Margaret J. Anderson

Margaret Jane Anderson ( Boag; May 15, 1859 – September 24, 1930) was an American hotelier and socialite who was the owner and developer of The Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles County, California.

Biography Margaret Jane Boag was born May 15, 1859 in Cedar, Mahaska County, Iowa to Rev Robert Boag and Christina Johnston Boag and moved with her family to California in 1874. She was of Scots-Irish parentage. On 5 December 1889 at Alhambra, California, she married Louis C. Anderson, who was 19 years her senior. Anderson maintained one of the early orange orchards of southern California at a ranch near Alhambra. Some accounts indicate he died, leaving Margaret a widow with two young children.

By 1903, Margaret and her son Stanley were managing the Hotel Hollywood for Almira Parker Hershey. Hershey and Anderson had a long history; both were Iowans and Anderson had begun her career working at Hershey's other hotels like the Darby and the Fremont. Despite the growth the hotel experienced under Anderson's management—expanding from 16 rooms to 250 and becoming one of the most known hotels in the area The suits dragged through the courts for over two years. The public dispute led the Rodeo Land and Water Company to make an offer to Anderson for ownership of her own hotel. The company wanted a flagship to spur development and Anderson wanted ownership of the land, which she had been unable to secure from Hershey. Upon completion, Anderson staged a victory over Hershey when she announced to guests at the Hollywood Hotel that it was closed until new management was hired, as she had resigned. She offered jobs to all the staff and rooms at the soon-to-be opened Beverly Hills Hotel to the guests. The guests and staff relocated and the Beverly Hills Hotel opened on 30 April 1912. With an eye for perfection and the business acumen which had led to growth at the Hollywood Hotel, Anderson In 1928, Anderson sold the hotel and retired.