About
Former California governor who founded what became Stanford University. He was president of both the Southern Pacific and Central Pacific railroads.
Before Fame
He practiced law in Wisconsin. His university started out on 650 acres in Rancho San Francisquito.
Trivia
He contributed to the organization of the California Republican Party in 1856.
Family Life
He married Jane Elizabeth Lathrop, the daughter of a city merchant. They founded Stanford University in the memory of their late son Leland Stanford Jr.
Associated With
His university's first admitted student was future president of the United States Herbert Hoover.
