Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin (April 3, 1828 â€" March 1, 1909) was
"one of the greatest pioneers" of California business, an investor,
and real estate speculator during the second half of the 19th century.
He earned the nickname "Lucky" Baldwin due to his extraordinary good
fortune in a number of business deals. He built the luxury Baldwin
Hotel and Theatre in San Francisco and bought vast tracts of land in
Southern California, where a number of places and neighborhoods are
named after him.Baldwin was born in Hamilton, Ohio in 1828, the fourth
of 14 children. The family moved to a farm in Indiana in 1834, when he
was 6. Throughout his childhood he was known as a wanderer and
adventurer. Baldwin received little formal education but was known as
a strong-willed, independent individual. At age 18, he eloped with a
neighbor girl named Sarah Ann Unruh and returned home to farm and
train horses. He and his wife looked for more prosperous way to make a
living and they moved to Valparaiso, Indiana, where they opened a
saloon and grocery store. They soon added grain trading and a venture
with canal boats to their businesses. Their first daughter, Clara, was
born in Valparaiso.In 1853, at the height of the California Gold Rush,
he decided to relocate to California. An already successful
businessman, he decided his future wealth lay in providing food,
supplies and accommodations, and not digging for gold. He sold the
businesses in Valparaiso and used the profits to purchase wagons and
supplies for a trip west. Lucky Baldwin Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter