Occupation Businessman Name Peter Donahue | Role Businessman | |
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Known for Co-founder of San Francisco and San Jose Railroad; built first railroad to go to Santa Rosa, California Died 1885, San Francisco, California, United States | ||
Peter Donahue, a founder of industrial San Francisco, made his way to gold-rush San Francisco aboard the steamship Oregon from Ireland by way of Peru.
In 1849, Peter and his brothers (Michael and James) opened a blacksmith's shop at First and Mission Streets. Later, they expanded it into a foundry (which became known as the Union Iron Works) and added a gas works, the San Francisco Gas Company, a forerunner of Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
In 1860, Donahue organized the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad, and in the 1870s he built a North Bay line from Donahue, California (at 38.189362°N 122.541926°W / 38.189362; -122.541926 on Petaluma Creek) to Cazadero, California which eventually became the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Donahue built the first railroad to serve Santa Rosa, California.
The Mechanics Monument in San Francisco, unveiled in 1901, was a tribute to the Donahue brothers' contributions, commissioned by his son James Mervyn Donahue, and designed by Douglas Tilden.