Adolph Heinrich Joseph Sutro (April 29, 1830 – August 8, 1898) was a German-American engineer, politician and philanthropist who served as the 24th mayor of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

from 1895 until 1897. Born a

German Jew The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

, he moved to

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno, Nevada, Reno–Sparks, Nevada, Sparks Reno, NV Metropolitan ...

and made a fortune at the

Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the U ...

. Several places in San Francisco bear his name in remembrance of his life and contributions to the city.

Early life

Born to a Jewish family in

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, Rhine Province,

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

(today

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), Sutro was the oldest of eleven children of Rosa (Warendorff) and Emanuel Sutro. He spent his youth working in his father's cloth factory and at school. After his father's death, he and one of his brothers, Sali ''(né'' Emanuel Sali Sutro; 1827–1908), began running the cloth factory. The Prussian rebellion in 1848 caused the family to leave for America in 1850 and settle in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. Soon after, Adolph left for

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and arrived in San Francisco on November 21, 1851. Adolph held a number of positions in San Francisco and eventually owned several tobacco shops.

Sutro Tunnel

In 1860, Sutro left San Francisco for Virginia City, Nevada after

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

was found in the

with plans to continue selling cigars. He soon devised a concept for a tunnel to drain water from the mines and eliminate the threat of flooding. This concept became the

Sutro Tunnel The Sutro Tunnel is a drainage tunnel (adit) connected to the Comstock Lode in Northern Nevada. It begins at Dayton, Nevada, and connects Northwest to the Savage mine in Virginia City, Nevada. The Sutro Tunnel pioneered the excavation of large dr ...

. In 1865 Sutro incorporated the Sutro Tunnel Company and was granted an exclusive charter to build the tunnel by the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

in 1866. The project encountered financial difficulties, due in part to

William Ralston William Chapman Ralston (January 12, 1826 – August 27, 1875) was a San Francisco businessman and financier, and the founder of the Bank of California. Biography William Chapman Ralston was born at Wellsville, Ohio, son of Robert Ralston III an ...

(1826–1875) of the

Bank of California The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston and Darius Ogden Mills. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, and considered instrumental in developing the Amer ...

, who originally agreed to finance the project but later rescinded the offer. Over time, Sutro found other investors, including miners in the area. Sutro won miners's support after a disaster at the Yellow Jacket Mine on April 7, 1869, allowing him to lobby the Miner's Union in support of the Sutro Tunnel and begin construction on October 19, 1869. According to historian Samuel Dickson ''(né'' Samuel Benjamin Dinkelspiel; 1889–1974), Sutro set off blasts of dynamite, leading the way for tunnel diggers" during the tunnel's construction. The tunnel was completed in 1878 and made Sutro "the King of Comstock" because it could drain four million gallons of water daily and was rented by mine owners at an average of $10,000 a day. After a year of running the tunnel, Adolph moved back to San Francisco. His brother Theodore Sutro took over the Sutro Tunnel Company. Theodore Sutro sold the Sutro Tunnel Company to Franklin Leonard, Sr., after Adolph's death.

Estate, baths, and home

Sutro's wealth was increased by large real estate investments in San Francisco, where he became an entrepreneur and public figure after returning from the Comstock in 1879. These land investments included

Mount Sutro Mount Sutro is a hill in central San Francisco, California. It was originally named Mount Parnassus. Geography The low mountain is in elevation. Mount Sutro is one of the List of San Francisco, California Hills, many named hills within San Fran ...

, Land's End (the area where

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...

and the Cliff House are today), and Mount Davidson, which was called "Blue Mountain" at the time. Sutro invested most of his $900,000 savings on land acquisitions in San Francisco, eventually owning 1/12 of the city: "I took my money and invested in real estate…when everyone was scared and thought the city was going to the dogs. I bought every acre I could lay my hands on until I had 2,200 acres in this city." His largest acquisition was the entire northwestern portion of

Rancho San Miguel Rancho San Miguel is a neighborhood in Walnut Creek, California. It is named after the Alta California Rancho Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones which was also referred to as Rancho San Miguel. Until the mid-1950s the area consisted largely of ...

, which he covered with eucalyptus trees over the years: "The people of the Pacific Coast…will wander through the majestic groves rising from the trees we are now planting, reverencing the memory of those whose foresight clothed the earth with emerald robes and made nature beautiful to look upon." Planting only eucalyptus trees became a controversial issue, as the plant smothered other endemic species and fires rapidly spread. Other lands were rented to the big Italian families that developed large agriculture operations and provided the Colombo Market with daily fresh picks. Sutro opened his own estate to the public and was heralded as a

populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

for various astute acts of public generosity, such as opening an aquarium and an elaborate and beautiful, glass-enclosed entertainment complex called

Sutro Baths The Sutro Baths was a large, privately owned public saltwater swimming pool complex in the Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District on the West Side of San Francisco, California. Built in 1894, the Sutro Baths was located north of ...

in the

Sutro District The Sutro Historic District is a National Park Service historic district in the Lands End, San Francisco, Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District, San Francisco, Richmond District on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San F ...

. Though the Baths were not opened until 1896, Sutro had been developing and marketing the project for years, attempting four separate times to insulate the site from waves using sea walls, the first three of which collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. In 1896, Adolph Sutro built a new Cliff House, a seven-story Victorian Chateau, called by some, "the Gingerbread Palace", below his estate on the bluffs of Sutro Heights. This was the same year work began on the famous Sutro Baths, which included six of the largest indoor swimming pools north of the restaurant that included a museum, ice skating rink and other pleasure grounds. Great throngs of San Franciscans arrived on steam trains, bicycles, carts and horse wagons on Sunday excursions. In 1894, Sutro, in preparation for the opening of the Cliff House, bought a large part of the collection of

Woodward's Gardens Woodward's Gardens, commonly referred to as The Gardens, was a combination amusement park, museum, art gallery, zoo, and aquarium operating from 1866 to 1891 in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. The Gardens covered two city bloc ...

, a combination zoo, amusement park, aquarium, and art gallery which had closed in 1891. The Baths were saltwater and springwater pools, heated to varying degrees, and surrounded by a concert hall and museums stocked with treasures that Sutro had collected in his travels and from Woodward's Gardens. The baths became very popular despite their remote location, across the open dunes to the west of the populated areas of the city. This popularity was partly due to the low entry fee for visiting the Baths and riding the excursion railroad he built to reach them. Sutro managed a great increase in the value of his outlying land investments as a direct result of the development burst that his vacationers' railroad spawned. He also increased the value of his lands by planting his property at Mount Sutro with

sapling In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only pla ...

s of fast-growing

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

. This occurred at the same time as city Supervisors granted tax-free status to "forested" lands within city limits. Small fragments of the forest still exist. The largest is at Mount Sutro, where are the property of the University of California, San Francisco, and another 19 are property of the City of San Francisco. At his death in 1898, his lands in San Francisco were valued at $3 million, but with a treasury of only $473.50.

Segregation at the baths

The Sutro Baths were segregated in the early years of their operation. In 1897, a black man named John Harris sued the Sutro Baths for refusing him entry because of his race. The case was tried in the San Francisco Superior Court, which ruled in Harris' favor.

Destruction of baths

A fire destroyed the baths complex in 1966 and all that remains now are ruins. The fire was later determined to be arson. Developers, planning to turn the location into apartments, took their insurance money and left the property behind.

Mayor (1894–1896)

Sutro's reputation as a provider of diversions and culture for the average person led the politically weak and radical

Populist Party Populist Party may refer to: Asian and European political parties and movements *Croatian Popular Party (1919), a Croatian right-wing party also known as Croatian Populist Party * Indonesian National Populist Fortress Party, an Indonesian populist ...

to draft him to run for mayor on their ticket. He won on an anti-big business platform, inveighing against the tight grip that the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

had over local businesses. According to historian Alexander Saxton: Sutro was quickly considered a failed mayor, ill-suited for political work, and did not provide any popularity boost to the Populist party. At the time of his death, in 1898, his fortune was extensive and his legal affairs in disarray. As a result, his heirs fought bitterly over his holdings. Many of Sutro's gifts to the city of San Francisco still exist and bear his name, such as Mount Sutro, originally Mount Parnassus (a lower hill nearby is the location of the

Sutro Tower Sutro Tower is a unique three-legged tall TV and radio lattice tower located on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, California. Rising from a hill between Twin Peaks (San Francisco), Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro near Claren ...

), and Sutro Heights and

Sutro Heights Park Sutro Heights Park is an historic public park in the Outer Richmond District located on the West Side of San Francisco, California. It is within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Sutro Historic District. It is located above the ...

became a skating rink and then was destroyed by a fire in 1966. The ruins of the baths (mostly the concrete foundations) are just north of the Cliff House. They are part of the

Golden Gate National Recreation Area The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is a U.S. National Recreation Area protecting of ecologically and historically significant landscapes surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of the park is land formerly used by the Unite ...

. (1894–1896)

Family

In 1854, Sutro married Leah Harris (1832–1893). They had seven children:

Emma Laura Sutro, MD (1855–1938), who on March 27, 1883, married George Washington Merritt, MD (1855–1928)
Rose Victoria Sutro (1858–1942), who in 1887 married Count Pio Alberto Morbio (1849–1911). One of their daughters, Marguerite Helen Morbio (1890–1972), had been married from 1916 to 1919 to French Army aviator and nobleman, Count Anselme de Mailly-Châlon (1887–1929), great-grandson of Adrien Augustin Almaric (fr) (1792–1878),
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of
Mailly Mailly () is a picturesque commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Mailly is located in the Brionnais's south. Separated by Caille, the town is spread over three hills, Bourg, Chava ...
, Marquis of Haucourt and
Nesle Nesle () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Nesle is situated at the junction of the D930 and D337 roads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin. The Ingon, a small stream, passes through the commu ...
, prince of
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...
Gustav Emmanuel Sutro (1859–1864)
Kate Sutro (1862–1913), who married Moritz Nussbaum (1850–1915), an allopathic physician, anatomy scholar and Professor of Biology at the University of Bonn
Charles Walter Sutro (1864–1936)
Edgar Ernest Sutro (1866–1922)
Clara Angela Sutro (1867–1924), who, on December 24, 1898, in Los Angeles, married Chicago attorney William John English (1845–1926), divorced him in 1912, and on July 7, 1915, in Paris, married Count Gilbert de Choiseul-Praslin (1882–1926), grandson of the French nobleman, Charles de Choiseul-Praslin (1805–1847), and son of Marie Elizabeth Forbes (1850–1932) – sister of Henry de Courcy Forbes (1849–1920). Clara and Gilbert divorced in 1921.

Leah filed for divorce from Adolph in 1879 and the two officially separated on July 3, 1880. Shortly after Adolph's death in 1898, Clara Louisa Kluge (1863–1943) claimed to be his widow by way of common law marriage. She retained attorney Van R. Paterson (1849–1902) and prevailed in securing financial support for her two children that she claimed Adolph had fathered:

Adolph Newton Sutro (1891–1981), who, in January 1926 in San Bernardino, married Olive Woodward Waibel (1901–1979)
Adolphine Charlotte Sutro (1892–1974), who married Elliott Lazier Fullerton (1885–1932)

A brother of Adolph,

Otto Sutro Otto Sutro (1833 – January 19, 1896) was a German-born American organist, conductor, minor composer, publishing, publisher and music store owner, and a leading figure in the musical life of Baltimore, Maryland. Biography Sutro was born to a Ger ...

(1833–1896), was an organist, conductor, and minor composer who was prominent in music in Baltimore, Maryland. Otto's daughters, Rose Laura Sutro (1870–1957) and Ottilie Sutro (1872–1970), were an internationally acclaimed piano-duo team. Another brother, Theodore Sutro (1845–1927), a New York City lawyer, married

Florence Sutro Florence Sutro (May 1, 1865 – April 27, 1906), sometimes known as Mrs. Theodore Sutro, was a lawyer and organizer, most known for creating the National Federation of Women's Music Clubs and being its first president. Biography Florence Edith C ...

(née Florence Edith Clinton; 1865–1906), a musician, painter, and founding president of National Federation of Women's Music Clubs on September 18, 1884, in Manhattan. In New York City in 1874, two brothers of Adolph Sutro, Ludwig and Hugo Sutro, established Sutro Brothers, an enterprise for the manufacture of braids and similar articles, which in time grew to large proportions. Upon the incorporation, in 1888, the firm was renamed Sutro Brothers Braid Company. Cousins of Adolph Sutro, Charles and Gustav Sutro, founded Sutro & Company, a stockbroking company, in San Francisco in 1858. Sutro & Co. stayed independent until 1986 when it was bought by John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. There it was merged with

Tucker Anthony Tucker Anthony was an independent investment banking and brokerage firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2001, the firm was acquired by Royal Bank of Canada and was then merged with the bank's Dain Rauscher Wessels subsidiary to create RBC Da ...

to form Tucker Anthony Sutro, which in turn was bought by

Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...

in 2001.

Portrayal on TV

The actor Robert Argent played Sutro in the 1957 episode (season 5, episode 17), "The Man Who Was Never Licked" of the TV show ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'', hosted by

Stanley Andrews Stanley Martin Andrews (born Andrzejewski; August 28, 1891 – June 23, 1969) was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program ''Little Orphan Annie'' and later as "The Old Ranger", the first host of ...

. William Hudson was cast in the same episode as

Lucky Baldwin Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin (April 3, 1828 – March 1, 1909) was "one of the greatest pioneers" of California business, an investor, and real estate speculator during the second half of the 19th century. He earned the nickname "Lucky" Baldwin ...

, a powerful, 19th-century California businessman.

References

Bibliography

*Samuel Dickson, ''Tales of San Francisco'' (Stanford University Press, 1957)

External links

*
Finding aid for the Adolph Sutro collection located at the Sutro Library, San Francisco, California

(written about the time of his death) *

* ttp://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf3c6007c3/ Photographs of Sutro Heights, Adolph Sutro's estate, taken by I.W. Taber, 1886

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

Guide to the Adolph Sutro Papers
at The Bancroft Library
Sutro-related discussions on greenspun.com

Cliff House Historical information

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutro, Adolph 1830 births 1898 deaths History of San Francisco Mayors of San Francisco Jewish American mayors Prussian emigrants to the United States 19th-century German Jews American mining engineers American businesspeople in real estate American mining businesspeople Politicians from Aachen California Populists 19th-century mayors of places in California Engineers from California 19th-century American philanthropists Jewish American people in California politics Sutro family 19th-century American businesspeople Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery (Colma, California)