Leland Stanford

Leland Stanford
Stanford in 1890
United States Senator
from California
In office
March 4, 1885 – June 21, 1893
Preceded byJames T. Farley
Succeeded byGeorge Clement Perkins
8th Governor of California
In office
January 10, 1862 – December 10, 1863
LieutenantJohn F. Chellis
Preceded byJohn Gately Downey
Succeeded byFrederick Ferdinand Low
Personal details
Born
Amasa Leland Stanford

(1824-03-09)March 9, 1824
Watervliet, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 21, 1893(1893-06-21) (aged 69)
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (from 1856)
Other political
affiliations
Whig (until 1856)
Spouse
(m. 1850)
ChildrenLeland Jr.
Alma materCazenovia Seminary
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Businessman
Signature

Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824 – June 21, 1893) was an American attorney, industrialist, philanthropist, and Republican Party politician from California. He served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1885 until his death in 1893. He and his wife Jane founded Stanford University, named after their late son.[1]

Stanford was a successful merchant and wholesaler who migrated to California during the Gold Rush and built a business empire. He was an influential executive of the Central Pacific Railroad and later the Southern Pacific railroads from 1861 to 1890, giving him tremendous power in the Western United States and leaving a lasting impact on California.[2][3][4][5][6] He also played a significant role as a shareholder and executive in the early history of Pacific Life and Wells Fargo. He was the first Republican governor of California. Stanford is widely considered a robber baron.[2][3][4][5][6]

  1. ^ Burlingame, Dwight (August 19, 2004). Philanthropy in America: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 456. ISBN 978-1-57607-860-0 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b Tuterow, Norman E. (2004). The governor: the life and legacy of Leland Stanford, a California colossus, Volume 2. Arthur H. Clark Co. p. 1146.
  3. ^ a b Carlisle, Rodney P., ed. (April 2009). Handbook to Life in America, Vol. 4. Facts on File. p. 8.
  4. ^ a b Cummings, Bruce (2009). Dominion from Sea to Sea: Pacific Ascendancy and American Power. Yale University Press. p. 672.
  5. ^ a b Lindsay, David (2005). Madness in the Making. Universe. p. 214.
  6. ^ a b Goethals, George R.; et al. (2004). Encyclopedia of Leadership, Vol. I. Sage Publications. p. 897.