Leland Stanford

Hello. My name is Leland Stanford, and I am known for helping to connect a nation with a great railroad and for creating a university that would educate generations of students. My story begins on a farm in Watervliet, New York, where I was born on March 9th, 1824. Growing up, I was more interested in books than plows, so I decided to study law. In 1848, I moved to Wisconsin to begin my legal career. It was there that I married my wonderful wife, Jane. Life seemed to be on a steady path until disaster struck. In 1852, a terrible fire swept through my town and destroyed my law office and everything in it. This moment changed the course of my life. With my business gone, I decided to follow my brothers west to California, where thousands of people were seeking their fortunes during the Gold Rush.

Once in California, I realized that digging for gold was not the best path for me. Instead of mining, my brothers and I started a business in the growing city of Sacramento. We sold supplies—tools, food, and other essentials—to the miners who came from all over the world. Our business became very successful, and this success gave me the opportunity to enter a new field: politics. I wanted to help California grow and prosper, and I believed I could make a difference. In 1861, the people of California elected me to be their 8th governor. This was a very challenging time in American history, as the country was divided by the Civil War. As governor, I worked hard to ensure that California remained loyal to the Union and supported its cause.

During my time as governor in 1861, I became involved in one of the most ambitious projects in American history: building the Transcontinental Railroad. For years, people had dreamed of a railroad that would stretch all the way across the United States, connecting the East Coast with the West Coast. I joined with three other businessmen—Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker—and together we formed the Central Pacific Railroad company. We became known as 'The Big Four.' Our task was enormous. We had to lay tracks over the rugged and treacherous Sierra Nevada mountains, a feat many thought was impossible. Thousands of laborers, including many dedicated Chinese immigrants, did the dangerous and difficult work of blasting tunnels through solid rock and building bridges over deep canyons. Finally, after years of hard work, our railroad met the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad, which had been built from the east. On May 10th, 1869, at a place called Promontory Summit in Utah, I was given the honor of driving the final 'Golden Spike,' officially uniting the country by rail.

The railroad was a great public triumph, but my life was also marked by a deep personal sadness. My wife, Jane, and I had one beloved son, Leland Stanford Jr. He was the center of our world. In 1884, while we were traveling together in Europe, our son fell ill with typhoid fever and tragically died at the age of just 15. Our grief was overwhelming. We knew we had to find a way to honor his memory and create something meaningful from our loss. I said to my wife, 'The children of California shall be our children.' It was then that we made a decision. In 1885, we decided to use our fortune to found a university. On our large farm in Palo Alto, we established The Leland Stanford Junior University. Our new dream was to create a place of learning that would serve young people for centuries to come. The university officially opened its doors to its first students in 1891.

In my later years, I continued to serve the public. In 1885, I was elected to be a United States Senator for California, a role I held for the rest of my life. I had the satisfaction of seeing two of my greatest dreams become a reality: a railroad that connected a continent and a university, born from love and loss, that would serve future generations. I lived to be 69 years old. My wife Jane continued to build and guide the university after I was gone. Today, Stanford University is known around the world, and I hope the story of how it was built from a place of great love and sadness inspires people to create wonderful things for the future.