Alexander Cassatt

Alexander J. Cassatt
Alexander Cassatt somewhere between 1890-1900
Born	December 8, 1839(1839-12-08) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	December 28, 1906 (aged 67) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Resting place	Church of the Redeemer Cemetery, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Spouse(s)	Lois Buchanan (1847-1920)
Children	Edward Buchanan (1869-1922) Katherine Kelso (1871-1905) Robert Kelso (1873-1944) Elsie Foster (1875-1931)
Relatives	Mary Cassatt, sister

Alexander Johnston Cassatt (December 8, 1839 – December 28, 1906) ^[1][2] was the 7th president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) 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.

Pennsylvania Station, New York, NY (1911, demolished 1963).

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.

Alexander Cassatt was succeeded as Pennsylvania Railroad president by James McCrea.

Family

Alexander Cassatt was born on December 8, 1839 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[3] His sister was the painter Mary Cassatt. He married Lois Buchanan, daughter of the Rev. Edward Y. Buchanan and Ann Eliza Foster. Lois Buchanan was a niece of James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States, and through her mother, a niece of songwriter Stephen Foster. [1] The couple had two sons and two daughters.

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 600-acre (240 ha) 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. (Furness also designed Cassatt's Rittenhouse Square townhouse.)

Cassatt initially raced under the pseudonym, Mr. Kelso, and his horses as from the Kelso Stable.[2] He owned the 1886 Preakness Stakes winner, The Bard and the 1889 Belmont Stakes 1889 winner Eric. As well, he bred the winner of the 1875, 1876, 1878, and 1880 Preakness Stakes 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

Cassatt's Rittenhouse Square townshouse at 202 South 19th St., Philadelphia, PA (built for Fairman Rogers c. 1856, altered for Cassatt by Frank Furness c. 1888, demolished 1972). Now the site of The Rittenhouse Hotel.

Alexander Cassatt died in 1906 at his Rittenhouse Square townhouse in Philadelphia, after a six-month illness. [3] He was interred in the Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. His widow died in 1920. [4]

Legacy

In World War II the United States liberty ship SS A. J. Cassatt was named in his honor.

Gramercy Mansion was built by Alexander Cassatt in 1902.

In 1910, the PRR erected a statue of Cassatt at Pennsylvania Station, New York, with the following inscription:

References

Further reading

• Barksdale, Francis Nelson (July 1901). "Alexander Johnston Cassatt: Railroad President and Man of Affairs". The World's Work: A History of Our Time II: 972–977. 
• Jacobs, Timothy. The History Of The Pennsylvania Railroad; Bison Books Group 1988; ISBN 0-517-63351-5, p. 78-88 The Cassatt years.
• Jonnes, Jill. Conquering Gotham: a Gilded Age epic: the construction of Penn Station and its tunnels; Penguin Books 2007; ISBN 0670031585.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2005), RPI: Alumni hall of fame: Alexander J. Cassatt. Retrieved February 22, 2005.
• White, John H., Jr. America's most noteworthy railroaders, Railroad History, Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Spring 1986, 154, p. 9-15.
• Chesterbrook Farm The Lower Merion Historical Society.
• American Hackney Horse Society.