The California Frontier Project

  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Teacher Membership
  • Podcast
  • Shop/Support
    • Books
    • T-shirts/mugs

San Francisco’s Overlooked Pioneer: William Alexander Leidesdorff

By Damian Bacich

William Alexander Leidesdorff (Wikimedia Commons)

Although little known today, the name of William Alexander Leidesdorff is enshrined on streets in San Francisco and a town along the American River. He was also one of California’s pioneers of African descent and instrumental in bringing about the American annexation of California.

Contents

  • 1 Early Life and Ancestry
  • 2 Arrival in California and Business Ventures
  • 3 Leidesdorff and the Annexation of California
  • 4 Other Accomplishments
  • 5 Death
  • 6 Further Reading

Early Life and Ancestry

Much of the information that we have about William Leidesdorff’s biography comes from the historian Hubert Howe Bancroft. In his History of California, Bancroft mentions Leidesdorff several times as a key contributor to the state’s early history.

Leidesdorff was born in 1810 in San Croix in the Virgin Islands, which were at the time known as the Danish West Indies. His father was a Danish sugar planter, William Leidesdorff, Senior. His mother, Anna Marie Sparks, a was a native woman of African descent.

Arrival in California and Business Ventures

We know little about his early life. According to Bancroft, at the age of 30 or 31, young William made his way to Alta California. He was a very astute businessman, and thanks to his facility with multiple languages, was liked and respected by Mexicans and Anglo-Americans alike.

In 1844, he became a Mexican citizen and obtained a grant of land, which he named Rancho Rio de los Americanos. The grant was for approximately 35,000 acres, on what is today the American River near Sacramento. His rancho was adjacent to the one owned by John Augustus Sutter.

Leidesdorff engaged in multiple business activities, including the hide and tallow trade, the basis of the rancho economy in Alta California.

Leidesdorff and the Annexation of California

Starting in 1845, he was asked to serve as the US Vice Consul to Mexico. The consul was a man named Thomas Oliver Larkin, who had a great interest in bringing California into the United States and who saw Leidesdorff as an excellent ally in his efforts.

Thanks to his business success, Leidesdorff became one of the main financiers of Captain John Fremont and his men who helped support the U.S. annexation of California.

After the war, Leidesdorff wrote to the US government asking for reimbursement for the money that he put out to help support Fremont and his volunteers who came down into Alta California. It is fascinating to read his correspondence with the US government after the war. In it Leidesdorff gives an eloquent accounting of the money he spent aiding Fremont, for which he expected to be reimbursed. Leidesdorff was unsuccessful and the U.S. government never repaid him. Nevertheless, the letters reveal a gread deal of facility and persuasiveness in English, which was not his native tongue.

Other Accomplishments

Leidesdorff was a visionary in transportation, who launched the first steamboat to operate on both the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River. He purchased the 37 foot long steamboat in Alaska and brought it down to California, demonstrating his resourcefulness and entrepreneurial spirit.

As an entrepreneur, Leidesdorff was one of the men who built San Francisco. He was not only one of the town’s most prominent businessmen, but he was a member of the city council, its treasurer, and a member of the school committee, taking an active part in local politics during his short life.

In addition to his civic involvements, Leidesdorff was instrumental in bringing entertainment to the newly formed state of California. He staged the state’s first horse race near Mission Dolores in 1847, showcasing his dedication to providing cultural experiences for the people of San Francisco.

The Leidesdorff memorial plaque in San Francisco (Wikimedia Commons).

Death

In 1848, William Leidesdorff contracted a deadly illness. Doctors described it as “brain fever,” which may have been meningitis, scarlet fever, typhoid, fever, or encephalitis. On May 18th of that year, he died. He was only 38 years old. His body was buried at Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) in San Francisco. Today both the city of San Francisco and the town of Folsom (where his land grant was located) have streets dedicated to him.

Had he lived longer, who knows what else William Alexander Leidesdorff might have accomplished?

Further Reading

William Alexander Leidesdorff – First Black Millionaire, American Consul and California Pioneer by Gary Palgon.

Filed Under: 4th Grade, Black History, Mexican Rule, U.S. Annexation Tagged With: Gold Rush, Leidesdorff, San Francisco

The Luiseño of Southern California

By Damian Bacich

Luiseño leaders at Pala in the 1880s

The Luiseño people are an indigenous group of coastal Southern California with a unique language and culture. The introduction of the mission introduced major changes into Luiseño life, including a new religion (Christianity) and the adoption … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: 4th Grade, Native Americans Tagged With: Luiseño, Mission San Luis Rey, Native Americans, Southern California

Routes to Mexican California

By Damian Bacich

In the early decades of the nineteenth century, growing numbers of people came to Alta California. The routes they took and the lives they established changed the history of the region. Immigration by Sea After independence from Spain, the … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: 4th Grade

The Legend of Chief Solano

By Damian Bacich

“He was of gigantic stature, standing six feet seven inches–without his stockings, for he had none. And he was large all over in proportion, with the strength of several men. His name by baptism was Francisco Solano, and by that name he was best … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: California Indians, Hispanic Heritage, Native Americans Tagged With: California Indians (Standard 1), Gen. Mariano G. Vallejo, Mission San Francisco Solano, Patwin, Sonoma, Suisun

Todavía Estamos Aquí (We are Still Here)

By Damian Bacich

246 years ago a group of some two hundred people arrived at the Presidio of San Francisco after an arduous trek from Tubac in what is today southern Arizona. They were led by the intrepid frontier officer Juan Bautista de Anza, who had made an … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

How We Almost Lost El Camino Real (and the Women Who Saved It)

By Damian Bacich

… [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

“The Americanos Played for Keeps”

By Damian Bacich

The Battle of San Pascual

… [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage Tagged With: Californios, Daily Lives (Standard 5), Los Angeles, Pio Pico, Primary Sources

Bad for the Lungs but Wonderful for Memories

By Damian Bacich

… [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage Tagged With: Californios, Daily Lives (Standard 5), Los Angeles, Primary Sources

Tar Roofs and Whale Intestine Windows

By Damian Bacich

… [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage Tagged With: Californios, Daily Lives (Standard 5), Los Angeles, Primary Sources, Rancho Era, Ranchos

The Forgotten Lives of a California Adobe

By Damian Bacich

Preserving historical landmarks means more than just saving old buildings. It often means preserving the link to the lives lived there. For decades California's historic rancho adobes have been disappearing from the landscape. For example, in the … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Californios, Field Trips, Hispanic Heritage, Mexican Rule Tagged With: Daily Lives (Standard 5)

Tiburcio Vásquez and Vaquero Vengeance

By Damian Bacich

Shortly after the end of the Mexican-American War, William Rich Hutton recalled visiting Doña Angustias de la Guerra Jimeno in Monterey as a twenty-one-year-old volunteer with the U.S. occupation troops. … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

The Castaway of Whalers Cove

By Damian Bacich

After coming to Mexican California in 1822 on a whaling ship, Englishman William Richardson decided to stay. He married María Antonia Martínez, the daughter of Presidio Commander Ygnacio Martínez (after whom the city of Martinez is named). As … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage

The Bear Flag Revolt: California’s Insurgency

By Damian Bacich

The Bear Flag Revolt is one of the central episodes in the events leading to the U.S. annexation of California. In June of 1846, a group of Americans took over the Mexican Pueblo of Sonoma and declared a new "California Republic." This is the … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Californios, Mexican Rule Tagged With: Bear Flag, Frémont, Ide, Mexican-American War, Osos, Sonoma

Juan Bautista de Anza: Son of the Frontier

By Damian Bacich

Juan Bautista de Anza was a military officer, governor, explorer and diplomat. His life had an enormous impact on the history of California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico, as well as Northern Mexico. Birth Juan Bautista de Anza was baptized at … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: 4th Grade, European Settlements, Hispanic Heritage

Indian Vaqueros in Alta California

By Damian Bacich

Vaqueros were the most important workers in the mission and rancho eras. And some of the first vaqueros were Native American. Learn more about these unique figures on the California frontier. What Does "Vaquero" Mean? The word vaquero is … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Daily Lives, Mexican Rule, Native Americans, Spanish Missions Tagged With: horses, Ranchos, soldados, Vaqueros

Rebuilding a Presidio: Interview with Jarrell Jackman

By Damian Bacich

Soldiers and presidios played a key role in establishing the Spanish presence in California, but they are still misunderstood. Jarrell Jackman has been at the forefront of preserving and documenting this crucial element of the California … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Californios, European Settlements, Hispanic Heritage, Podcast Episodes, Soldiers and Presidios, Spanish Exploration and Colonization Tagged With: Santa Barbara

Ramona, the Novel that Changed California: Interview with Jonathan Alcántar

By Damian Bacich

The novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson sparked an interest in California's Mission Era that attracted visitors from all over the country. But Jackson's novel was much more than nostalgia for a bygone era -- it was a cry for human rights. The story of … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage, Native Americans, Podcast Episodes Tagged With: Helen Hunt Jackson, José Martí, Ramona

Indian Life at Mission Santa Cruz

By Damian Bacich

What was daily life like for Native Americans at Mission Santa Cruz? What did they eat? What jobs did they do? An introduction to life at Alta California’s 12th Spanish Mission. Where is Mission Santa Cruz Located? Mission Santa Cruz is located … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Native Americans, Primary Sources, Spanish Missions Tagged With: Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, Interrogatorio, mission santa cruz, Ohlone

The Spanish Legacy in California and the Mexican War for Independence

By Damian Bacich

This is a special episode of the California Frontier podcast. The shoe is on the other foot this time, and I am the one being interviewed. My host is Jordan Mattox, a California junior high school teacher who his passionate about California history. … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Mexican War for Independence, Podcast Episodes, Spanish Exploration and Colonization

The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: Interview with Elisabeth Rareshide

By Damian Bacich

The story of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island was made famous by Scott O'Dell's novel The Island of the Blue Dolphins. In this episode of the podcast, we learn more about her real life with archeologist Elisabeth Rareshide, along with a new … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: 4th Grade, California Indians, Native Americans, Podcast Episodes Tagged With: Island of the Blue Dolphins, Juana María

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 6
  • Next Page »

I’m Dr. Damian Bacich, and I started the California Frontier Project. Learn more about me and the project here.

Teaching Materials for the Whole Year

Alta California Tees and More

Alta California T-shirt

Copyright © 2023 · Damian Bacich