James Clair Flood
| James Clair Flood | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 25, 1826 Staten Island, New York |
| Died | February 21, 1889 (aged 62) Heidelberg, German Empire |
| Resting place | Cypress Lawn Memorial Park |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Carriage builder, carpenter, farmer, saloonkeeper, stockbrocker, partner in mines |
| Organization | Flood & O'Brien Consolidated Virginia Mining Company Bank of Nevada |
| Known for | Being one of the "Bonanza Kings" |
| Net worth | USD $30 million at the time of his death (approximately 1/405 of US GNP) |
James Clair Flood (October 25, 1826 – February 21, 1889) was an American businessman who made a fortune thanks to the in Nevada. His mining operations are recounted to this day as an outstanding example of what may be done with a rich ore body and a genius for . Flood piled up millions as one of the famed "Bonanza Kings" and is considered to have been one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, leaving an enormous fortune. He is famous for two mansions, the James C. Flood Mansion at 1000 California St. in San Francisco, and Linden Towers located in Menlo Park, torn down in 1936.
James Clair Flood was born on Staten Island, N.Y. to Irish immigrant parents. He had an eighth grade education, and was then apprenticed to a New York carriage maker. In 1849 he sailed for San Francisco and the Gold Rush. After some success in the mines, he returned east to marry Mary Emma Leary of County Wexford, Ireland. They were back in San Francisco by 1854. Flood had two children, Jennie who never married, and James L. born in 1857. James L. had a son, James Flood born in 1900, and a daughter, Mary Emma Flood (Mrs. Theodore) Stebbins born in 1908, by his second wife. As a tribute to his father, James L. built the Flood Building on San Francisco's Market Street, which in 2003 was still owned by the Flood family.
In 1857 James Flood opened a saloon with partner William S. O'Brien on Washington street in San Francisco. In 1858 they sold the saloon and went into business as . After the discovery of silver in Nevada in 1859, the partners began investing in mining stocks. The following year, Flood and O'Brien formed a partnership with fellow Irishmen James Graham Fair, a mine superintendent, and John William Mackay, a mining engineer. None of the four had impressed themselves on others than their immediate circle of friends and acquaintances until some time in the seventies they joined forces in operating the Consolidated Virginia and the California claims in the Comstock Lode.
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