Along with his wife, Stella, Arthur was also a prominent philanthropist who donated approximately $5,000,000 (2018 inflation-adjusted)[10][11][12] to various causes throughout their lives with the “aim and ambition to do everything to make opportunities for the younger men and women of Sioux City”.

[13] Arthur was also very involved in politics, participating six Democratic national conventions, and hosted John F. Kennedy at the Sanford House during the 1960 United States presidential campaign.

[8][9][14] Constructed in 1914 by Swedish immigrant Andrew Ostling,[15][16][17] the Sanford House is predominately an example of neocolonial architecture from the Colonial Revival movement with Prairie influence.

In the Sanford era, a mural by Elsa (née Krome) Nourse, an apprentice of Carl Gustaf Nelson, was added to the foyer and grand staircase.

[20] Edgar's father, Thomas Jefferson Stone, was among the first settlers of Sioux City in 1856 and helped survey, acquire, and finance much of its early land development.

In his honor, Lucia donated 800 acres of Thomas’ estate for the creation on Stone State Park,[18][24] the land to the Sisters of St. Benedict for which MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center now stands,[25] and the development of a mansion atop of the city's summit.

Arthur was born in Minneapolis to Austrian-Jewish immigrants James and Edith Sanford and was immersed in business from birth at his father's mercantile store.

He interned at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co and served in World War I as a sergeant major in a logistics casual company in Paris.

[11] The same year he established Arthur Stanford & Co to sell mortgage bonds, which he later expanded to development and management of real estate.

[9] Over the next 60 years, Arthur was associated with the development, financing, and or management of approximately $400,000,000 (2018 inflation-adjusted) in real estate in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, California, Texas, and New York.

In 1929, he gained 60% control of the hog cholera vaccine market by consolidating five of the largest serum producers into Allied Laboratories, which was acquired by Dow Chemical.

[8][9] In 1947, Arthur and Stella established the Stellart Charitable Foundation with the “aim and ambition to do everything to make opportunities for the younger men and women of Sioux City”.

[34] The counterculture movement kicked off by President Kennedy's administration, whom the Sanford's ironically helped elect, caused neocolonial style to not only become unpopular, but loathed.

In July 1998, their son, Thomas Montgomery Marriott, establish his first startup, Penny Computer Company, in the Sanford House basement.

John's father, Dr. Charles Montgomery Marriott, was a radiologist and multi-decorated World War II hero who co-founded the Sioux City Radiological Group in 1956.

Overcoming the loss of both hands from a stielhandgranate while saving his platoon during the Rhineland Offensive,[36] he practiced diagnostic and nuclear interventional radiology in Sioux City for 27 years.

He also served on the board of directors, as chief of staff, and as department head of radiation therapy at St. Vincent's Hospital (now MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center).

[50] Charles grew up on 15 Gilman Terrace, two blocks from the Sanford House, and was George Avery's paperboy for the Sioux City Tribune.

[59] William was immersed in business and the grain trade from birth at his father's store, Marriott Mercantile, which initially specialized in quality "Seeds that grow!"

[61] Suffering from poor health following a botched appendicitis surgery in 1915,[62] William wore an abdominal binder for the rest of his life and unexpectedly died in 1951.

Described as a “hustler”[64] who can “raise anything from peanuts to presidents”,[65] he was determined to make Wakefield rival Sioux City, whose population was around 7,500 at the time.

[60] Initially specializing in “Seeds that grow!”, he expanded to groceries, lands loans and insurance, conveyance, collections, brokerage and notary services.