Amasa Leland was born in Watervliet New York back in 1824 to Josiah and Elizabeth. After attending the local common school, he was tutored for a short time before attending Clinton Liberal Institute in Clinton, New York. He was admitted to the bar where he entered the law office of Wheaton, Doolittle and Hadley in 1848.
He moved several times before finally ending up in Sacramento in 1856 where he engaged in mercantile on a large scale. In 1861, he was elected president of the Central Pacific Railroad when the first locomotive was named in his honor. It is on display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. That same year he was elected governor of California serving one term.
In 1868, he started the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company (now Pacific Life) serving as its first president from 1868 to 1876. In his spare time, he owned two wineries and had amassed some 55,000 acres in Tehama County. I could go on but my self imposed word limit is near.
What you may not know about Amasa Leland Stanford was his greatest contribution for California was to start Stanford University. Until tomorrow smile, it will make people wonder what you’ve been up to
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