Leland Stanford Biography

Leland Stanford

A successful railroad executive, he was one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad, becoming its president in 1856, and superintending the construction of the line. He later became active in the Southern Pacific Railroad, serving as its president from 1885-90. He was also active in politics, serving as Governor of California (1861–63) and a US senator (from 1885). He and his wife founded and endowed Leland Stanford Junior University (now Stanford University) as a memorial to their son, at Palo Alto in 1891.

Jane Lathrop Stanford