Adolph Bernard Spreckels

January 5, 1857 (age 67)

San Francisco, California , United States

His 55 room mansion, built in 1913 in Pacific Heights is the current home of novellist Danielle Steel. When the company was founded in 1881, he was named a vice-president Spreckels pleaded temporary insanity to the charge of attempted murder and was acquitted. lieutenant was merged with the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in 1972 to become the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Besides the sugar company, Spreckels was president of the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway, vice-president of both the Western Sugar Company and the Oceanic Steamship Company, as well as a director of the Sunset Monarch Company. In addition to his business enterprises, Spreckels served as San Francisco"s Park Commissioner and was heavily involved with the development of Golden Gate Park, all the land between what is now the 25th Avenue crossover westward to the Great Highway at Ocean Beach, he donated to the park. Spreckels Lake, in the park, is named after him. He and Alma were married on May 11, 1908 after a five-year courtship. The family"s 1913 mansion, located at 2080 Washington Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, is currently the home of novelist Danielle Steel. Spreckels died in 1924 from pneumonia.

Adolph Bernard Spreckels

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California businessman

Background

Spreckels was born in San Francisco, California. Spreckels succeeded his father as company president upon the latter"s death in 1908.

Education

At the age of 12, Adolph studied abroad in Hanover, Germany for two years, returning to San Francisco to finish his studies.

Career

His 55 room mansion, built in 1913 in Pacific Heights is the current home of novellist Danielle Steel. When the company was founded in 1881, he was named a vice-president Spreckels pleaded temporary insanity to the charge of attempted murder and was acquitted.

lieutenant was merged with the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in 1972 to become the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Besides the sugar company, Spreckels was president of the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway, vice-president of both the Western Sugar Company and the Oceanic Steamship Company, as well as a director of the Sunset Monarch Company. In addition to his business enterprises, Spreckels served as San Francisco"s Park Commissioner and was heavily involved with the development of Golden Gate Park, all the land between what is now the 25th Avenue crossover westward to the Great Highway at Ocean Beach, he donated to the park.

Spreckels Lake, in the park, is named after him. He and Alma were married on May 11, 1908 after a five-year courtship.

The family"s 1913 mansion, located at 2080 Washington Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, is currently the home of novelist Danielle Steel.

Spreckels died in 1924 from pneumonia.

Achievements

His parents were Anna Christina Mangels and Claus Spreckels, founder of the Spreckels Sugar Company. In 1884, he shot Michael H. de Young, co-founder of the San Francisco Chronicle, supposedly because of an article in that newspaper suggesting his sugar company defrauded its shareholders. Spreckels was also fond of horse racing and owned and bred a number of race horses, most famously Morvich, the first California-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby (1922).

Connections

Father:: Claus Spreckels
Mother:: Anna C. Spreckels
Spouse:: Alma De Bretteville

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