Notice bibliographique
- Notice
Type(s) de contenu et mode(s) de consultation : Texte noté : sans médiation
Auteur(s) : De Wolk, Roland (1953-....)
Titre(s) : American disruptor [Texte imprimé] : the scandalous life of Leland Stanford / Roland De Wolk
Publication : Oakland : University of California Press, copyright [2019]
Description matérielle : xvii, 299 pages, 23 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Note(s) : Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-288) and index
"The life of Leland Stanford reads like a tall tale of the Old West. Born in a country
tavern in upstate New York, Stanford followed the Gold Rush to California, became
a successful businessman, and invested in railroads. He then made headway into politics,
becoming governor of California and later a US senator. As president of the Central
Pacific Railroad, Stanford brought the locomotive Jupiter to preside over the completion
of the first transcontinental railroad, which led contemporaries to liken him to the
namesake Roman god. He then founded one of the most prestigious universities in the
world. Stanford lived large and bold, amassing an astonishing fortune, only to die
on the brink of bankruptcy. In American Disruptor, Roland De Wolk balances the accomplishments
of this quintessential self-made American man with the darker aspects of his life.
He shows how Stanford used high public office to steal taxpayer money, only to squander
it on mansions, racehorses, jewels, and vast landholdings. Even the eponymous university
in Silicon Valley that bears his name, created from the largest private university
endowment of all time, was born of tragedy, a memorial to Stanford's fifteen-year-old
son who died from typhoid fever. Following his death, his wife struggled to keep the
fledgling university afloat, only to be murdered under mysterious circumstances. Although
deeply conservative in belief and style, Leland Stanford's life was one of almost
unparalleled risk, failure, and reward. Richly detailed and deeply researched, American
Disruptor helps restore his rightful place as an architect of modern America."
Sujet(s) : Stanford, Leland (1824-1893)
Politique et gouvernement -- Californie (États-Unis) -- 19e siècle
Entrepreneuriat -- Californie (États-Unis) -- 19e siècle
Identifiants, prix et caractéristiques : ISBN 9780520305472. - ISBN 0520305477. - ISBN 9780520973565 (erroné)
Identifiant de la notice : ark:/12148/cb45750752k
Notice n° :
FRBNF45750752
(notice reprise d'un réservoir extérieur)
Table des matières : Prologue : fell redemption ; Start up ; Everything ventured ; Crossing ; The
gold under the mountain ; Ditching & hitching ; The road must be built ; Egyptian
kings and dynasties shall be forgotten ; Dungeons & depredations ; Living up to
the landscape ; Command & control ; The machine of steam on the road of iron ;
Unmasked ; Gone dark ; Ingeniously contrived devices ; Deposed ; The fundamental
standard ; Sex & socialism ; God forgive me my sins : am I prepared to meet my dear
ones? ; Requiem American disruptor.
