Who Killed Jane Stanford?

WHO KILLED JANE STANFORD? by Richard White is a work of non-fiction which explores the mystery surrounding the death of the wealthy philanthropist, Jane Stanford. She and her husband founded Stanford University in 1891, in memory of their son, Leland Stanford, Jr. She was instrumental during the early years of the University, even fighting a legal battle that went to the Supreme Court. However, she died in 1905 from strychnine poisoning and her murderer was never found. White, Margaret Byrne Professor of American History, Emeritus, at Stanford University, investigates the twists and turns associated with this “Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a University.” White finds plenty of answers to the “why” question, but cannot definitively answer “who” killed Jane Stanford. He attributes the possible motivation for her murder to the politics linked to the school (which covered up details of her death), San Francisco high society at the time, and personal animosity from her employees, eventually arguing a case against one of the suspects. WHO KILLED JANE STANFORD? provides a detailed look into corruption during San Francisco’s Gilded Age and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.