Elias Disney

About

Famous as the father of legendary businessman, animator, and producer Walt Disney, Elias Disney held a number of different jobs over the course of his life, including construction worker, mailman, fruit grower, and violinist. 

Before Fame

The child of Irish-born parents Mary Richardson and Kepple Disney, he spent his childhood in Ontario, Canada, and later relocated to California, U.S.A., in search of gold. 

Trivia

He was a strict, highly religious man and a teetotaler. At the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, he is interred. 

Family Life

His marriage to Flora Call produced sons named Herbert, Raymond, Roy, and Walter, and a daughter named Ruth. Walter 'Walt' Disney, born in 1901, was the second youngest child in the family. 

Associated With

A passionate socialist, Elias Disney supported the efforts of union leader and Socialist Party U.S. presidential candidate Eugene Debs.