John Sutter Entrepreneur, sawmill owner Date of Birth: 15.02.1803 Country: USA

Biography of John Sutter

John Sutter, a renowned entrepreneur from California, was born on February 15, 1803, in Germany. His father had moved there from a nearby Swiss city. Sutter grew up and attended school in Switzerland before serving in the Swiss army, where he became a captain of artillery.

In May 1834, Sutter left Europe and immigrated to the United States, leaving behind his wife and young child in Switzerland. Fluent in English and Spanish, he traveled across the country in search of a lucrative opportunity. Shortly after arriving in the United States, Sutter joined a group of missionaries and traveled with them to Oregon.

On July 1, 1839, Sutter reached the California settlement of Yerba Buena, which is now San Francisco. At that time, California was sparsely populated, with around one thousand Europeans and three times as many Native Americans. Sutter, having obtained the right to claim land, settled in a decent area and named his settlement "New Switzerland." He believed that California had a promising future and dreamed of creating a prosperous agricultural empire. It was during this time that he began construction on his first sawmill.

Soon after the sawmill was operational, one of Sutter's workers discovered gold nearby, causing Sutter to panic. He feared that the gold discovery would attract a rush of gold seekers and disrupt his plans for further development of his territory. Sutter's fears came true as people flocked to California in search of gold. The land where Sutter had settled was ravaged and almost destroyed. However, Sutter's youngest son recognized the enormous commercial potential of the land and decided to build a city there called Sacramento, despite his father's differing intentions. Eventually, the city was constructed, and California began a new life.

John Sutter passed away on June 18, 1880, but his name lives on to this day. His entrepreneurial spirit and contribution to the development of California remain significant in history.