Episode Details

A woman built one of the largest fortunes in Gold Rush-era California, and almost nobody around her realized it was happening.

Born around August 19, 1814, in a story she herself told differently depending on who was asking, Mary Ellen Pleasant spent decades working publicly as a cook and housekeeper in the homes of San Francisco's wealthiest men, quietly absorbing the financial intelligence they never thought to hide from her. She used it to build restaurants, boarding houses, and a money lending operation that made her one of the richest people in the city, sued successfully to end streetcar segregation in San Francisco in 1866, and told a federal census taker in 1890 that her profession was simply "capitalist."

This is bsnsHistory, the daily podcast about the moments when business quietly reshaped the world.

Written and hosted by Ron Trucks. Research and editing by Rodney Russ. Sound design by Angela Cahoy. Music by Cody Martin and Soundstripe.

For more daily business stories, visit www.bsnsDAILYpodcasts.com