Sally Stanford (May 5, 1903 – February 1, 1982) was an American madam, restaurateur, council member and the mayor of

Sausalito, California Sausalito ( Spanish for "small willow grove") is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located southeast of Marin City, south-southeast of San Rafael, and about north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito's ...

. Born Mabel Janice Busby, in Oregon in 1903, Stanford moved to San Francisco in 1924. From 1940 to 1949, she was madam of a

bordello A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

at 1144 Pine Street on

Nob Hill Nob Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States that is known for its numerous luxury hotels and historic mansions. Nob Hill has historically served as a center of San Francisco's upper class. Nob Hill is among the highes ...

in a house designed by architect

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...

. She adopted the name Stanford as one of many pseudonyms. According to her autobiography ''Lady of the House'', she saw a newspaper headline about Stanford University's winning a football game and adopted the surname.

Madam

Stanford ran one of San Francisco's more notorious brothels. ''San Francisco Chronicle'' columnist

Herb Caen Herbert Eugene Caen (; April 3, 1916 February 1, 1997) was a San Francisco humorist and journalist whose daily column of local goings-on and insider gossip, social and political happenings, and offbeat puns and anecdotes—"A continuous love let ...

wrote "the United Nations was founded at Sally Stanford's whorehouse" because of the number of delegates to the organization's 1945 San Francisco founding conference who were Stanford's customers;Smith, Tyler Stodard
''Whore Stories: A Revealing History of the World's Oldest Profession''
Adams Media, Avon, Massachusetts (2012). many actual, if informal, negotiating sessions took place in the brothel's living room. Then-San Francisco district attorney Pat Brown's raid on the establishment helped lead to his 1950 election as attorney general for the State of California. The building was demolished in 1961 to build a condominium. In her autobiography, Stanford wrote: "Madaming is the sort of thing that happens to you—like getting a battlefield commission or becoming the dean of women at Stanford University.Stanford, Sally with Bob Patterson, ''The Lady of the House'', G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York (1966)." In 1967, Stanford made a surprise appearance at the men's luncheon during the California

Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...

Annual Convention. She paraded into the San Francisco Hilton ballroom wearing a feathered boa flowing down over an ornate, floor-length gown. Seated at the main table were Senator

Edward Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

, Mayor

Joseph Alioto Joseph Lawrence Alioto (February 12, 1916 – January 29, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 36th mayor of San Francisco, California, from 1968 to 1976. Biography Alioto was born in San Francisco in 1916. His father, Giuseppe ...

, attorney

Melvin Belli Melvin Mouron Belli (July 29, 1907 – July 9, 1996) was a prominent United States lawyer, writer, and actor known as "The King of Torts" and by insurance companies as "Melvin Bellicose". He had many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gabo ...

and the newly elected California Jaycees president Drew Frohlich. She took the podium after greeting each dignitary with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Stanford then brought the house down by naming each one in turn as a past or present customer.

Politics and civic affairs

In 1950, Stanford reopened the old Walhalla restaurant in Sausalito, California as the Valhalla and took up residency in Sausalito. The opening night was filled with music, lights, and notables from San Francisco and a few Sausalito "celebrities" as well. With her new residency she became active in local civic affairs.Tracy, Jack."Sausalito Moments in Time."Sausalito, California: Windgate Press, 1983. She ran six times for the Sausalito City Council before winning election in 1972 and was elected mayor at 72. She also served as vice-president of the chamber of commerce and sponsored a little league team in 1976. In 1985, the Sausalito Foundation raised the funds and placed a drinking fountain to honor Sally and her dog Leland at the ferry landing. Local potter

Eric Norstad Eric Norstad (1924-2013) was an American potter and architect who worked primarily on the west coast of the United States. Biography Early life and education Norstad was born in Valhalla, New York, the youngest of four children to Magnus Norsta ...

constructed a multiple-person drinking fountain with a basin inscribed with the words "Have a drink on Sally." The runoff poured to a long knee height basin that reads "Have a drink on Leland" for the dogs visiting the site. Stanford died of a heart attack at 82 in Marin General Hospital. She was born in 1899 but never wanted to be identified as being born in the 19th Century.

On film

*''Lady of the House'' (1978), TV movie starring

Dyan Cannon Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations, and a star on the Holly ...

Bibliography

* Stanford, Sally, with Bob Patterson, ''Lady of the House'' (1966) (autobiography) * Gentry, Curt, ''The Madams of San Francisco'' (1964)

References

External links

San Francisco Sheriff's webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanford, Sally American brothel owners and madams Businesspeople from San Francisco Mayors of places in California People from the San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Bay Area politicians Women mayors of places in California 1903 births 1982 deaths History of San Francisco History of Marin County, California Politicians from Baker City, Oregon People from Sausalito, California 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians