William Kent

1864-1928

Businessman, Rancher, Philanthropist and U.S. Congressman (between 1911 and 1917).

Donor of the land for Muir Woods National Monument which was established in 1908.

William Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, bought 295 acres (the deed was in both their names) along Redwood Creek in Marin County for $45,000 in 1905. To protect the beautiful stands of redwoods located there, the Kents donated the land to the United States Federal Government. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared the donated land Muir Woods National Monument. Roosevelt had suggested naming the area after Kent, but the Kents requested that it be named for conservationist John Muir.

John Muir wrote to Wiliam Kent regarding the establishment of Muir Woods National Monument saying, "Seeing my name in the tender & deed of the Tamalpais Sequoias was a surprise of the pleasantest kind. This is the best tree-lover's monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world. You have done me great honor, & I am proud of it... Saving these woods from the axe & saw, from money-changers and water- changers & giving them to our country & the world is in many ways the most notable service to God & man I've heard of since my forest wanderings began."

When serving as a U.S. Congressman (1911-1917), Kent disagreed with Muir on the fate of Hetch Hetchy Valley,and was a key proponent of the 1913 legislation creating the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir, a stance that ultimately cost him his personal friendship with John Muir, who Kent would call "a man entirely without social sense." See Hyde, Anne F. (1994). "William Kent: The Puzzle of Progressive Conservationists". California Progressivism Revisited: 35–53. ISBN 9780520084704.
Later, Kent co-introduced legislation establishing the National Park Service, which passed Congress in 1916.
His memory is, however, marred by many backward ideas he brought to Congress, such as his efforts to exclude Chinese and Japanese immigrants from the United States and policies that barred Asian immigrants from owning land or becoming U.S. citizens. John Muir did not share Kent's anti-Asian animus, as he worked alongside the Chinese immigrant workers to plant and harvest hundreds of tons of fruit each year on his Martinez ranch, and most meals in his home were prepared by Chinese cook Ah Fong, who worked for the Muir family for many years. Today, the John Muir National Historic Site celebrates Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month every May.

Interview with Anne T. Kent [wife of William's son Thomas)] by Carla Ehat, April 5, 1976. (off-site link to Marin County Free Library)

Photo of John Muir (left) and William Kent at Muir Woods Inn, circa 1909, courtesy Muir Woods National Park Service Collections.