Samuel Kraemer (1857–1937) was a rancher, farmer, and businessman who is credited with much of the development of

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

during the 1920s. Samuel Kraemer Building

Kraemer was born July 9, 1857, in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, the son of Elenora Schrag and Daniel Kraemer. His father moved the family to

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

in 1867, becoming the first English-speaking settlers in

Placentia, California Placentia () is a city in northern Orange County, California. The population was 51,233 during the 2020 census, up from 46,488 in the 2000 census. This includes the community of Atwood, which is included in the city of Placentia, and is loca ...

. He married Angelina Yorba, the last of the "grand" Yorbas descending from

Jose Antonio Yorba Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

, in 1886, joining parts of the old Yorba lands to his own tracts. He eventually would inherit a piece of his father's sizable land holdings too. When

Union Oil Company Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

discovered oil on his property around 1919, Kraemer became one of the richest men in Southern California. In 1925, he built the first high-rise building in Anaheim, the Kraemer Building. Later, he developed the Angelina Hotel, also in Anaheim. He and his wife had eight children: Samuel Peter, Arnold Ruperto, Angelina, Adelia, Gilbert Ulysses, Lawrence Prudencio, Geraldine, and Louis Thomas. Kraemer Avenue running through the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Placentia, and Orange is named in his honor.

References

Businesspeople from California History of Anaheim, California 1857 births 1937 deaths People from Anaheim, California People from Placentia, California 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1850s-stub