Alma de Bretteville Spreckels

Alma de Bretteville Spreckels
Alma de Bretteville in 1904
Born
Alma Charlotte Corday le Normand de Bretteville

(1881-03-24)March 24, 1881
DiedAugust 7, 1968(1968-08-07) (aged 87)
San Francisco, California, US
Occupationsphilanthropist, art patron, art model
Known forFounding of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
SpousesAdolph Bernard Spreckels (1908-1924)
Elmer Awl (1939-1943)
Children3; Alma Emma Spreckels
(later Rosekrans),
Adolf Bernard Spreckels, Jr.,
Dorothy Constance Spreckels (later Munn)
RelativesCharles de Bretteville (nephew)
HonoursGrand Cross of the Legion of Honour (1924)

Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (March 24, 1881 – August 7, 1968) was a wealthy socialite and philanthropist in San Francisco, California. She was known both as "Big Alma" (she was 6 feet (1.8 m) tall) and "The Great Grandmother of San Francisco". Among her many accomplishments, she persuaded her first husband, sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels, to donate the California Palace of the Legion of Honor to the city of San Francisco.