Peder Sather
Encyclopedia
Peder Sather was a prominent Norwegian-born American banker who is best known for his legacy to the University of California, Berkeley
. His widow, Jane K. Sather, donated money in his memory for two of the school's most famous landmarks. Sather Gate
and Sather Tower
, which is more commonly known as The Campanile, are both California Historical Landmarks which are registered National Register of Historic Places
, a traditional district in the county of Hedmark
in eastern Norway
, on the farm Nordstun Nedre Sæther (Sør-Odal
). His parents were Peder Larsen and Mari Kristoffersdatter. Sæther was a fisherman before emigrating to New York City in about 1832. He entered the banking house of Drexel & Co. in Philadelphia and remained there until 1850.
In 1850, he and his business partner, Edward W. Church, moved to San Francisco and established the banking firm Sather and Church. Upon his death, the Sather and Church banking firm was absorbed by the Bank of California
. Peder Sather was a trustee of the College of California, which would later become UC Berkeley.
His first wife Sarah Thompson was born in 1808 in Connecticut
and died in 1881. They had 4 children: Caroline E. Sather, born about 1838, Josephine Frederikke Sather (married Bruguière), born about 1843, died when the White Star Line
passenger liner RMS Arabic was torpedoed on August 19, 1915. Mary Emma Sather, born about 1845 and Peder B. Sather, born about 1846. Peder Sather was the maternal grandfather of photographer, Francis Bruguière
.
Peder Sather married secondly, in 1882, to the widow Jane Krohm Read. She was born 1824, in New York state, and died 1911 in California. After her husband's death, she donated money for the construction of a gate and belltower, both of which are named in their honor. She also created an endowment for the Sather Professorship of Classical Literature.
and Sweden
and UC Berkeley. The stated goal of the symposium is to promote the understanding of political, economic, and cultural issues. The event is designed to foster interdisciplinary discussion among scholars and policymakers on global and national issues of mutual concern.
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. His widow, Jane K. Sather, donated money in his memory for two of the school's most famous landmarks. Sather Gate
Sather Gate
Sather Gate is a prominent landmark separating Sproul Plaza from the bridge over Strawberry Creek, leading to the center of the University of California, Berkeley campus. The gate was donated by Jane K. Sather, a benefactor of the university, in memory of her late husband Peder Sather, a trustee of...
and Sather Tower
Sather Tower
Sather Tower is a campanile on the University of California, Berkeley campus. It is more commonly known as The Campanile due to its resemblance to the Campanile di San Marco in Venice, and serves as UC Berkeley's most recognizable symbol. It was completed in 1914 and first opened to the public in...
, which is more commonly known as The Campanile, are both California Historical Landmarks which are registered National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
Biography
Peder Pedersen Sæther was born in OdalOdal, Norway
Odal is a valley in the county of Hedmark in eastern Norway, encompassing the communities around lake Storsjø in the north, with the river Glåma in the south. It is part of the traditional region of Odalen. The district is currently divided between the two municipalities of Sør-Odal and...
, a traditional district in the county of Hedmark
Hedmark
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...
in eastern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, on the farm Nordstun Nedre Sæther (Sør-Odal
Sør-Odal
Sør-Odal is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skarnes....
). His parents were Peder Larsen and Mari Kristoffersdatter. Sæther was a fisherman before emigrating to New York City in about 1832. He entered the banking house of Drexel & Co. in Philadelphia and remained there until 1850.
In 1850, he and his business partner, Edward W. Church, moved to San Francisco and established the banking firm Sather and Church. Upon his death, the Sather and Church banking firm was absorbed by the Bank of California
Bank of California
The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, the second-richest bank in the nation, and considered instrumental in developing the American Old West.-History:The ancestor of...
. Peder Sather was a trustee of the College of California, which would later become UC Berkeley.
His first wife Sarah Thompson was born in 1808 in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and died in 1881. They had 4 children: Caroline E. Sather, born about 1838, Josephine Frederikke Sather (married Bruguière), born about 1843, died when the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
passenger liner RMS Arabic was torpedoed on August 19, 1915. Mary Emma Sather, born about 1845 and Peder B. Sather, born about 1846. Peder Sather was the maternal grandfather of photographer, Francis Bruguière
Francis Bruguière
Francis Joseph Bruguière was an American-born photographer. Friends with Alfred Stieglitz, Bruguière worked in San Francisco , New York, and London....
.
Peder Sather married secondly, in 1882, to the widow Jane Krohm Read. She was born 1824, in New York state, and died 1911 in California. After her husband's death, she donated money for the construction of a gate and belltower, both of which are named in their honor. She also created an endowment for the Sather Professorship of Classical Literature.
Peder Sather Symposium
The Peder Sather Symposium is a biannual event organized as a collaboration between the government of NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and UC Berkeley. The stated goal of the symposium is to promote the understanding of political, economic, and cultural issues. The event is designed to foster interdisciplinary discussion among scholars and policymakers on global and national issues of mutual concern.
Further reading
- Dow, Sterling Fifty Years of Sathers: The Sather Professorship of Classical Literature in the University of California, Berkeley (University of California Press. 1965)
- Alexander, William Hardy The Sather Classical Lectures (Classical Association of the Atlantic States. The Classical Weekly, Volume 48, No. 2 January 3, 1955)