The San Francisco call., 1905-03-02
NOBLE DEEDS
DURING LIFE
Mrs. Stanford'S Career
Remarkable for Love
!. and Devotion.

Deeds. not words, :" make great men
and women, too; and measured by
things accomplished Jane L. Stanford's
name stands and will long stand high
on the roll of great women, not only OF
comparatively young California, but
back through the centuries. She. was
elAssed by biographical writer's as a
'phiianthropist." and rightly so, in the
fullest sense of the word; for she not
only gave freely of the wealth that was
hsrs, but she took such an. active part
in the application of her gifts as to en-.
title. her tc head a special class of bene-
factors.
Many give largely to special projects
to be ipaugurated after their decease:
others give. great sums of money on the
same lines while yet alive, but little
of. their time TO the carrying out Of
the objects Of their gifts.
:. 1t was not SO with Mrs Stanford
Husband and wife mutually agreed
upon the great purpose which has done
Sc:>much for the youth of California
and promises for the future so much
more, and they worked together toward
it's early accomplishment until the
death Of the one in 1892 left the whole
burden. on the other. That she met the
history of Stanford University since
the death of Senator Stanford abund-
antly proves.
The monument to their names and
their beneficence, planned and put on
foot by the two and carried to ripe
and large potential by the survivor,
will ever mark the standard that we'll
seated devotion to high purpose may
attain. s.
COMES. OF GOOD STOCK.
Mrs. Jane Lathrop Stanford came of
good American stock. Her grand
father, Daniel Lathrop, was captain
III the division OF Washington's army
commanded by General. Lafayette. hav-'
ing. earned his promotion by gallant
service, though a young man when the
war of the Revolution closed. On her
mothers side also she could count a
revolutionary soldier as an ancestor
September 80. 1880 Jane. Lathrop be-
came the wife of Leland Stanford,
young lawyer, born at Watervliet near
Albany. and ABOUT four years her
senior. They spent two years OF their
early married life at Port Washington.
A frontier town of Wisconsin. and then
came to California, whittier Senator
Stanford's three brothers had already
preceded him. and with whom ne en-
tered the mercantile business in Sac
ramento. amassing in the course Of the
next eight years what was then quite
a fortune, some $500.
In 1860 her husband entered political
life, as a delegate to the convention
that nominated Abraham Lincoln, then
In 1851 he became Governor of .Califor-
MIA and in 1885 United States Senator.
but with all the change of life
and habit incident to tenure Of these
offices. as well as through the trying
days of the conception and completion
of the first transcontfnentdl railroad.
she was ever his helpful and sympa-
thetic counselor and friend and worked
largely through him toward the great
work accomplished.
BELOVED SON DIES.
In 1884 came the first great sorrow
into the life of Mrs Stanford and her
husband. Their only, son. Leland Stan
ford Jr.. most promising youth, died
in Florence Italy.
Love for the son and devotion. to- his
memory engendered In the 'hearts and
minds of the parents the desire
10 do some great work for other youths
of California, and so followed the
founding and building up OF the great
university school that bears the stan
ford name a. work standing as
triple monunent-to the son for the
love of the parents was so great as to
prompt such appropriation of wealthy.
to the father whose prudent manage
ment accumulated that wealth, and to
the mother. and WIFE who gave her
time. attention and means to carrying
ont the great philanthropic scheme