 In 2001, Stanford said that his great-great-great grandfather was a relative of Leland Stanford, the founder of Stanford University.He funded the restoration of Leland Stanford's mansion in Sacramento, California, in an effort "to help preserve an important piece of Stanford family history," and hired genealogists to prove he was a member of the Leland Stanford family.A university spokesperson said "We are not aware of any genealogical relationship between Allen Stanford and Leland Stanford".