Jesse Root Grant

Jesse Root Grant II was born on February 6, 1858, near St. Louis, Missouri. He was the youngest son of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, and First Lady Julia Grant. He was named after his grandfather, Jesse Root Grant.

Grant pursued higher education in engineering at Cornell University and attended Columbia Law School. He later settled in California, where he practiced law and engaged in various business activities. His professional endeavors included involvement in multiple mining ventures as an engineer, stockholder, board of directors member, and corporate officer. He also managed his brother Ulysses S. Grant Jr.'s U.S. Grant Hotel located in San Diego. During the 1890s, Grant contributed to the development of Tia Juana, now known as Tijuana, Mexico, where he was involved in establishing it as a gambling resort.

In 1880, Jesse R. Grant married Elizabeth Chapman, who was born in 1858 and died in 1945. Elizabeth was the daughter of William Chapman, one of the founders of the California Academy of Sciences. The couple had two children, Chapman Grant and Nellie Grant. In 1913, while residing in Goldfield, Nevada, Grant filed for divorce from Elizabeth. Elizabeth countered the charges, alleging that Jesse had deserted her and failed to support the family. The divorce proceedings attracted media attention and were finalized in 1918. Following the divorce, Grant married Lillian Burns Wilkins, a widow. Caroline Calloway, an internet personality, is among her descendants.

Jesse R. Grant II died on June 8, 1934, in Los Altos, California. He was interred at the cemetery at the Presidio of San Francisco. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving child of Ulysses S. Grant.

In addition to his business pursuits, Jesse R. Grant II was involved in political activities. He joined the Democratic Party and was a candidate for its presidential nomination in 1908, although he was not regarded as a leading contender. In 1925, he authored a biography of his father titled *In the Days of My Father General Grant*.