Frank Sabichi

Frank Sabichi (October 4, 1842 – April 12, 1900) was an attorney and developer of extensive properties who sat on the Los Angeles, California, Common Council, the legislative arm of that city, from 1870 to 1874 and again from 1897 to 1899. He was council president in 1873–74.

Biography

Sabichi was born on October 4, 1842, to Mathias Sabichi of Austria and his Mexican wife in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles, then within Alta California, Mexico. At age eight, he was taken to England and placed at the Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth, England. He saw service related to the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the 1854–55 Siege of Sebastapol during the Crimean War.

He returned to Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California, in 1860 at about age 18 and began the private study of law in the offices of Glassell, Smith & Patton. He practiced law for a time but gave it up to manage and develop his extensive land holdings. He was credited with opening and developing East 7th Street on his family properties. He was a charter member of the Pioneer Society of Southern California and the Native Sons of the Golden West.

Public service

Sabichi was elected to one-year terms in the Los Angeles Common Council in 1870 to 1874 and again from 1897 to 1899. He was council president in 1873–74, and he was on the city Fire Commission between 1897 and 1900.