William Paul Whitsett (1875-1965) was the “Father of Van Nuys“. Hailing from the hamlet of Whitsett, PA – obviously a family town – Whitsett spent years as a Midwest coal dealer until bringing his wife and kids to L.A. in December 1905 and opening his own tract, Walnut Lawn, in Florence-Graham. In January 1911, he was hired as sales manager for the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company, a syndicate of powerful men (see Whitley Ave.) who were subdividing nearly half the San Fernando Valley. In fact Whitsett had purchased a half interest in the one-square-mile Van Nuys townsite and got the job out of that. He laid out its streets, opened it to homebuyers, and made a fortune. With water so critical for Valley growth, it’s no surprise that Whitsett later became a DWP commissioner and director of the Metropolitan Water District: he sponsored the construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct, which brought more water to the SFV in 1939. The famously well-dressed Whitsett also ran the Valley Federal Savings Bank, assisted by Roy Milner. It’s ironic that Whitsett Ave., named in 1917, doesn’t traverse Van Nuys itself. In fact Van Nuys originally had a Whitsett Drive but it was renamed Valerio Street, also in 1917.
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