William Mulholland
Engineer
Oversaw the building of water routes that turned Los Angeles from a small town to a world-class metropolis.
He ran away from home and joined the British Merchant Navy at age 15.
He supervised the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.
His brother, Hugh Mulholland Jr., was a harness maker and nurseryman.
Roman Polanski created a fictionalized version of him in his movie Chinatown.