Amasa Leland Stanford; who made a fortune as a railroad tycoon served as a Governor of California and Senator of the United States of America. Leland Stanford had all the wealth in the world, he could buy anything he wanted, but there was one thing that he couldn’t buy; the life of his Son. During the year of 1884, he planned a trip to Europe with his family. Little did he know, that is going to be one of the most tragic events of his life. Leland Stanford Jr caught what initially thought was just a cold, but it was later diagnosed as a Typhoid Fever.
Amasa Leland Stanford tried everything in his power to keep his son alive, but unfortunately; Leland Stanford Jr lost his life in Italy. That event changed Leland Stanford’s life, despite being the wealthiest man on the planet; couldn’t find the cure for typhoid; which would be easily curable in today’s age. Leland Stanford told his wife, after coming back to California that the children of California will be their children. Soon after that, he started using his political influence to build a school for the state of California. In the year 1885, Leland Stanford and Jane Stanford initiated the construction of Stanford University. Leland Stanford donated 40 Million USD; which would be over 1 Billion USD in today’s worth. All this money was donated towards making the most prestigious university in the world.
Initially, Stanford University was designed for the Agricultural Studies, but now it has over 40 educational departments. The first student to enroll in Stanford University was the Herbert Hoover, who served as the 31st president of the United States.
There is a children's anecdote about Leland Stanford and Jane Stanford, who first went to Harvard University to donate the money in order to make a building after their dead son’s name. However, they were looked upon because they were dressed as commoners. They decided to make their own college instead.
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