Anson Parsons Hotaling or Houghtaling (February 28, 1827, New York (state)[1] – February 16, 1900, San Francisco)[2] was an American merchant and real estate developer in San Francisco. He commonly went by the name A.P. Hotaling.[3]
Hotaling was the third son and sixth child of Garrit A. Ho(u)ghtaling (1789 –1876) and Hanna Parsons (1789–1880), his surname ultimately deriving from the Dutch surname Hoogteijling. Born and raised in rural New York state, he sailed for San Francisco in 1852 on "The Racehound". The route at that time was around Cape Horn, and his ship put into several South American cities for provisioning. He was tempted to stay in South America, but continued on to San Francisco.
Once in California, he briefly tried his hand at mining but within a year returned to San Francisco and opened a wine and spirit business, owned in partnership. By 1866 his business had much expanded and he was sole owner and operator. He began a shipping venture, trading with both the South Sea islands, and the settlements on the Pacific coast of Russia. Later he expanded his trade to Australia. He bought a considerable amount of real estate throughout the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, and also invested in iron and mercury mining.[4]
He married Lavinia J. Linen on Nov. 3, 1863. Two of Hotaling's four sons predeceased him. His son, Richard M. Hotaling served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1900–1901.[5]
Hotaling died on February 16, 1900, in San Francisco.
Hotaling Place, a one-block lane in the Jackson Square Historic District that has been called "San Francisco's oldest alley", is named after him.[6] Hotaling maintained a warehouse there for his whiskey business, which may have helped saving the building in the 1906 earthquake and fire, as commemorated in a poem by Charles K. Field that today is displayed on a plaque there:
"If, as they say, God spanked the town
For being over-frisky,
Why did He burn His churches down
And spare Hotaling's Whiskey?"[7] [6]