John Jay Phelps
Encyclopedia
John Jay Phelps was an early railroad baron and financier, who was one of the founders of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
and served as its first president. He was also a publisher, judge, and merchant.
(afterward of the Louisville
Journal), he owned and edited (before his majority) the New England
Weekly Review, published at Hartford. In 1827 he began the manufacture of glass in Dundaff, Pennsylvania, and became acquainted with the coal fields of the Lackawanna Valley, in which he was afterwards so closely and profitably connected.
Later he became connected with his cousin, Amos R. Eno, as large wholesale merchants in New York City
, under the firm name of Eno & Phelps, which firm was continued for ten years, when they dissolved. He continued in the mercantile business, and operated largely in real estate, with great boldness and success.
Before he was 40 years old he had built a splendid block on the site of old Grace Church, and another on the site of the Park Theatre. All these operations were entered into by his old partner, Amos Eno, who finished by building the Fifth Avenue Hotel. As a director of the Erie Railroad
he received the thanks of the city council by a joint resolution of both branches, and was for a long time prominently identified with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Co. He was president, resigning in 1853, but remaining in the board until 1863.
He was one of the first to use freestone
in the architecture of New York City. He was long connected with the direction of the Mercantile, Second National and City Banks, the Camden and Amboy Railroad Co., the Manhattan Gas Light Co., and Bleecker Street Savings Institute, also with many other public and private trusts, which show the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow citizens, while his will contained bequests to many educational and charitable institutions. He died in New York City, May 12, 1869, and was buried in Simsbury, Connecticut
.
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
and served as its first president. He was also a publisher, judge, and merchant.
Biography
Phelps left his father Alexander Phelps' house at the age of 13 years. In partnership with George D. PrenticeGeorge D. Prentice
George Dennison Prentice was the editor of the Louisville Journal, which he built into a major newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky. He attracted readers by satire as well as exaggerated reporting and support of the Know-Nothing Party in the 1850s. His writing was said to contribute to rabid...
(afterward of the Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
Journal), he owned and edited (before his majority) the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Weekly Review, published at Hartford. In 1827 he began the manufacture of glass in Dundaff, Pennsylvania, and became acquainted with the coal fields of the Lackawanna Valley, in which he was afterwards so closely and profitably connected.
Later he became connected with his cousin, Amos R. Eno, as large wholesale merchants in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, under the firm name of Eno & Phelps, which firm was continued for ten years, when they dissolved. He continued in the mercantile business, and operated largely in real estate, with great boldness and success.
Before he was 40 years old he had built a splendid block on the site of old Grace Church, and another on the site of the Park Theatre. All these operations were entered into by his old partner, Amos Eno, who finished by building the Fifth Avenue Hotel. As a director of the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
he received the thanks of the city council by a joint resolution of both branches, and was for a long time prominently identified with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Co. He was president, resigning in 1853, but remaining in the board until 1863.
He was one of the first to use freestone
Freestone
A freestone is a stone used in masonry for molding, tracery and other replication work required to be worked with the chisel. The freestone must be fine-grained, uniform and soft enough to be cut easily without shattering or splitting. Some sources say that the stone has no grain, but this is...
in the architecture of New York City. He was long connected with the direction of the Mercantile, Second National and City Banks, the Camden and Amboy Railroad Co., the Manhattan Gas Light Co., and Bleecker Street Savings Institute, also with many other public and private trusts, which show the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow citizens, while his will contained bequests to many educational and charitable institutions. He died in New York City, May 12, 1869, and was buried in Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a suburban town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 23,234 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's twenty-first town in May 1670.-Early history:...
.
Family
Phelps married Rachel Badgeley Phinney on January 29, 1835 at Dundaff, Pennsylvania. They had three children:- Ellen A. Phelps (March 28, 1838 - 1880)
- William Walter PhelpsWilliam Walter PhelpsWilliam Walter Phelps , the son of John Jay Phelps, a successful New York City merchant and financier, was born in Dundaff, Pennsylvania. During his successful banking career in Manhattan, he settled in Teaneck, New Jersey, across the Hudson River...
(August 24, 1839-June 17, 1894) - Francis Alexander Phelps (April 1, 1841-April 5, 1848)