About James Lick
James Lick was an American real estate investor, carpenter, piano builder, land baron, and patron of the sciences. The wealthiest man in California at the time of his death, Lick left the majority of his estate to social and scientific causes. University of California Observatory, biography of James Lick University Mound Ladies Home, a nonprofit assisted living residence for San Francisco women, founded with a bequest from James Lick. The chocolate quickly sold, so Lick sent back word convincing his friend and neighbor in Peru, the confectioner Domingo Ghirardelli, to move to San Francisco, where he founded the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Lick approved, on the condition that Santa Clara County build a "first-class" road to the site. Lick arrived in San Francisco, California, in January 1848, bringing with him his tools, work bench, $30,000 in gold (valued at approximately $2.75 million as of 2020), and 600 pounds (275 kilograms) of chocolate.
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