George E. Crothers

George Edward Crothers (May 27, 1870 – May 16, 1957) was one of the first students at Stanford University and was instrumental in putting the university on a solid legal and financial footing following the deaths of its founders, Leland and Jane Stanford. He served as a member of Stanford's board of trustees and as a California superior court judge. His monetary gifts to his alma mater made possible the construction of two student residences on the Stanford campus—one named for himself, the other dedicated to the memory of his mother.

George Crothers was born on May 27, 1870 in Wapello, Iowa to John Crothers and Margaret Jane Crothers (née Fair), who had emigrated to the United States from Ireland the previous year. The family moved to San Jose, California in 1883, and George enrolled at Stanford in 1891 as part of the new university's "pioneer class". He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford in 1895, followed by a law degree in 1896.

Crothers set up a law practice with his brother, Thomas—also a Stanford graduate and a lawyer—and became a close adviser to Jane Stanford. Together with his brother, Crothers identified and corrected numerous major legal defects in the terms of the university's founding grant and successfully lobbied for an amendment to the California state constitution granting Stanford an exemption from taxation on its educational property—a change which allowed Jane Stanford to donate her holdings to the university. In 1902, Crothers became the first alumnus of Stanford to serve as a member of the university's board of trustees.

Crothers became involved in legal action over the estate of his maternal uncle, James Graham Fair. Nettie Craven claimed to have been married to Fair at the time of his death, but at a 1900 trial, Crothers' detailed analysis of the handwriting on the documents Craven had offered in support of her claim convinced the court that they were forgeries.

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