| So, this is what I have learned so far
about David JACK. I’m sure you will agree that he was an
amazing character, one who deserves his story to be more widely known. I
may be accused of bias, but I believe that some historians have given
Jack a raw deal and have painted too black a picture of him. I find this
rather surprising, given that Americans pride themselves in being the
land of opportunity, where a humble person can rise to become President,
the embodiment of the ‘American Dream’. Perhaps it is due to a lack
of knowledge of Jack’s own roots that has contributed to this. If this
is so, then I hope that this work in some small way, redresses that
balance.
I believe that Jack exhibited the same
qualities shown by people such as Andrew Carnegie, a fellow Scots
entrepreneur, and many present day tycoons who seem to be lauded for
their abilities. Perhaps the Montereyans of the time were not ready for
someone like David Jack. Has history vindicated David Jack? That is a
question best left to the people of Monterey and California.
Whatever view is taken of him, one cannot
deny that he was a brilliant financial and legal mind, who through his
immense land acquisitions, changed Monterey County irreversibly and in
the process helped California develop into the vibrant and economically
prosperous State that it now is. |
