Herbert Fleishhacker (November 2, 1872 – April 2, 1957), was an American businessman, civic leader and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. In 1924, he created and helped fund the Fleishhacker Pool in San Francisco, for many years the world's largest outdoor saltwater swimming pool. The pool continued to operate until 1971.

Biography

Herbert Fleishhacker was born November 2, 1872 to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, the son of Deliah (née Stern) and paper entrepreneur

Aaron Fleishhacker Aaron Fleishhacker (February 4, 1820 – February 19, 1898) was a German-born American businessman who founded paper box manufacturer, A. Fleishhacker & Co. He had been active during the Gold Rush with the formation of Comstock silver mines. Bi ...

. He was one of eight children, his brother was Mortimer Fleishhacker Sr. (1866–1953). At age 15, he started working for his father as a bookkeeper. At age 20, he established the first

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

in Oregon outside of

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

. He then created a lumber company in Eugene, Oregon which supported the paper mill. Soon after he turned his attention to electric power and he invested in the Truckee River Electric Company and the Sacramento Valley Power Company. The Anglo California Bank, Ltd., founded in 1873, was the successor to the London firm of J & W Seligman & Company. At age 34, he turned his attention to banking. Fleishhacker was president of the London and Paris National Bank of San Francisco (1908), later renamed the Anglo & London Paris National Bank (1909), later renamed the Anglo California National Bank of San Francisco (1932). In November 1955, the Anglo California National Bank merged with the Crocker First National Bank. In 1918, he was appointed to serve president of the San Francisco Park Commission by mayor

James Rolph James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931, until his death on June 2 ...

. While serving as president of the San Francisco Parks Commission, he founded the Fleishhacker Zoo, later renamed the San Francisco Zoological Gardens. He was also instrumental in the building of

Coit Tower Coit Tower is a tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, offering panoramic views over the city and the bay. The tower, in the city's Pioneer Park, was built between 1932 and 1933 using Lillie Hitchcock Coit's b ...

. His work on the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely se ...

awarded him the French Légion d'honneur award.

Personal life

He was married August 9, 1905 to May Belle Greenebaum (August 12, 1884; died 1976) and had one daughter, Marjorie Fleishhacker Mitau, and two sons: Herbert Fleishhacker Jr. and Alan Fleishhacker. It is possible that in the mid-1920s Fleishhacker had his portrait painted by the Swiss-born American artist

Adolfo Müller-Ury Adolfo Müller-Ury, KSG (March 29, 1862 – July 6, 1947) was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life. Heritage and early life in Switzerland He was born Felice Adolfo Müller on 29 Marc ...

(1862–1947) who had established a new studio home in San Marino, California in 1925. He lived in the St. Francis Hotel in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and at an estate in Atherton, until it had to be sold to pay debts.

References

External links

* * * 1872 births 1957 deaths American bankers American Jews Minor league baseball executives Businesspeople from San Francisco Recipients of the Legion of Honour Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery (Colma, California) {{1870s-US-business-bio-stub