Levi Parsons joined the California Gold Rush in 1849 and, after a brief mining career, founded the Whig party of San Francisco. Parsons practiced law and in 1850 became the first judge of the Supreme Court in San Francisco. He acquired personal wealth through a variety of business endeavors and was president of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad, the first railroad in Texas.
From the description of Letter to Levi Parsons, 1870, January 7. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 676925581