James Lick (1796–1876) was the eldest of seven children and became a master carpenter under the strict tutelage of his father. Born and raised in a place called Stumpstown, the Pennsylvanian had his sights set on a young girl whom he had fallen in love with and incidentally impregnated. When the 21-year-old asked for her hand in marriage, her father, a mill owner, responded caustically, “When you own a mill as large and costly as mine, you can have my daughter’s hand, but not before.” Angered by the insult, he shot back, “Some day, I will own a mill that will make yours look like a pigsty!”
Henceforth, his great effort to win his prize and settle the score with the miller began. He first moved to Baltimore to learn the trade of building pianos. Already possessing the gift for woodworking, his transition to pianos was seamless. After apprenticing in Baltimore, he moved to New York and opened a piano business. As he sold pianos, he began to realize that most of his inventory was going to South America. Simple economics suggested a move to the southern continent, which would eliminate shipping costs and dangers.
South America and Back Again
In 1821, Lick moved to Buenos Aires. Although business was successful, the atmosphere was rife with political turmoil. Argentina had won its independence from Spain only five years before he arrived, and now he worked in the country’s seat of power. After several years of increasing product demand and continuous profit mixed with an uncertain political and social scene, he decided to take a year-long vacation to Europe.Relaxed and rejuvenated, Lick hopped a ship back to Buenos Aires. Whatever peace and serenity he had secured in Europe was undoubtedly lost on the return trip, as his ship nearly sank during a fearsome storm, and after surviving it, the ship was captured by a Portuguese man-of-war. The ship was hauled into Montevideo, Uruguay, and all on board became prisoners of war. Lick, undeterred and never forgetting the motivation for his hard work, made a daring escape and finally arrived in Buenos Aires.
The demand for his intricate musical instruments remained high, and by 1832, he believed he had saved up enough money to win his lover’s hand and possibly shame her father. He had saved up $40,000 (about $1.4 million today) and returned to Stumpstown. Apparently, he had never informed his family that his motivation for working so long and diligently was to marry the miller’s daughter. When he arrived, he was soon notified that she was already married.
Lick left Pennsylvania downcast. He returned to his Argentine home and continued his business. South America, however, was a hotbed for revolution. From Buenos Aires, Lick moved to Valparaíso, Chile, where he remained for four years until war appeared on the horizon. The piano maker moved to Lima, Peru, and remained for 11 years, making friends and plenty of money. One of those friends was a chocolatier by the name of Domingo Ghirardelli. This friendship would eventually pay dividends to both men and, later, the world.
Perfect Timing
Lick arrived in the city of the Golden Gate full of gold and chocolate. Armed with his workbench, tools, $30,000 in Peruvian gold, and more than 500 pounds of Ghirardelli chocolate, he was ready to make his mark in the newly won territory. With immense capital, he began purchasing real estate in San Francisco. His chocolate sold quickly, so quickly that he advised his friend of the lucrative possibilities in San Francisco. Ghirardelli took his advice, moved to San Francisco, and has ever since captivated America’s sweet tooth.Lick proved to have exceptional timing. Not only had he arrived right before the treaty signing, but he also had begun his real estate purchasing merely weeks before gold was found at Sutter’s Mill. The Gold Rush was on. Lick transitioned from wealthy piano maker to real estate magnate. Property owners sold their land on the cheap in order to quickly head for the hills and mountains in search of gold. Lick would become one of the state’s richest men and would build numerous buildings, including an elaborate mill in 1855 that cost him $200,000. Though the miller of Stumpstown (by then named Fredericksburg) was probably dead by then, he had photos taken of the mill and then disseminated throughout Fredericksburg to make his point known.
Leaving His Fortune
Lick’s fortune was immense. Shortly before he died, he created his will, which left much of his fortune for numerous charities, including establishing public baths, a home for elderly widows, a vocational school, statues in memory of his parents and grandfather, and a large donation to an orphanage. His largest gift, however, would be to honor his name and legacy. Several ideas were floated around, including a pyramid to rival those of Egypt or a statue of himself that could be seen from far out at sea. But Lick decided that his money would go to the advancement of science.
When he died, $700,000 (nearly $20 million today), which is the largest philanthropic donation in the history of science, was earmarked to build an observatory that would possess the most powerful telescope in the world. It would be placed atop Mount Hamilton.
Construction of what would become the Lick Observatory began in 1880. During this time, a 36-inch refractor lens was ordered to be built. The project advanced at a glacial pace due to years of delays and a shipping mishap that cracked the initial lens. In January of 1887, with the observatory nearly complete, Lick’s body was reinterred under the pier that would hold the large telescope. On Dec. 31, the lens was placed in the telescope, but poor weather prevented observation. It was several days later that observers were finally able to observe “first light,” which proved to be the Aldebaran star in the constellation of Taurus.
The Lick Observatory is now owned and operated by the University of California and is used by all nine UC astronomy campuses. The observatory continues to be used to test and develop astronomical instruments and technologies.
