family moved to Oakland when Charles was five, where he attended Oakland public schools. Later he graduated from the University of California.

Along with Adrien G. Chauche (1834 – 1893), he was the proprietor of Mont-Rouge Vineyard & Winery in Livermore. Chauche married Bon's sister Marie Elizabeth Bon (Chauche) (September 6, 1866 – October 8, 1942) on his deathbed and passed away in 1893. Bon became the sole owner, though he treated his sister as a business partner, and the business retained the name Chauche & Bon. (See pictures of the winery here.) Besides the winery, there was a wine store in San Francisco. In what was a common practice at the time, the vineyard used children to harvest the grapes. In 1899, they went on strike, demanding a raise from $1.50 per ton to $2.00 per ton. 10

Bon was married to Miss Marie Thomas (Bon) (1870 – May 20, 1957) and they had three children, Helene Bon (Poundstone) (April 7, 1890–October 11, 1957), Emelia F. Bon (August, 1892 – October, 1893) who died of cholera when she was 1 year old and Claire Bon (Edoff) (November 16, 1893 – March 16, 1977). NB: Claire is spelled Clare on the family marker in St. Mary's. The family lived at 3699 Telegraph Avenue. 2

Charles Bon was a supporter of the annexation of 1897 and as a member of the Annexation League, worked to ensure that voters who supported annexation did vote. 11

Death and Burial

Bon died at the age of 38 after some kind of stomach ailment; 3 according to the entry on FindAGrave.com, he died from cirrhosis of the liver 6. His estate was valued at $87,699, 9,4,7, and included the winery in Livermore, business property in San Francisco, and the residence on Telegraph. The funeral was held at Sacred Heart Church, and Joseph Ghirardelli was one of the pallbearers. Bon was buried June 24, 1902 in Saint Mary's Cemetery in Section O in the Chauché plot. 6

Chauché / Bon vault
photo CC BY-SA-NC from Our Oakland

Links References

  1. "NOMINATIONS MADE BY THE REPUBLICANS." San Francisco Chronicle: Jan 27, 1901.
  2. "DEATH SUMMONS CHARLES A. BON: Councilman Passes Away at Home After a Long Illness." San Francisco Chronicle: June 23, 1902.
  3. "DEATH SUMMONS CHARLES A BON."
  4. "BON'S WILL PROBATED." San Francisco Chronicle: Jul 12, 1902.
  5. "CITIZENS WILL BE CALLED UPON TO PAY TAXES THAT SHOULD COME FROM WATER CORPORATION." The San Francisco Call: Aug 8, 1901.
  6. Charles A. Bon on FindAGrave.com
  7. Late Councilman Bon Leaves Large Estate San Francisco Call December 19, 1902
  8. Oakland Councilman Passes to Last Rest San Francisco Call June 23, 1902
  9. Estate of Late Charles Bon Given to Widow San Francisco Call December 28, 1904
  10. Young Grape Pickers Declare a Strike San Francisco Call September 27, 1899
  11. Greater Oakland Wins the Day San Francisco Call June 11, 1897
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