Hanscom, William Wallace

Historical or Biographical Note

BIOGRAPHY: W.W. Hanscom was born in 1870. He began his career at San Francisco's Union Iron Works as an apprentice in the patterns shop. He advanced steadily during his more than twenty years of service with the firm, becoming successively draftsman, electrical engineer, and chief electrical engineer. Around 1908, he became the manager of the Century Electric Construction Co. of San Francisco. He lived in San Francisco and died in November 1956 at the age of 86. Sources: San Francisco Maritime Museum accession ledger, information contained in this collection, and various San Francisco city directories.