Buck, Alice Meyer, 1882-1979

Biography / Administrative History

A native Californian, J. Henry Meyer was a successful San Francisco businessman. He was an executive, a banker, and served on the boards of many companies including Wells Fargo Bank, the Spring Valley Water Company, and the California Street Cable Railroad Company. In 1878 he married Eugenie Hillegass of Berkeley. Together they had three children: Eugenie Olga, Alice, and Charles. Alice graduated from Stanford University in 1905 with a degree in English. Charles also received his degree from Stanford University in chemical engineering in 1917.

The Meyers were generous supporters of Stanford University. J. Henry Meyer donated funds towards the Lane Medical Library building and endowed library book funds. Meyer's daughters Eugenie and Alice, along with Alice's husband Frank E. Buck continued his tradition of generous support to Stanford University. They established an endowed professorship in the Graduate School of Business, donated a collection of valuable Western Americana from Mr. Meyer's library, and established the J. Henry Meyer Memorial Library. The Meyer-Buck House was built in 1920 and later willed to Stanford by Meyer's daughters.

From the guide to the Meyer Family papers, 1850-1971, (Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.)