George Hearst (September 3, 1820 – February 28, 1891) was a wealthy American businessman and United States Senator, and the father of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst was born near Sullivan, Missouri to William G. Hearst and Elizabeth Collins. He attended public school and was partially home-schooled by his mother, which later in life Mr. Hearst related as his most valuable learning experience;. He learned most of the technical aspect...
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George Hearst (September 3, 1820 – February 28, 1891) was a wealthy American businessman and United States Senator, and the father of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst was born near Sullivan, Missouri to William G. Hearst and Elizabeth Collins. He attended public school and was partially home-schooled by his mother, which later in life Mr. Hearst related as his most valuable learning experience;. He learned most of the technical aspects of mining from borrowing books from Doctor Silas Reed, a local physician, as well as from a local lead mine.
When his father died in 1846, George took over the care of his mother and his brother and sister. In addition, he did some mining and ran a general store. He first heard of the discovery of gold in California in 1849. Before deciding to depart, he continued to read further news on the subject so that he could be more certain it was true. Finally, in 1850, as a member of a party of 16, he left for California (according to some reports,...
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