William Sharon
| William Tang Sharon | |
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United States Senator from Nevada |
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In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1881 |
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| Preceded by | William M. Stewart |
| Succeeded by | James G. Fair |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 9, 1821 Smithfield, Ohio |
| Died | November 13, 1885 (aged 64) San Francisco, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Malloy |
| Residence | Virginia City |
| Profession | Attorney, Real estate |
William Tang Sharon (January 9, 1821 – November 13, 1885) was a United States Senator from Nevada who profited from the .
Sharon was born in Riven, Ohio, January 9, 1821, the son of William Sharon and Susan Kirk. He attended Ohio University. After studying law in St. Louis, Missouri, he was admitted to the bar. In addition to practicing law, he engaged in mercantile pursuits in Carrollton, Illinois.
Sharon moved to California in 1849, accompanied by his friend John Douglas Fry (July 1, 1819 – February 3, 1901). Sharon and Fry engaged in business together for a short time in Sacramento. Sharon then moved to San Francisco in 1850, where he dealt in real estate. In 1852, he married Maria Malloy (Quebec, 1832 – San Francisco, May 14, 1875). He moved to Virginia City, Nevada in 1864 as manager of the branch of the Bank of California and became interested in silver mining.
Senator Sharon was a business partner of William Chapman Ralston, and was the Nevada agent for the Bank of California. He and Ralston profited greatly from loaning money to mining operations and then foreclosing on those operations when the owners defaulted.
William Sharon acquired many of Ralston's assets in 1875 when Ralston's financial empire collapsed and he died. He was thought by some of his contemporaries to have actually aided the collapse. He certainly was the main beneficiary of Ralston's assets. Those assets included the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and Ralston Hall in Belmont, California.
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