Leland Stanford’s life is topic for May 6 talk

Roland De Wolk, author of  the book “Scandalous Life of Leland Stanford,” will be the speaker at the Ozaukee County Historical Society’s quarterly meeting on Monday, May 6.

The meeting will be at the historic Ozaukee County Courthouse at the corner of Main and Wisconsin streets in downtown Port Washington.

Stanford grew up in Albany, N.Y., and is described as a studious youth who dodged hard work every chance he got. He moved to Port Washington in 1848 and, having studied law in New York, he passed the bar exam in Wisconsin and set up a small law practice on Franklin Street in Port.

Stanford got involved in politics and remained a prominent figure in the city until his law office was destroyed in a fire in 1852.  He then headed west and became involved in the expansion of the railroad.

He became a powerful and wealthy man with the development of the San Francisco Bay area and donated land for Stanford University, which he developed in memory of his deceased son.

De Wolk holds a degree in history from the University of California-Berkeley. He spent years as a print, online and broadcast journalist, cofounded an online journalism site and is a senior lecturer in San Francisco State University’s journalism department.

That background kept him on track while researching the life of Stanford, one of the Central Pacific Railroad’s so-called Big Four.

De Wolk spent time with the Port Washington Historical Society and the Ozaukee County Historical Society as he gathered material for his book on Stanford, which was published in 2019.

A reception to meet De Wolk is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., followed by announcements from Historical Society officers at 7 p.m. and the presentation at 7:15 p.m.

The free event will also include a beer tasting by the Fermentorium of Cedarburg, other refreshments and appetizers.