TWHP


Sam Brannan, 1819-1889   

The leader of a Mormon colony when he first came to California, Brannan doubled or tripled the population of San Francisco when he arrived in 1846 on the ship Brooklyn with 238 Saints. He was disappointed to discover that the United States had taken possession of his promised land as a result of the Mexican War, but he adjusted. Since he'd intended to start a self-sufficient colony anyway, he and his people jump-started the local economy with their skills as carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers, bakers and everything a community might need. He also brought a printing press and published San Francisco's first newspaper, the Alta California, wielding such political clout as he could. He was the man who brought news of the discovery of gold to the city, walking down the main streets with samples in his hand as he yelled, "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!" He opened stores in all the most likely places, and partnered with John Sutter, also selling off much of the latter's Sacramento real estate. He assisted the Vigilantes in ending crime in the city after the great influx, and he proved to be a stubborn, fearless man of a generous nature. When Brigham Young sought to bring him to heal and demanded money he thought the Mormon Church was owed, Brannan refused. According to some accounts, several assassination teams were sent after Brannan, but they all seemed to disappear along the way; after a time, no one was interested in trying to bring him to church justice anymore. California's first millionaire, Brannan lived well and lavishly, drinking and womanizing freely. He developed Calistoga as a resort--he got a train built through the Napa Valley to get there--and despite later assertions that the elite of San Francisco visited, it was in fact the male elite who stayed, often with their mistresses. Brannan's own freewheeling ways discouraged the more genteel, who were less enamored of loose women and high-stakes gambling. The famous coutesan Lola Montez became one of his paramours, and his wife eventually divorced him, claiming half of his illiquid wealth. Having to sell his holdings precipitously left him much the poorer, and his free-spending habits soon left him bankrupt. He ended his days living in a hut near San Diego, where he was buried in a pauper's grave; but even at the end he still showed the same undaunted spirit that made him San Francisco's first great citizen and promoter.


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