When did sugar daddies become a thing?

The term Sugar Daddy has been used since the beginning of the 19th century, when Adolph Spreckels, heir to the Spreckels sugar fortune, married a woman who was 24 years younger than him and called him Sugar Daddy.

Who was the first ever sugar daddy?

The First Sugar Baby Thats when San Francisco sugar tycoon Adolph Spreckels married Alma de Bretteville, a socialite and philanthropist in the city by the bay. Often called “Big Alma” or “The Great Grandmother of San Francisco,” Alma stood six feet tall—and was 24 years younger than her wealthy, successful groom.