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Description
Leland Stanford is one of historic California’s best-known figures, his name associated with one of the nation’s premiere institutions of higher learning, the governor’s office, and the construction of the transcontinental railroad. On a local level Stanford’s name is associated with the fashionable mansion his wife transformed into a receiving home for children and the charitable work the family name has been involved with for over a century. Built between 1857 and 1858 for Sacramento merchant Shelton C. Fogus, the two-story brick house was sold to Gubernatorial candidate Leland Stanford in 1861 and became the Governor’s office when Stanford was elected. Damaged in the great flood of 1862, the mansion was restored and renovated several times, the last one in 1871 in time for a sumptuous ball given in honor of Governor Newton Booth early in 1872. By the time then-president Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife stayed overnight in September of 1880 the mansion looked very much like the current structure, which underwent a restoration process encompassing 22 million dollars and fourteen years. The parlor in this circa 1920s postcard reflects the formal look of elegant homes of the day and was undoubtedly used by the Stanford’s to entertain their wealthy and influential guests.
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