Samuel Kraemer

Samuel Kraemer (1857-1937) was an important rancher, farmer, and businessman who lived and worked in Anaheim, California. The son of Elenora Schraw and Daniel Kraemer, he grew up to acquire numerous land parcels and business interests throughout today's Orange County. 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 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. His eight children--Samuel Peter, Arnold Ruperto, Angelina, Adelia, Gilbert Ulysses, Lawrence Prudencio, Geraldine, and Louis Thomas--would all become prominent citizens of Orange County in their own rights.