Arizona republican., 1894-01-14
MRS. LELAND STANFORD.
How She Manages Her Husbands
Vast Estate.
Although Sixty-Eight Years of Age She
Works Steadily Every Day and Passes
on All Bills and Other Doc
uments.

ly to-day the foremost business woman
in America. No other woman controls
so many millions, and probably no
other woman of large business affairs
displays so much sagacity-so intelli-
gent grasp of business or more conf
dence in herself and independence of
others.
She knows what she wants and sees
that she gets it, says the San Francis
CO Examiner. Many other women
have become heirs and administra-
trixes to vast estates, but they have as
a rule depended on the judgment of
others and let others attend to their
business No woman in a like situa-
ton has ever had more able men about
her ready to advise and assist, but she
keeps the reins well in her own hands
and goes on her judgment to re-
markable degree. Since Senator STAN
ford's death she has displayed sagaci-
ty, determination and energy that are
truly wonderful. She has shown her
ability by taking hold of vast proper
ties whereon hundreds of men were
was needed in many directions, and
which properties under Senator Stan
tord's policy had never been run so as
to make money, and in time of fnan-
cial depression putting them on pay
ing basis and getting from them quick
ly the money wherewith to run the
Stanford university.
She is said to be usually at her desk
at Palo Alto earlier in the morning
than most business men are at theirs
and she keeps herself busy the whole
day through personally attending even
to minute details. When at home she
approves or disapproves every requisi-
ton from the superintendent, and all
bills for the Palo Alto ranch and most
of those from her other estates have to
bear her o. K. before they are paid.
She drives about Pale Alto every day
visiting the heads of departments and
the authorities of the university,
knows everything that is going on
and sees that every man earns his
wages. When she has ordered men
discharged, singly or by dozens, and
has otherwise cut down expenses she
has usually done so without anybody's
advice that it be done and often, it is
said, against advice. These things
merely illustrate one phase of her bust
ness methods. She is said to deal with
large things quite as promptly and in
dependently, and she finds large and
difficult problems in the affairs of
three ranches of 5000, 1900 and rs, 900
acres respectively, the finances of a
university and a few million dollars
worth of other properties.
Many who knew what load she
had taken up and how tirelessly she
had devoted herself to the work pre-
dicted that she would soon break
down, but she has not done SO. Some
of her most intimate friends have
said that she would probably have
broken down if she had not thus buried
possible to do So
After the revolution that Mrs Stan
ford has so quickly worked at Palo
Alto and Vina many there naturally
sigh for the good old days when Sena-
tor Stanford farmed, raised horses and
made wine that he might be pleased
and proud. But Mrs. Stanford is not
saving and making money for herself,
but for the university, and her sole
purpose is to get the endowment prop
critics in condition to yield the larg-
est possible revenue for the growing
institution.
Mrs. Stanford's health is said to be
excellent, and she displaysa great deal
of vigor and endurance, though she is
sixty-eight years of age and sorrow
and the hand of time have changed her
appearance considerably from that
shown in her last photograph, which
was taken six years ago.