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.