George Shima
| George Shima | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Ushijima Kinji (牛島謹爾?) 1864 Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Died | 1926 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality |
 Japan |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Agriculture |
George Shima (1864–1926) was a Japanese American businessman in California who became the first Japanese American millionaire. At one point, he produced about 85% of the state's potato crop, which earned him the nickname "The Potato King".
Born Ushijima Kinji (牛島謹爾?) in Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan, he entered a preliminary course at the Tokyo Commercial School (now Hitotsubashi University), but failed the entrance examination for the regular course. He emigrated to San Francisco in 1889 determined to learn English, the subject that gave him the most trouble on the exam.
Upon his arrival, he changed his name to George Shima. He first worked as a domestic servant in San Francisco, then became a migrant farm laborer in the Sacramento Delta for a while. Soon afterward, turned his eye to management, when he began supplying Japanese farm workers to white farmers. By the late 1890s, he leased some land and began his own farming operations. He was successful enough to purchase some inexpensive swampland (considered undesirable by white American farmers) in the San Joaquin Delta. After draining and diking the land, he found that potatoes grew best in that type of soil, and using corporate management techniques and the latest agricultural technology, began to corner the market in potatoes. By 1913, he had 28,000 acres (113 km2) in production and by 1920, he had 85% of the market share with his "Shima Fancy" brand, valued at more than $18 million ($215,192,691 today).
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