Birthday Celebration Highlights William Alexander Leidesdorff

Historic Leidesdorff Ranch - Unveiling the proposed U.S. Congressional legislation to establish a William Alexander Leidesdorff Jr. Bicentennial Commission is a highlighted feature of our Friday, October 23, 2009, birthday celebration at Leidesdorff Plaza, Historic Folsom Station, California.

Ambassador Horace G. Dawson, Jr., Ph.D., founding director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, Howard University, Washington D.C. in his article entitled, "First African American Diplomat" shares a wonderful golden legacy of William Alexander Leidesdorff, in the Foreign Service Journal.

In the 1993 article, Ambassador Dawson shares, "many publications identify Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett, minister to Haiti from 1869-1877, as "America's first black diplomat" however, Leidesdorff preceded Bassett by almost a quarter of a century."

In 1987, Dr. Martha S. Putney a well respected authority on geography and history, authored Black Sailors: African-American Merchant Seamen and Whalemen Prior to the Civil War contributes the major document about the climate of U.S. Maritime history inclusive of Black Sailors.

Today, building upon this documentation and research we may show the year 1790, a a milestone in the Haitian Revolution, as the singular world history event that forever changed the Caribbean Basin and the United States of America.

Historical records indicate that the Leidesdorff family migrated from Denmark to New Orleans and settled at Spring Garden Estate on the Danish Virgin Island of St. Croix prior to 1810. William's parents were of African Cuban and Danish Jewish ancestry. Anna Marie Spark, mother of two son's, three daughters and William Alexander Leidesdorff, Sr. reported to be St. Croix's island veterinarian. They lived there lives together as a married couple under existing Danish law, baptizing all the children in Lutheran Church.

William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr., the eldest child, and reportedly educated in Flensburg, Denmark. He was naturalized a U.S. Citizen in 1834 New Orleans and became a successful ship captain sailing throughout the Caribbean Basin.

The Negro Seamen Acts and mysterious tragic death of his fiance' ended his tenure on Valentine's Day, 1838 at the Port of New Orleans.

After finishing his final voyage in New Orleans and visiting Washington D.C. to clear his good name at the U.S. Treasury Department, he relocated to the Port of New York preparing for a voyage to the Pacific Rim.

In 1841, Leidesdorff as master of the ship Julia Ann, is trading throughout then Pacific Rim and became the leading financial figure in the development of San Francisco. He then acquired a 35,000 acre Leidesdorff Ranch from the Mexican Government along with a vast array of international business pursuits throughout the Pacific Rim.

His close business association with John Coffin Jones, Jr and Thomas O. Larkin, Jr., both U.S. Consulars in Hawaii and California respectively, helped to facilitate the "manifest destiny" of U.S. land acquisition carried out during U.S. President James Polk administration.

The timely recruitment of the first African American Diplomat in U.S. History helped to facilitate the creation of the State of California and his official government reports of California Bear Flag Revolt documents the essential role Sacramento Valley played in U.S. History.

Establishment of the William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. Bicentennial Commission will carry the mission to plan, develop and implement such activities as the Commission considers fitting and proper to honor William Alexander Leidesdorff Jr. on the occasion of the 200th Anniversary year of his birth.

Leidesdorff Plaza, the heart of Historic Folsom Station. was dedicated in 1966 by the Negro Museum and Library Association of Sacramento, led by Mr. Joe Larson. The Plaza once featured a majestic fountain, tranquil park benches and an unique concentration of historical markers highlighting U.S. History, adding significance to Historic Folsom Station of the Sacramento Valley Railroad, first railroad west of the Mississippi River.

Today, Leidesdorff Plaza, is a central focus as part of the unique Sacramento Regional transportation development project, Folsom Station, a fitting location for our kick-off Leidesdorff Luncheon Celebration and VIP Evening Reception, Friday, October 23, 2009.

Visit http://www.FolsomStation.com and see the wonderful new real estate development project that also helps preserve U.S. History in the Gold Rush District of California.

For more information email, Blackagriculture [at] yahoo.com