Alexander Cassatt

Alexander Cassatt

Infobox Person
name = Alexander J. Cassatt


caption = Alexander Cassatt somewhere between 1890-1900
birth_date = birth date|1839|12|8|mf=y
birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
death_date = death date and age|1906|12|28|1839|12|8|mf=y
death_place =
relatives=Mary Cassatt, sister

Alexander J. Cassatt (December 8 1839 – December 28 1906) [cite web
last =Bingaman
first =J.R.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Brief History and Reminiscence of One of Pennsylvania Railroad's Presidents
work =
publisher =Altoona Tribune
date =1916-12-15
url =http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/blair/bios/cassatt-alex.txt
format =
doi =
accessdate =2007-07-20
] [cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B06E2DA1430E132A2575BC1A9609C94689ED7CF| format=PDF| title=Alexander J. Cassatt| work=New York Times| date=1899-06-18| accessdate=2008-06-30| ] was the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad from June 9, 1899 to December 28, 1906. Frequently referred to as A.J. Cassatt, his best-remembered accomplishment under his stewardship was the planning and beginning of the project to finally give the PRR a station in New York City, which became Pennsylvania Station. Unfortunately, Cassatt died before his grand station was complete.

Cassatt more than doubled the PRR's total assets during his term, from US$276 million to US$594 million (an increase of 115 percent). Track and equipment investment increased by 146 percent. The route from New York through Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Altoona to Pittsburgh was made double-tracked throughout; to Washington, DC, four-tracked - Pennsy's "Broad Way". Many other lines were double-tracked; almost every part of the system was improved. New freight cutoffs avoided stations; grade crossings were eliminated, flyovers were built to streamline common paths through junctions, terminals were redesigned, and much more. Cassatt initiated the Pennsy's program of electrification which led to the road being the United States' most electrified system.

Birth

He was born on December 8 1839 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [At least one reference uses the year 1838] His sister was the painter Mary Cassatt.

Chesterbrook Farm

A. J. Cassatt was a horse enthusiast and fox hunter who owned Chesterbrook Farm in Berwyn, Pennsylvania where he bred Thoroughbred racehorses. The convert|600|acre|km2|sing=on property is today the site of a subdivision with office buildings and homes using the Chesterbrook Farm name. The original main barn designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Furness has been maintained and restored. Cassatt's racing stable owned the 1886 Preakness Stakes winner, The Bard and the 1889 Belmont Stakes 1889 winner Eric. As well, he was the breeder of Montague, the 1890 Preakness winner and Foxford who won the 1891 Belmont.

In addition to flat racing his Thoroughbreds, in 1895 A. J. Cassatt helped found the National Steeplechase Association to organize competitive steeplechase racing. He was also responsible for the introduction of the Hackney pony to the United States. In 1878 he acquired 239 Stella in Britain and brought her to Philadelphia. In 1891, Cassatt and several fellow Hackney enthusiasts founded the American Hackney Horse Society. The organization and registry continues to this day with its headquarters now in Lexington, Kentucky.

Death

Alexander Cassatt died in 1906 after a six-month illness. He was succeeded as Pennsylvania Railroad president by James McCrea.

Legacy

Gramercy Mansion was built by Alexander Cassatt in 1902.

References

Further reading

* Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2005), " [http://www.rpi.edu/about/hof/cassatt.html RPI: Alumni hall of fame: Alexander J. Cassatt] ". Retrieved February 22 2005.
* White, John H., Jr. (Spring 1986), America's most noteworthy railroaders, "Railroad History", Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, 154, p. 9-15.
* Jacobs, Timothy. The History Of The Pennsylvania Railroad; Bison Books Group 1988; ISBN 0-517-63351-5, p. 78-88 The Cassatt years.
* Jones, Jill. Conquering Gotham. Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels.; Penguin Books 2007; ISBN 978-0-14-311324-9.
* [http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/schmidtd/chesterbrook_and_way.html Chesterbrook Farm - The Lower Merion Historical Society]
* [http://www.hackneysociety.com/ American Hackney Horse Society]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cassatt Crossing — is the office building originally built as The Berwyn Theater in 1913 alongside the Main Line, which was Alexander Cassatt s westward extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The train helped shuttle locals to see performers, such as Beverly Sills …   Wikipedia

  • Cassatt — The name Cassatt belongs to multiple prominent figures: *Mary Cassatt, American painter *Alexander Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1899 1906, brother of Mary Cassatt …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Cassatt — Self portrait by Mary Cassatt, c. 1878, gouache on paper, 23⅝ × 16 3/16 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Birth name Mary Stevenson Cassatt …   Wikipedia

  • Pennsylvania Station (New York City) — New York Pennsylvania Station Entrance, with Madison Square Garden and Penn Plaza in the background. Station statistics …   Wikipedia

  • Jerome Stakes — Grade II race Jerome Stakes Location Belmont Park Elmont, New York, United States Inaugurated 1866 Race type Thoroughbred Flat racing …   Wikipedia

  • Hackney (horse) — The Hackney Horse is a recognized breed of horse that was developed in Great Britain. A stud book has been maintained for this breed since 1883 by the Hackney Horse Society, which has its headquarters in Norwich, England. In recent decades, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Edwin Powell — est un acteur et producteur américain, né le 5 avril 1963 à Houston, au Texas (États Unis). Sommaire 1 Filmographie 1.1 comme acteur 1.2 comme producteur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Nelson Page — (January 6, 1854 ndash;March 7, 1932), was a United States civil engineer, entrepreneur, capitalist, businessman, and industrialist. Born into an old Virginia family about seven years before the American Civil War (1861 1865), William Nelson Page …   Wikipedia

  • List of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute people — This is a list of people associated with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, including Presidents, Alumni, Professors, and Researchers. Presidents of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute For a list of the highest elected student leaders at RPI see List …   Wikipedia

  • Princeton, West Virginia — Infobox Settlement official name = Princeton, West Virginia settlement type = City nickname = motto = imagesize = image caption = Mercer Street (West Virginia Route 20) in downtown Princeton in 2007 image mapsize = 250x200px map caption =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”