Santa Barbara Obispo County Biographies

Daniel Francis Hunt

Submitted by Liz Brase

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Daniel Francis Hunt, who was elected county clerk of Santa Barbara county in 
November, 1926, has had an active and useful career since coming to Santa 
Barbara and is regarded as one of the representative citizens of his community.  
He is a native of Austin, Minnesota, where he was born on the 10th of March, 
1860, and is a son of Richard O. And Mary Jane (Brown) Hunt, both of whom were 
natives of New England, the father having been born in Maine and the mother in 
Massachusetts.  The father first came to California on an inspection tour in 
1870, when he was accompanied by his brother, C.C. Hunt.  They traveled over the 
state with a horse and buggy and eventually decided to locate in Santa Barbara.  
The brother remained and the father returned east for his family.  After closing 
up his business affairs there, they, with an uncle, William F. Hunt, came back 
to Santa Barbara in 1872.  Here the father followed his trade, that of 
carriage-making, for many years, and died in 1918.  The mother passed away 
September 24, 1914.  The father was accidentally killed at Newbury Park, Ventura 
county, August 20, 1918.
Daniel F. Hunt secured a good education in the grade and high schools of Santa 
Barbara and then became employed on the Daily Press for J.A. Johnson.  He also 
operated a job printing office in the late ‘70s.  He was identified with the 
newspaper business continuously from 1874 to 1906, with the exception of the 
year 1900, which he spent in Alaska.  On his return he became manager of the 
Morning Press, and held that position until appointed postmaster of Santa 
Barbara under the Roosevelt administration in 1906.  He held this place for 
eight years, the last four under Taft’s regime.  In 1904 he was also a delegate 
to the republican national convention at Chicago which placed Theodore Roosevelt 
at the head of the party ticket.  In the spring of 1914 Mr. Hunt was appointed a 
commissioner of the Panama-Pacific Exposition, which was held in San Francisco 
in 1915, and later served one year in the same capacity at the San Diego 
Exposition.  During 1917-  18 he was connected with the Hunt Mercantile Company 
and on September 9th of the latter year was appointed deputy county clerk, which 
position he ably filled until his election as county clerk.
In 1881 Mr. Hunt was married to Katie M. Carr and they have become the parents 
of two children, Floye Ethel Battelle and Le Roy Hunt.  The last named resides 
at Oakland, California, being employed in the grain department of the Globe 
Grain and Milling Company, Merchants Exchange building, San Francisco.  Mr. Hunt 
is also the proud possessor of three grandchildren, namely: Mrs. Clara Battelle 
Waring, daughter of W.P. and Floye Ethel Battelle, who lives at Alhambra, 
California; Loya Winifred and Naida Genevieve Hunt, daughters of Le Roy and 
Winifred (Hoye) Hunt.
 
History of Santa Barbara County, Page 153 and 154