The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Created California - Hardcover

Rayner, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393059138 ISBN 13: 9780393059137

Publisher: W. W. Norton/Atlas & Company, 2007

Synopsis

A true-life tale of ruthless ambition, staggering greed, and the making of a nation.

One hundred forty years ago, four men rose from their position as middle-class merchants in Sacramento, California, to become the force behind the transcontinental railroad. In the course of doing so, they became wealthy beyond any measure––and to sustain their power, they lied, bribed, wheedled, and, when necessary, arranged for obstacles, both human and legal, to disappear. Their names were Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins, and they were known as “The Big Four” or “The Associates.” Their drive for money––nothing more, nothing less––was epic. Their legacy is a university, public gardens, museums, mansions, banks, and libraries––and to a large degree California itself, a state that even today owes its aura of “can-do” and limitless possibilities to The Associates.

About this title

About the Author:

Richard Rayner is the author of two works of nonfiction and five novels. His work appears in The New Yorker and other publications. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

From Publishers Weekly:

Novelist and nonfiction author Rayner (The Devil's Wind) provides a first-rate look at the little-known story behind the creation of America's first continental railroad—the story of Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins and Leland Stanford, founder of the university that bears his name. The associates were unscrupulous, savvy profiteers, whose motives were driven solely by a lust for riches and whose success usually came at the expense of others. After usurping engineer Theodore Judah's campaign to connect the Atlantic with the Pacific, the foursome capitalized on anti-Chinese sentiment, hiring desperate Chinese to do hazardous work in inhumane conditions for substandard wages. They later sanctioned murder yet successfully painted themselves as philanthropists thanks to the journalists and historians in their pockets. Amid a story of greed and ruthlessness, Rayner offers a fascinating glimpse into the growth of the U.S., illustrating how these determined if ruthless men revolutionized transportation and greatly influenced the expansion of California. The author claims their business acumen defined the nature of the modern corporation, and their legacies live on in a library, a university, art galleries and museums. Entertaining and well written, Rayner's book will appeal to readers interested in history as well as business.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton/Atlas & Company
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0393059138
• ISBN 13: 9780393059137
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224