REESE, MICHAEL

REESE, MICHAEL (1815–1878), U.S. realtor and philanthropist. Reese, whose place of birth is unknown, made his fortune as a realtor during the California gold rush, but lived alone in miserly frugality. Reese's estate was worth ten million dollars at the time of his death and he was the second-largest real-estate owner in San Francisco. He bequeathed $30,000 to his nephews in Chicago for use in a charitable cause. They, in turn, donated the money toward the rebuilding of a Jewish hospital destroyed in the Chicago fire, with the stipulation that it be called the Michael Reese Hospital. Reese also left portions of his estate to the University of California and to various Jewish charities.