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Recent revelations suggest a different Leland Stanford Jr. than many have imagined. His death broke his parents’ hearts and spawned a university. But who was he?
Jul 7, 2021 · On May 14, 1868, Leland and Jane Stanford welcomed their only child, Leland DeWitt Stanford, into the world. The new addition to the Stanford family was widely celebrated, as the couple had been married for 18 years before little Leland came along.
- Jean Mendoza
Leland Stanford Junior was born at his family’s mansion in Sacramento, California, on May 14, 1868. He was 8 when his father purchased the Palo Alto Stock Farm and their countryside home became the boy’s favorite.
New York State Senator Charles Stanford (1819–1885) was his brother. His immigrant ancestor, Thomas Stanford, settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in the 17th century. Later ancestors settled in the eastern Mohawk Valley of central New York about 1720. Stanford's father was a farmer of some means.
- Overview
- Personal Life
- Career Details
- Social and Economic Impact
- Sources of Information
Leland Stanford combined his legal knowledge, business ability, and political influence to become one of California's leading citizens in the nineteenth century. With three colleagues, he established the Central Pacific Railroad, which built the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad, and served as its president from 1861 until his ...
Leland Stanford was born on March 9, 1824, in Watervliet, New York. He was the fourth son of Josiah and Elizabeth (Phillips) Stanford. The family could trace its American roots back to Thomas Stanford (or Staniforth), who lived in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1644. Stanford's father was a prosperous farmer who also worked as a contractor in the build...
Once in Sacramento, Stanford became interested in politics. A Republican in a predominantly Democratic state, he suffered defeat in 1857 when he ran for state treasurer, and again in 1859 when he ran for governor. In 1861 he was successful in his bid for the governorship, taking advantage of a split in the Democratic Party caused by the outbreak of...
Stanford's philanthropy, principally through the establishment of Stanford University, has made his legacy the biggest of the Big Four, who are remembered today largely by the banks and hotels in California that bear their names. While Stanford himself did not live to see the university grow and prosper, it has become recognized as one of the fines...
Bibliography
Encyclopedia of World Biography.Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Hutchison, John N. "Leland Stanford's Great Vina Ranch." Wines and Vines,March 1993. McGuire, William, and Leslie Wheeler. American Social Leaders.Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 1993. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. New York: James T. White & Co., 1891. Reprint, Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, 1967-71. Snow, Richard F. "Biggest of the Four." American Heritage,December 1987. Story of the Great American West.Pleas...
Lelands parents, Tim and Amber Shoemake were devastated at the loss of their son. They had spent each day at his side while in hospital.
People also ask
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Leland Jr. died of typhoid fever at age 15. He never enrolled at Harvard. His parents did visit Harvard President Charles Eliot, but only to get advice on endowing a university.
