•
Leland Stanford (1824–1893) –
C.P.R.R. President,
Stanford University founder. •
Collis Potter Huntington (1821–1900) –
C.P.R.R. Vice President, for whom the city of
Huntington, West Virginia was named. He is also the uncle of
Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927), founder of the famous
Huntington Library with its art galleries and gardens in
San Marino, California. •
Mark Hopkins Jr. (1813–1878) –
C.P.R.R. Treasurer •
Charles Crocker (1822–1888) – Construction Supervisor, President of Charles Crocker & Co., a
C.P.R.R. subsidiary, later founder of the larger, more extensive
Southern Pacific Railroad, another transcontinental link to the east, built later in 1883. Collectively, the four established the
Sacramento Library Association for the
state capital in
Sacramento, California in 1857, which later established the present
Sacramento Public Library.
David Hewes, an enterprising businessman, was called the "maker of San Francisco" for his work in clearing land for development. He was invited to be a part of the "Big Four" but declined due to the
financial risks. Over his lifetime he gained and lost several fortunes. In their time, the four men were sometimes referred to as
nabobs or "nobs," a reference to their wealth and influence. When the four built mansions in the same neighborhood of San Francisco, the area quickly became known as
Nob Hill, a name it carries today. == In popular culture ==