Gandrau, Augustine

Augustine Gandrau was a pioneering South Dakota-born viticulturist, horse trainer, and civic leader who achieved widespread prominence in the Round Mountain district of Fresno County. After working in journalism and as a barber in Sanger, he gained equestrian fame by training a gelding named George G. into a world-record-breaking racehorse that sold for a historic $15,000 fortune. He utilized these proceeds to transition into commercial agriculture, ultimately establishing a highly successful forty-acre estate where he pioneered the San Joaquin Valley’s first commercial horizontal cordon Emperor grape vineyard.

Deeply committed to the advancement of regional farming, Gandrau served as an original director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau and presided over its Sanger branch from its inception. During World War I, he demonstrated immense civic devotion by acting as the district chairman for critical home-front initiatives, including the Red Cross and Liberty Loan drives. He was also an active member of major regional fruit-grower cooperatives and served two terms as Noble Grand of the Sanger Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge.