Adolph B. Spreckels
Encyclopedia
Adolph Bernard Spreckels (January 5, 1857 – June 28, 1924) was a California
businessman who ran Spreckels Sugar Company
and who donated the California Palace of the Legion of Honor
art museum to the city of San Francisco
in 1924. His wife Alma
was called the "great grandmother of San Francisco".
, founder of the Spreckels Sugar Company. At the age of 12, Adolph studied abroad in Hanover
, Germany
for two years, returning to San Francisco to finish his studies. When the company was founded in 1881, he was named a vice-president. Adolph succeeded his father as company president upon the latter's death in 1908. He was intensely loyal to both his father and his brother John
. 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 pleaded temporary insanity to the charge of attempted murder
and was acquitted. The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, which was championed by his wife Alma and paid for from the Spreckels fortune, and the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
were merged 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
. Spreckels Lake, in the park, is named after him. Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego
's Balboa Park, housing the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world, was also built by Spreckels and his brother John. Furthermore, his brother John commissioned Spreckels Organ
in honor of Adolph, who died before it was completed.
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).
He and Alma were married on May 11, 1908 after a five-year courtship. They had three children, daughter Alma Emma, son Adolph Bernard, Jr., and another daughter Dorothy Constance. 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
.
After the birth of their last daughter, Spreckels' health began to deteriorate due to syphilis
he had contracted before his marriage. He had known about the disease and had kept it secret from his wife, but fortunately for her during their intimate years it had been in a latent, non-contagious state. Spreckels died in 1924 from pneumonia
.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
businessman who ran Spreckels Sugar Company
Spreckels Sugar Company
The Spreckels Sugar Company is an American sugar beet refiner that for many years controlled much of the U.S. West Coast refined sugar market. Spreckels Sugar was founded by entrepreneur, industrialist, newspaper publisher, and railroad executive Claus Spreckels in 1881...
and who donated the California Palace of the Legion of Honor
California Palace of the Legion of Honor
The California Palace of the Legion of Honor is a fine art museum in San Francisco, California...
art museum to the city of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1924. His wife Alma
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels , known both as "Big Alma" and "The Great Grandmother of San Francisco", was a wealthy socialite and philanthropist who, among her many accomplishments, persuaded her first husband, sugar magnate Adolph B...
was called the "great grandmother of San Francisco".
Biography
His father was Claus SpreckelsClaus Spreckels
Claus Spreckels, formally Adolph Claus J. Spreckels , , was a major industrialist in Hawai'i during the kingdom, republican and territorial periods of the islands' history...
, founder of the Spreckels Sugar Company. At the age of 12, Adolph studied abroad in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for two years, returning to San Francisco to finish his studies. When the company was founded in 1881, he was named a vice-president. Adolph succeeded his father as company president upon the latter's death in 1908. He was intensely loyal to both his father and his brother John
John D. Spreckels
John Diedrich Spreckels , the son of German-American industrialist Claus Spreckels, founded a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
. In 1884, he shot Michael H. de Young, co-founder of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, supposedly because of an article in that newspaper suggesting his sugar company defrauded its shareholders. Spreckels pleaded temporary insanity to the charge of attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
and was acquitted. The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, which was championed by his wife Alma and paid for from the Spreckels fortune, and the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, commonly called simply the de Young Museum, is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It is named for early San Francisco newspaperman M. H...
were merged in 1972 to become the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in California.-External...
.
Besides the sugar company, Spreckels was president of the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway
San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway
The San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway was the first electric streetcar company in San Francisco, California. The company was only in business for ten years, starting in 1892 until its merger into the United Railroads of San Francisco ....
, 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
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
. Spreckels Lake, in the park, is named after him. Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
's Balboa Park, housing the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world, was also built by Spreckels and his brother John. Furthermore, his brother John commissioned Spreckels Organ
Spreckels Organ
The Spreckels Organ was designed by Ernest M. Skinner and is on display in San Francisco, California, USA at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, a three-quarter scale replica of Paris's Palais de la Légion d'Honneur, that looks like a Roman temple overlooking the Pacific Ocean.The organ...
in honor of Adolph, who died before it was completed.
Spreckels was also fond of horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
and owned and bred a number of race horses, most famously Morvich
Morvich
Morvich was an American Thoroughbred who was the first California-bred racehorse to win the Kentucky Derby.Bred by sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels at his Napa Stock Farm, Morvich was sired by James R. Keene's stallion, Runnymede, and was out of the mare, Hymir by Dr. Leggo. He was sold to...
, the first California-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
(1922).
He and Alma were married on May 11, 1908 after a five-year courtship. They had three children, daughter Alma Emma, son Adolph Bernard, Jr., and another daughter Dorothy Constance. The family's 1913 mansion, located at 2080 Washington Street in the Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California
Pacific Heights is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California.-Location:Pacific Heights is located in one of the most scenic and park-like settings in Northern California, offering panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz and the Presidio...
neighborhood of San Francisco, is currently the home of novelist Danielle Steel
Danielle Steel
Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel , better known as Danielle Steel, is an American romantic novelist and author of mainstream dramas....
.
After the birth of their last daughter, Spreckels' health began to deteriorate due to syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
he had contracted before his marriage. He had known about the disease and had kept it secret from his wife, but fortunately for her during their intimate years it had been in a latent, non-contagious state. Spreckels died in 1924 from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.