William A. Richardson  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Richardson.jpg Born (1795-08-27)August 27, 1795 London, England
Died April 20, 1856(1856-04-20) Sausalito, California  William
Richardson (August 27, 1795 – April 20, 1856) was an early
California entrepreneur, influential in the development of Yerba
Buena which later became San Francisco. Richardson was the first
to receive a land grant in the city, deeded to him by the
alcalde José Joaquín Estudillo.[1] He was subsequently awarded
even larger land holdings across the San Francisco Bay, a
private rancho comprising a large portion of present-day Marin
County. On these lands he founded the city of Sausalito.
Richardson arrived as second mate [2] aboard the British whaling
ship "Orion" in San Francisco Bay in 1822, shortly after Mexico
had won its independence from Spain. An English mariner who had
picked up a fluency in Spanish during his travels, he jumped
ship after meeting and dancing with a