Campus Crimes: The Murder of Jane Stanford
Summary
Host Vanessa Richardson explores the 1905 poisoning of Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University, and the subsequent cover-up by university president David Starr Jordan. The episode details how Jordan manipulated medical evidence to rule her death as natural causes, protecting the institution’s reputation and endowment. Modern historians argue that Jane’s secretary, Bertha Berner, likely committed the murder to escape her controlling employer, a truth buried for a century.
Topics discussed
Intro: The First 48 promo and Jane Stanford teaser
Campus Crimes series intro and content warning
Sponsors: Quince and Furious promo
Jane and Leland Stanford's rise and tragedy
Founding Stanford University and Jane's leadership
Sponsors: Weight Loss by Hers and Primally Pure
Conflict with President David Starr Jordan
The poisoning incidents and Jane's death
Sponsors: Wayfair and Indeed
Jordan's cover-up and shifting narratives
Modern investigations reveal the murder truth
Conclusion: Institutional protection and credits
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