Samuel Finley Brown Morse (July 18, 1885 – May 10, 1969) was an American

environmental conservation *Environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, w ...

ist and the developer of

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

. He was known as the Duke of Del Monte and ran his company from the 1919 until his death in 1969. Originally from the eastern United States, Morse moved west and fell in love with the

Monterey Peninsula The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and the resort and community of Pebble Beach. History Monterey Monterey was founded in 17 ...

, eventually owning and preserving vast acreage while also developing golf courses and the Lodge at Pebble Beach.

Early life

Samuel Finley Brown Morse was born in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

, the son of Clara Rebecca (Boit) and George Washington Morse, a soldier in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and later a lawyer in Massachusetts. Morse's distant cousin,

Samuel Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph ...

was the inventor of the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

and

Morse Code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...

. Morse attended

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

, like his father, and then

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

. At Yale, he was captain of the undefeated 1906 football team and member of the 1906 All-America Team. A member of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

and

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...

, he was voted Most Popular in the

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

graduating class in 1907. Although he inherited a considerable sum upon his father's death in 1905, he decided to move out west to begin working on his own after graduation. In June 1907, Morse married Anne Thompson and moved to

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

to begin working. Initially he worked for John Hays Hammond's Mt. Whitney Power Company with the help of a Yale classmate. He then ran the Crocker Huffman ranch in Merced for W. H. Crocker During his first years in California, he and his family visited Monterey for the first time.

Business and properties

In 1916, Morse was made manager of the

Pacific Improvement Company The Pacific Improvement Company (PIC) was a large holding company in California and an affiliate of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was formed in 1878, by the Big Four, who were influential businessmen, philanthropists and railroad tycoons who ...

, in charge of liquidating many of their assets. He formed his own company, Del Monte Properties, in 1919, in order to acquire these assets. Funded by

Herbert Fleishhacker Herbert Fleishhacker (November 2, 1872 – April 2, 1957), was an American businessman, civic leader and philanthropist. In 1924, he created and helped fund the Fleishhacker Pool in San Francisco, for many years the world's largest outdoor salt ...

, he bought on the Monterey Coast including the

Hotel Del Monte The Hotel Del Monte was a large resort hotel in Monterey, California, from its opening in 1880 until 1942. It was one of the finest luxury hotels in North America. During World War II, it closed and the building was leased to the United State ...

, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach and the Rancho Laureles, now the village of Carmel Valley, and the Monterey County Water Works- all for $1.34 million. Morse planned to use this land to develop a community within the forest centered around the Del Monte Lodge, and he had many plans for the rest of the area as well. Immediately, Morse banned needless land clearing and speculating on this forest land and set aside greenbelts to be reserved for the preservation of wildlife, prioritizing preservation of the forest, coastline and oceanfront. He set aside land for a golf course set beautifully, and now famously, along the coast, moving the planned home lots to the forest overlooking the golf course. Morse developed and rebuilt the land and properties of the Del Monte Forest into the Del Monte Hotel and

The Lodge at Pebble Beach The Lodge at Pebble Beach is a historic American hotel and clubhouse overlooking the Carmel Bay in Pebble Beach, California. Opened in 1919, the property, operated by Pebble Beach Resorts, is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Accessed by 1 ...

among other buildings. Morse can be credited with building eight golf courses including Spyglass Hill, Cypress Point,

and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Morse was able to preserve Del Monte through the Great Depression, as guest membership nearly disappeared, with smart business ventures. He sold the Monterey County Water Works and operated a sand plant, among other ventures. ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

'' magazine had an article describing the company as a "dying dream with a profitable sand business". During World War II, he also leased the Hotel Del Monte and land to the navy to be used as a flight school for 2000 cadets. After the war, the Navy bought the hotel to be used for the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

. After the war, Del Monte flourished once again. The resort also reflected a sign of the times as initially African Americans and "people under the former subjection of the Ottoman Empire" were not allowed to own property within Del Monte; however this ban was lifted in the 1960s by his son-in-law Richard Osborne, president of the company. In the late 1950s Morse proposed opening a shopping center in Monterey, which aroused much controversy and opposition from the downtown merchants. The proposal was later approved in 1963 and the shopping center opened in 1967.

Atmosphere of Del Monte

During the 20th century, Del Monte operated as a semi-private reserve for the rich, powerful and beautiful and hosted golfers, polo players, socialites, sports figures, celebrities and royalty. It was considered one of the most beautiful places on the west coast. The property was known for its parties, alcohol (even during prohibition), and entertainment for the guests. It was, and continues to be, a popular place for championship golf tournaments such as the US Open, regattas, dog shows, tennis tournaments, equestrian trials and the Concours d'Elegance Car Show.

Personal life

Morse married his first wife Ann Camden Thompson on 29 June 1907 at Staatsburg-on-the-Hudson, Dutchess County, New York. They had three children and their marriage lasted until 1916. Their children, Samuel F.B. Morse Jr., John Boit Morse and Nancy Morse Borland lived in California before moving to Illinois. Morse then married Relda Ford, daughter of

Tirey L. Ford Tirey Lafayette Ford (December 29, 1857 – June 26, 1928) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as a California State Senator and the 18th Attorney-General of California. He acted as General Counsel for the United Railroa ...

in 1919, and had one daughter, Mary Morse Osborne Shaw. After the death of Relda Ford Morse in 1951, he married his last wife, Maurine Church Dalton in 1952. Mary Morse, his daughter, became one of the nation's top amateur golfers. She held the course record for Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Stanford and the San Francisco Golf Club. She died in April, 2018, at her home in Pebble Beach at the age of 97."Mary Shaw: Obituary"
SFGate, Legacy.com. Morse was well regarded by most throughout the Monterey peninsula. His estate, hotels and golf courses were an asset to the area and effectively kept Monterey from being developed into a seaside suburb. The Political Graveyard reports that he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1936 and a candidate for presidential elector on the Republican ticket in 1944. Regarded as the "Duke of Del Monte", Morse continued to live at Del Monte in Pebble Beach until his death in May 1969.

Legacy

Morse was commonly known as "The Duke of Del Monte", the "Founder of Pebble Beach" and "Boss". His legacy continues throughout Monterey and California as one of the first environmentalists to preserve the California coast. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Although his actions were often controversial, he was the most influential and significant figure in the development of the Monterey Peninsula. During his 50 years living on the Monterey Coast, his words and dreams became law. He died in Pebble Beach in 1969, and his funeral included telegrams from President Nixon, Mrs. Ronald Reagan, and many other celebrities he hosted at Pebble Beach over the years. Today, various monuments on the Monterey Peninsula including an ecological preserve, plaques, streets and a gate to Pebble Beach bear his name.

Early life

Business and properties

Atmosphere of Del Monte

Personal life

Legacy

References

Further reading