Prudent Beaudry
| Prudent Beaudry | |
|---|---|
Portrait, 1884
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| 13th Mayor of Los Angeles | |
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In office December 18, 1874 – December 8, 1876 |
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| Preceded by | James R. Toberman |
| Succeeded by | Frederick A. MacDougall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1818 Quebec, Canada |
| Died | 1893 Los Angeles, California |
| Resting place | Montreal |
Prudent Beaudry (1818–1893) served as the 13th mayor of Los Angeles, California, from 1874 to 1876. A native of Quebec, he was the second French Canadian and third French American mayor of Los Angeles.
Beaudry was born into a wealthy French Canadian family. After studying in Montreal, he went to New York City to pursue graduate studies in business school. In the aftermath of the Rebellions of 1837 that shook the province of Quebec, he travelled in the United States and promoted the idea of annexing Canada to the United States. Around 1840, he settled in New Orleans where he gained additional experience in commercial activities. In 1842, he returned to Montreal and created an import-export business with his brothers. Because he was responsible for buying stock, Prudent Beaudry frequently needed to travel to Europe.
His younger brother Victor left for San Francisco at the height of the California Gold Rush, and convinced Prudent to join him so that they might take advantage of the burgeoning business opportunities to be found there. After selling his shares in the Montreal business to his older brothers, Prudent Beaudry moved to San Francisco and invested all $26,000 of his share money in various enterprises targeting the needs of the Gold Rush miners.
Two fires and insufficient insurance left the retail enterprise with only $1,000 left of its stock. In 1853 Prudent moved alone to Los Angeles, and succeeded in regaining a respectable amount of floating capital. In 1854 Prudent decided to invest in capital assets in addition to his retail store. He bought different tracts of land, which constituted the "Beaudry Blocks". The rents he earned from his real estate assets yielded him $1,000 per month.
In 1855 after Victor rejoined him, Prudent Beaudry left for Europe in order to consult a Parisian ophthalmologist for eyesight problems. He rested in Montreal for five years, limiting his activity. In 1861, Victor received a lucrative offer to furnish the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. This offer obliged Prudent to return to Los Angeles and take charge again of his business. His profits by that time amounted to a few thousand dollars per year, a considerable amount for the time. Beaudry decided to invest in a silver mine, but this investment failed after the mine was completely destroyed when a Californian Indian tribe retaliated against European massacres in the area.
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