Isaias Wolf Hellman (October 3, 1842 – April 9, 1920) was a Kingdom of Bavaria-born American banker and philanthropist, and a founding father of the University of Southern California.

He was one of three sons and four daughters,[2] born to German Jewish parents Wolf Hellmann (1815–1884), a master weaver,[2] and Sara Fleischmann (1823–1888).

[4] Their four sisters were Bertha, Flora, Regina, and Ernestine (who married a wealthy cattle merchant named Schloss).

[4] Hellman and his brother Herman left Hamburg on the steamer Hammonia, arriving in Los Angeles, California, on May 14, 1859, to join their cousins.

[12] Hellman lent the money that allowed Harrison Gray Otis to buy the Los Angeles Times and Edward Doheny and Charles A. Canfield to drill for oil.

[citation needed] In 1881, Hellman was appointed a Regents of the University of California to fill the unexpired term of D.O.

[citation needed] In 1890, Hellman moved to San Francisco to take over the Nevada Bank of San Francisco, which had been formed in 1875 by four men known as the Silver Kings: John William Mackay, James Cair Flood, William O'Brien and James Graham Fair.

[14] After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the bank was operated in the residence of Hellman's son-in-law at 2020 Jackson Street while the headquarters was rebuilt.

[15][16] At the height of his power, Hellman reportedly served as president or director of seventeen banks along the Pacific Coast and controlled $100 million in capital.

[citation needed] Hellman served as president of the Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank until his death in 1920 when he was succeeded by his son, who sadly died a month later, on May 10, 1920.

[19] In 1870, Hellman's cousin Isaiah M. Hellman was elected city treasurer while Isaias became a major investor in trolley lines, contributing funds in 1874 to start the Main Street and Agricultural Park Railway, which traveled from the Plaza, the heart of Los Angeles's downtown, to Agricultural Park, a horse-racing track.

[citation needed] In 1897, Hellman bought a large parcel of land next to Lake Tahoe where he built a mansion in 1903.

[citation needed] He purchased the 35,000-acre (140 km2) Nacimiento Ranch near Paso Robles and stocked it with cattle and horses.

They had three children:[4][5] He was president of B'nai B'rith in 1872 when the congregation built the city's first temple on Fort Street.