Russell Kelly Pitzer (September 3, 1878 – July 1978) was an American

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

grower and philanthropist. He was the founder of Pitzer College in Claremont, California, an early benefactor of the Pomona Valley Community Hospital (now the

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Pomona may refer to: Places Argentina * Pomona, Río Negro Australia * Pomona, Queensland, Australia, a town in the Shire of Noosa * Pomona, New South Wales, Australia Belize * Pomona, Belize, a municipality in Stann Creek District Mexico * ...

) in Pomona, and a noted philanthropist of other local causes in the

Pomona Valley The Pomona Valley is located in the Greater Los Angeles Area between the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. The valley is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History On March 1, 1893 the California ...

. An updated version of this article is available at the Honnold/Mudd Library of th
Claremont Colleges Library
/ref> Russell Kelly Pitzer was born in

Mills County, Iowa Mills County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,484. The county seat is Glenwood. The county was formed in 1851 and named for Major Frederick Mills of Burlington, Iowa who was killed at ...

, the youngest of four children of Samuel Collins Pitzer and Alice Kelly Pitzer. The family moved to

Brown County, Nebraska Brown County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 3,145. Its county seat is Ainsworth. The county was established in 1883 and named for two members of the legislature who reported th ...

and Boulder, Colorado, before settling in Pomona, California. He attended

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

in Claremont, California, graduating in the class of 1900. He then attended Hastings Law School in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, a unit of the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. Upon receiving his law degree in 1903, he returned to Pomona and joined a law firm in Pomona and later serving a term as City Attorney in Claremont. In 1912 he purchased an orange grove, soon developed a successful business as the owner of many citrus groves, and reduced his activity as a lawyer. He also became a principal in the Pomona Valley Telephone and Telegraph Union and the Home Builders Savings and Loan Association. As he acquired the resources to be a public benefactor, he became active in supporting Pomona Valley Community Hospital and the

Claremont Colleges The Claremont Colleges (known colloquially as the 7Cs) are a consortium of seven private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs)— Pomona College, Sc ...

, participating in the founding of Claremont Men's College (now Claremont McKenna College) and Harvey Mudd College. In 1963 he took the lead in founding Pitzer College, and accordingly, Pitzer College chose the orange tree as its symbol. In 1903 he married Flora Sanborn, and they had one child, Kenneth S. Pitzer in 1914. Flora S. Pitzer died in 1927 and he subsequently married Ina Scott.

References

External links

Pitzer College websitePomona Valley Hospital Medical Center website
Citrus farmers Land owners from California Philanthropists from California Founders of American schools and colleges University and college founders 1878 births 1978 deaths P Pomona College alumni University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni People from Claremont, California People from Pomona, California 20th-century American businesspeople {{philanthropist-stub

See also

References

External links