In 1884, on a trip to Europe, an only child, Leland Stanford Jr, contracted typhoid fever and died at the age of 15. It prompted Stanford and his wife to found and endow a university in his son's memory. Stanford University, near Palo Alto, opened in 1891 and is now one of the world's leading universities. The benefactor of Stanford University. The University is named after him by his parents, Leland senior and Jane.
In 1884, on a trip to Europe, an only child, Leland Stanford Jr, contracted typhoid fever and died at the age of 15. It prompted Stanford and his wife to found and endow a university in his son's memory. Stanford University, near Palo Alto, opened in 1891 and is now one of the world's leading universities. The benefactor of Stanford University. The University is named after him by his parents, Leland senior and Jane.