Workman, William, 1799-1876

William Workman, California pioneer, co-owned Rancho La Puente in La Puente Valley with John Rowland.

William ("Don Julian") Workman (1799-1876) was born in England and traveled to Philadelphia in 1822. After spending a few years in Franklin, Missouri, he joined a caravan along the Santa Fe Trail and arrived in New Mexico in 1825. He worked with John A. Rowland as a merchant and distiller in Taos until a variety of political events urged them to move to California in 1841. In 1842 Rowland received a land grant for the La Puente Rancho near Los Angeles, and in 1845 Workman was added as a co-owner. Workman served with General Pio Pico during the Mexican American War and helped negotiate an amnesty with Commodore Robert F. Stockton. Workman prospered financially during the California Gold Rush, but suspect loaning practices and the collapse of his banking business led to Workman's bankruptcy, and he committed suicide in 1876.