Agoston Haraszthy, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Agoston Haraszthy

first winemaker in California

Date of Birth: 30-Aug-1812

Place of Birth: Pest, Pest County, Hungary

Date of Death: 06-Jul-1869

Profession: writer, politician, winegrower

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Agoston Haraszthy (; Hungarian: Haraszthy Ágoston, pronounced ['h?r?sti 'a?go?ton]; August 30, 1812, Pest, Hungary – July 6, 1869, Corinto, Nicaragua) was a Hungarian-American nobleman, adventurer, traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the "Father of California Viticulture," or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California".
One of the first men to plant vineyards in Wisconsin, he was the founder of the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, California, and an early writer on California wine and viticulture. He was the first Hungarian to settle permanently in the United States and only the second to write a book about the country in his native language.
He is remembered in Wisconsin as the founder of the oldest incorporated village in the state.
He also operated the first commercial steamboat on the upper Mississippi River.
In San Diego, he is remembered as the first town marshal and the first county sheriff.
In California he introduced more than three hundred varieties of European grapes.