Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-02
HIS FIRST TWO sHILLINGs.


Born in Albany county, N. Y, &c years
ago, one of family of seven sons, he had
only such educational advantages as were
day. He worked on the farm in the sum-
mer and attended school in the winter. As
a boy he gave evidences of business talent.
Some time ago he told to friend the story
of how he earned his first money.
81 was years old" he said, "but I can
remember it well. Two of my brothers and
myself gathered load of horse-radish in the
garden, washed it clean-I think they made
me do most of the scrubbing, for 1 was the
youngest-took it to Schenectady and sold
it. We received six York shillings for the
lot, and OF that received two shillings. 1
felt very proud of that money you may be
sure. Two years later l made my second
f. .neial venture. One day fathers hired
man came home from Albany and told us
that chestnuts were very high. We boys
had lot of them on hand that we had
gathered in the fall, and a council of war
being held it was decided that now was the
time to put our chestnuts on the market.
Accordingly we took them to Albany and
sold them for S25 That was a good deal of
money for those times, when grown men
were only getting two shillings day."
IN A LARGER BUSINESS.
When he was IS years old his father
bought piece of woodland and that winter
told Leland that if he would cut the timber
he could have the proceeds. The young man
hired several hands to help him, and to-
gether they cut and piled $500 cords of
wood. He hauled it to Albany and sold it
to the Mohawk and H udson River Railroad
Company at net profit to himself of 81, 600.
He now had little capital and he gave
more time to his studies, having determined
to fit himself for the law. AT the age of %
he entered the office of Wheaton, Doolittle
& Hadley, prominent law firm in Albany.
In three years he was admitted to the bar
and then started West to locate. His
first objective point was Chicago, then
looked upon as the coming metropolis OF
the West. 1t is probable that the young
lawyer would have settled there and his
whole future might have been changed but
for one thing. The mosquitoes were so
thick that existence was rendered torment
1t was in the summer season, and the in
sects piled their vocation so vigorously that
they fairly drove the newcomer away. He
had heard about town just being laid out
on the shore of Lake Michigan, some dis
tance above Milwaukee, called Port WASH
ington, which its projectors declared was
bound to eclipse both Chicago and Mil
waukee in the near future. Stanford jour
neyed thither, liked it, and resolved to
locate. He hung out his shingle and
during the succeeding four years had good
legal practice.
A LITERARY TASTE.
Senator Stanford has always acknowl- |
edged the great influence of the press
Some years ago he remarked: "Not the |
richest banker in San Francisco nor the |
ablest member of the bar wields as much |
power as the ordinary newspaper reporter"
Few people, however, are aware that the |
railroad magnate came very near being a |
newspaper man himself While at Port |
Washington he took lively interest in pol
itics anG used occasionally to write for
Milwaukee paper. He was also leading
member of local debating society. His |
friends praised his writings and he began to
think he was meant for journalist At |
that time there was no newspaper in the |
town and it was proposed to start one. Stan
ford was to furnish most of the capital and |
to have charge of the enterprise. Having !
heard that there was press and type to be
had in Milwaukee for 500, he started off |
with a wagon to purchase it and bring it
home. When he reached Milwaukee he was
greatly disappointed to find that the outfit
had been disposed of several days previous
ly, and there was not another press obtain
able west of New York. The syndicate had
not money enough to purchase an outfit at
first hands and pay the freight upon it, and
30 the project was given up.
Shortly after this incident the young at
torney's Office was destroyed by fire, the
flames consuming his entire library, in the
purchase of which he had invested most of
his earnings. Having been urged by three
Of his brothers. who were in business in
California, to join them, he gathered to-
gether his few belongings and started for the
Golden State, arriving in Sacramento in
1862 The Stanford brothers then had
house in Sacramento, with
branches in all the leading mining camps.
Leland was placed in charge of the branch
1t Michigan Bluffs, Placer county, where he
four years.
FIRST VENTURE IN POLITICS.
In 1860 he was delegate to the Chicago
Convention which nominated Abraham
Lincoln. In 1861 Stanford was nominated
or Governor on the Republican ticket. He
entered upon the campaign as he would un-
iertake any business and before the day of
'lection had visited every important polling