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This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

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Leland and Jane Stanford

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A Brief History of Stanford

Although he was trained as a lawyer, Leland Stanford came to California in 1852 to join his five brothers in their mercantile business in the gold fields; Jane Stanford followed in 1855. They established large-scale operations in Sacramento, where Mr. Stanford became a leading figure in California business and politics. One of the "Big Four" who built the western link of the first transcontinental railroad, he was elected Governor of California and later United States Senator. One of the founders of the Republican Party in California, he was an ardent follower of Abraham Lincoln and is credited with keeping California in the Union during the Civil War.

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