Roland De Wolk, "American Disruptor: The Scandalous Life of Leland Stanford" (U California Press, 2019)

Beyond the Margins: The University of California Press Podcast · Nov 21, 2019 · 1h 9m

With a name associated with the famous university in Palo Alto, Leland Stanford is among the best-known of the famous “robber barons” of the 19th century. Yet as Roland De Wolk explains in American Disruptor: The Scandalous Life of Leland Stanford (University of California Press, 2019), much of his fascinating life has been obscured by efforts to hide some of his most nefarious activities. Growing up in New York, Stanford became a part of the general movement of many ambitious Americans westward soon after reaching adulthood. After a few years in Wisconsin as a lawyer and political candidate…