Samuel Kraemer (1857–1937) was a rancher, farmer, and businessman who is credited with much of the development of

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

during the 1920s. Samuel Kraemer Building

Kraemer was born July 9, 1857, in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, the son of Elenora Schrag and Daniel Kraemer. His father moved the family to Orange County in 1867, becoming the first English-speaking settlers in

Placentia, California Placentia () is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. Its population was 51,233 during the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 46,488 in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. This includes the community ...

. He married Angelina Yorba, the last of the "grand" Yorbas descending from Jose Antonio Yorba, in 1886, joining parts of the old Yorba lands to his own tracts. He eventually would inherit a piece of his father's sizable land holdings too. When

Union Oil Company Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

discovered oil on his property around 1919, Kraemer became one of the richest men in Southern California. In 1925, he built the first high-rise building in Anaheim, the Kraemer Building. Later, he developed the Angelina Hotel, also in Anaheim. He and his wife had eight children: Samuel Peter, Arnold Ruperto, Angelina, Adelia, Gilbert Ulysses, Lawrence Prudencio, Geraldine, and Louis Thomas. Kraemer Avenue running through the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Placentia, and Orange is named in his honor.

References

Businesspeople from California History of Anaheim, California 1857 births 1937 deaths People from Anaheim, California People from Placentia, California 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1850s-stub