Background
Russell Kelly Pitzer was born in Mills County, Iowa, the youngest of four children of Samuel Collins Pitzer and Alice Kelly Pitzer.
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Russell Pitzer
Edit ProfileEducation
He attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, graduating in the class of 1900.
Career
The family moved to Brown County, Nebraska and Boulder, Colorado, before settling in Pomona, California. He then attended Hastings Law School in San Francisco, a unit of the University of California, Berkeley. Upon receiving his law degree in 1903, he returned to Pomona and joined a law firm in Pomona and later serving a term as City Attorney in Claremont.
In 1912 he purchased an orange grove, soon developed a successful business as the owner of many citrus groves, and reduced his activity as a lawyer
He also became a principal in the Pomona Valley Telephone and Telegraph Union and the Home Builders Savings and Loan Association. As he acquired the resources to be a public benefactor, he became active in supporting Pomona Valley Community Hospital and the Claremont Colleges, participating in the founding of Claremont Men"s College (now Claremont McKenna College) and Harvey Mudd College.
In 1963 he took the lead in founding Pitzer College, and accordingly, Pitzer College chose the orange tree as its symbol.
Achievements
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Born
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Died
July 8, 1978 (aged 99) -
Nationality
United States