Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: Leland Stanford , a Californian railroad tycoon and politician , founded the university in 1891 in honor of his son , Leland Stanford , Jr. who died of typhoid two months before his 16th birthday .
Simplified: Leland and Jane Stanford started the university . They named the university after their son , Leland Stanford Junior , who died at young age .