Calhoun 's personal financial situation deteriorated significantly and swiftly after 1906 . He claimed he lost $ 2.5 million ( $ in dollars ) in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , and that he 'd been ruined by adverse publicity . He also spent heavily on strikebreakers in a 1907 streetcar strike , and incurred significant legal expenses fighting the streetcar workers ' union . In 1912 , an investigation by the California Railway Commission found that Calhoun had concealed a $ 1.2 million ( $ in dollars ) loss in his San Francisco company in order to keep the stock price high . His investors forced him to resign the presidency of the United Railways of San Francisco in the summer of 1913
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Patrick Calhoun