George, Willard Hampton, 1889-1956

Willard H. George (1889-1956) was a Los Angeles, California based furrier who designed, created, and supplied furs to movie studios during the Golden Age of Hollywood (1920s-1960s). George was the son of Sadie Kiel George, and great-grandson of early Las Vegas, Nevada settler Conrad Kiel, owner of the Kiel Ranch in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

Born July 20, 1889 in Lincoln, Nebraska, but raised in Los Angeles, George attended Manual Arts High School. He also spent time at Kiel Ranch in North Las Vegas as a boy, during which he met Jim and Tweed Wilson of Wilson Ranch, later known as Spring Mountain Ranch. It was during his time in Las Vegas that George learned about about being a furrier from the Wilsons. Later, when the Wilsons were about to lose their ranch, George purchased the property and allowed them to stay there.

In 1910, he was working as a furrier at a retail store in Los Angeles, California. By 1918, he owned and operated his own fur business, Willard H. George Ltd. at 701 West 7th Street in Central Los Angeles. By 1942, George had moved his business to 3330 Wilshire Boulevard, a building noted for its Art Deco architecture. He became a known expert on chinchilla fur and was also a breeder of the Southland Chinchilla. George died October 24, 1956.

Source:

Willard George. Geni. Accessed October 11, 2018. https://www.geni.com/people/Willard-George/6000000052982487014.