John Pierre Backesto

Biography

John Pierre Backesto (1831–1890) became a respected banker and civic leader in San Jose, using his experience to support commerce and to encourage civic improvements that strengthened the new city. His steady stewardship of financial affairs was matched by a generous spirit, as his family later commemorated his love of parks and public gathering places.

He rests at Oak Hill Memorial Park, where visitors remember the foresight he brought to civic planning and the quiet ways he invested in the wellbeing of neighbors across the region.