General History (for detailed chronology, see Historical Timeline below)
Spaulding in Bay Area
By 1861 N.W. had moved his business to San Francisco. Seven years later, he moved to Oakland, first living at Ninth Street and Madison, a block from today’s Lake Merritt BART station, and later to Highland Park, where Highland Hospital is now located.
In Oakland, N.W.’s endeavors expanded to include four years of service on the City Council, followed by his unopposed election to become mayor for two terms. From 1881 to 1885, he served as the Assistant U.S. Treasurer in San Francisco, where he managed the transfer and disbursement of more than $320 million without the loss of a single cent.