- Lucky Baldwin
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Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin 
Lucky BaldwinBorn April 3, 1828
Butler County, Ohio,
United StatesDied March 1, 1909
Arcadia, CaliforniaResidence Santa Anita Ranch, Arcadia, California Occupation Businessman, Investor, Racehorse owner/breeder Board member of Pacific Stock Exchange, Baldwin Hotel, Santa Anita Park, Baldwin Theater, Tallac Hotel & Casino Spouse 1) Sarah Ann Unruh
2) Mary Cochrane
3) Jennie Dexter
4) Lillie BennettChildren with Sarah Ann Unruh:
1) Clara (b. 1847)
2) Elizabeth (1854-1855)
3) Elias Jackson Jr. (1857-1857)Parents William Alexander Crooks Baldwin &
Elizabeth Nancy MillerHonors Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, California Baldwin Park, California Baldwin Stakes at Santa Anita Park Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin (April 3, 1828 – March 1, 1909) was a prominent California businessman and investor of the second half of the 19th century.
Contents
Biography
Baldwin was born in Butler County, Ohio and his family moved to Indiana when he was a child. Throughout his childhood he was known as a wanderer and adventurer. From Indiana he went to Wisconsin, where he operated a grocery store until tales of gold drew him to California in 1852.[1]
Baldwin arrived in San Francisco in 1853, and though he arrived with capital, he worked as a day laborer a while before deciding to open a hotel and livery stable. He made money on several ventures and in payment for a debt, he received 2,000 shares of the Ophir Mine, which was then worth a few cents a share. When the great Comstock Lode was discovered in Nevada in 1859, the value of shares for Ophir — which operated a mine next to the Comstock — jumped to several hundred dollars per share.[1]
Having generated most of his wealth through both savvy and lucky mining investments (for which he received his nickname), Baldwin accumulated large landholdings of 63,000 acres (255 km2) in southern California, where the communities of Arcadia and Monrovia are now located.
Baldwin's matrimonial ventures periodically created sensations. He was married four times, the first three marriages ending in divorce. He was sued by four women for breach of promise of marriage, one of which was awarded $75,000 in damages. Anita Baldwin, one of his accusers who was later reported to be his niece, wounded him in the Baldwin Hotel with a pistol shot in 1883. About ten years later he was shot by Vinnie Ashley who was attempting to avenge his injured sister. His fourth wife and their daughter were at his side when he died at their Arcadia ranch.[1]
He is most famous today for his involvement in horse racing: Baldwin founded the original Santa Anita Park racetrack on his estate (later closed and re-opened, again on estate land), breeding and racing some of the finest racehorses of his time.
Legacy
His name is found today denoting the Baldwin Hills district of Los Angeles, the City of Baldwin Park, the Baldwin Stakes at Santa Anita, and Baldwin Avenue in the San Gabriel Valley, among a number of places. His nickname also appears as the name of three pubs in Pasadena and Sierra Madre.
Thoroughbred racing
Lucky Baldwin bred and raced a number of top Thoroughbred racehorses. He raced under the banner, "Santa Anita Stable". One of his best filly runners, Los Angeles, competed at tracks on the East Coast of the United States where she won the 1887 Tyro and Spinaway Stakes plus the 1888 Monmouth Oaks and Latonia Derby. Among other successes, Baldwin's horses won the American Derby at the now defunct Washington Park Race Track four times: Volante (1885); Silver Cloud (1886); Emperor of Norfolk (1888); and Rey el Santa Anita (1894).[1]
See also
References
- Historical Stories - Horse Racing at horseracing.about.com
- Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin at www.inn-california.com
Categories:- American businesspeople
- American racehorse owners and breeders
- History of Los Angeles, California
- People from the San Gabriel Valley
- 1828 births
- 1909 deaths
- People of the California Gold Rush
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