A Profile of Frank H. and Eva B. Buck
L.W. Buck home in Pleasants Valley
Leonard Buck, the grandfather of Frank H. Buck, Jr., settled in the Vacaville area in December 1874, and began a fruit growing business which blossomed into The Buck Company, established in 1886.
Through time, the family expanded the fruit growing, drying and packing business, ultimately branching out of the agriculture business by investing in oil and lumber companies. In addition, Leonard Buck began the family's involvement with politics by being elected to the State Senate in 1895.
Frank Sr. with Frank Jr.
Frank Henry Buck Jr. was born on Sept. 23, 1887, and his brother Leonard William, on Aug. 11, 1891, the sons of Frank H. Buck Sr. and Annie Elizabeth Stevenson. The family mansion was built in Vacaville in 1891, and now houses the offices of the Buck Foundation. The boys attended public schools and enjoyed a cosmopolitan lifestyle living in Vacaville, on the country fruit ranches and in San Francisco.
Buck Mansion in 1891
Frank Jr. graduated from UC Berkeley in 1908 and Harvard School of Law in 1911. He was admitted to the bar the same year and opened an office in San Francisco. Leonard studied to became a medical doctor and was active in research and teaching. Both believed they had an obligation to be a productive member of society, despite personal wealth or position.
Upon Frank Sr. and Annie's deaths, in 1916 and 1920, the brothers inherited the family fortune and Frank Jr. took over managing the family's business operations.
The Frank H. Buck Company
Frank Jr. married Zayda Zabriskie in 1911, and they had four children. By 1922, Frank Jr.'s career was in full swing. Amidst other enterprises he was the leader of the newly founded California Grower's and Shipper's Protective League. Most of the California growers joined this league, and under Frank's tutelage they fought and won many legal battles with fruit brokers and railroads. This laid the foundation for his political career.
Eva Buck and her children
Carol Franc and William Benson
Eventually Frank and Zayda divorced and Frank married Eva M. Benson in 1926. Eva was born May 18, 1897 to Swedish immigrants Martin Olaf and Emma Benson in Alameda. She received her primary and secondary education in Alameda, and enlisted as a yeomanette in the U.S. Navy during World War I, serving in the Bay Area and receiving an honorable discharge at the end of the war. Frank and Eva had two children William Benson and Carol Franc.
During the 1930's several factors contributed to a near collapse of Solano County's fruit industry including the Great Depression, soil erosion and labor disputes. Forty-seven years after its founding, Frank Jr. sold The Buck Co. to the Pacific Fruit Exchange in 1933, although the ranches continued to be operated by the family.
In 1932 Frank Jr. threw his hat into the political ring winning the 3rd Congressional district. For nearly five terms Frank Jr. represented six California counties — Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Contra Costa. A New Deal Democrat, he played an important role in the Roosevelt administration and became a leading advocate for California farmers.
Frank H. Buck, Jr.
Frank Jr. served on the Ways and Means Committee, and he was instrumental in drafting the Social Security Act. He also fought for legislation regarding railway retirement pension tax law, revenue laws, Wildland Protection laws, and laws to provide development of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. He also worked on the National Timber Adjustment Act, plant quarantine laws, tax laws on wine, and was an advocate for California farmers and the Mare Island Naval Ship Yard.
He was re-elected by wide margins in election after election, serving in the 72nd- 76th Congresses, until he died of a stroke on Sept. 17, 1942. He is buried in the Vacaville-Elmira Cemetery.
Eva B. Buck (1984)
After her husband's death, Eva and her family moved to the Buck Mansion in Vacaville, where she continued to manage Buck properties until the time of her death.
Known throughout Vacaville as a behind-the-scenes philanthropist, Eva, quietly yet generously, donated funds where she believed they were needed. She was described as a true benefactor, who avoided public recognition for her generosity. Her major interests included Child Haven in Fairfield, University of the Pacific, University of California, at Berkeley and Davis, where she created The Frank H. Buck endowed chair in the Department of Agriculture Sciences.
A firm believer in higher education, Eva created the Frank H. Buck Scholarships in honor of her husband and The Frank H. and Eva B. Buck Foundation. She also donated the land and money to build the Vacaville Museum and generously supported their exhibits and programs.
An avid gardener and world traveler Eva kept numerous journals about her life and travels. She lived in the Buck Mansion until she died of natural causes at age 93, in June 1990, and is buried next to Frank and her son William, in the Vacaville Elmira-Cemetery.
Eva's daughter Carol Franc Buck, her grandsons Christian Erdman and Paul Buck currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Buck Foundation along with Walter Buck, son of Frank H. Buck III, and Walter's daughter, Stacey B. Morris.