Joseph M. Gazzam

Joseph Murphy Gazzam
Born	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	25 September 1927(1927-09-25) (aged 84) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Attorney, public official, entrepreneur
Known for	Youngest Pennsylvanian admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court; founder of Beech Creek Railroad; railroad executive; hotel developer

Joseph Murphy Gazzam (December 2, 1842 – September 25, 1927) was a distinguished American attorney, public official, and entrepreneur.

Early life

Joseph was born in Pittsburgh as the youngest among three siblings to Dr. Edward D. Gazzam, a noted abolitionist and political figure, and Elizabeth Antoinette de Beelen. His initial education took place at home until he reached fourteen years old, after which he enrolled at Western University of Pennsylvania. He attended for three and a half years but had to withdraw due to health complications.

Career

Following his legal studies under David Reed, Gazzam gained admission to the Allegheny County bar in January 1864. He subsequently served as solicitor for several banking institutions and insurance firms based in Pittsburgh. In 1870, he achieved the distinction of becoming the youngest individual from Pennsylvania authorized to practice before the United States Supreme Court. His political career included election to the Pittsburgh City Council in 1876 and a term in the State Senate from 1877 to 1880. Additionally, he assumed leadership positions within various community organizations.

In 1878, Gazzam wed Mary Anna Reading, daughter of financier John Grandin Reading. When his law partner Alexander G. Cochran moved to St. Louis in 1879, Gazzam relocated to Philadelphia and broadened his business pursuits. Collaborating with state and U.S. senator William A. Wallace, who had interests in coal mining, he played a pivotal role in founding the Beech Creek Railroad in 1882—a project financed by William H. Vanderbilt that linked Pennsylvania's Clearfield Coalfield with the New York Central network. The railroad's terminal town was named "Gazzam" in his honor. His executive roles extended to presidencies at the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad, New York and Fort Lee Railroad (another Vanderbilt enterprise), Rees Welsh Law & Digest Publishing Company, and Rennyson Tredyffrin Lithia Water Company.

Gazzam was instrumental in restructuring the Philadelphia & Chester County Railroad in 1885; this line was later renamed Philadelphia Midland Railroad and eventually merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad. He also formed a partnership with A. O. Granger focusing on mining and railroad projects.

In 1889, with significant financial backing from George Washington Vanderbilt II of Biltmore Estate renown, Gazzam constructed the original Kenilworth Inn hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. After acquiring full ownership of the property, he developed the adjacent land as well. The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1909; Gazzam survived but sustained severe injuries.

He was appointed to oversee Pennsylvania’s involvement in prominent World's Fairs such as the 1902 South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition and the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis.

Family

Joseph Gazzam and his first spouse Anna Reading had two children: Sada Sarah Reading Murphy Grandin (1879–80), who died during infancy, and Antoinette Elizabeth (1883–1940). Anna faced legal action for alienation of affections brought by Elizabeth Reading—the wife of a distant relative—stemming from an affair that began around 1890. Upon John Grandin Reading’s death in 1891, Anna reportedly inherited two million dollars. The couple divorced in 1892 amid disputes over her father's estate; Anna’s will from 1907 cautioned her daughter’s guardians against contact with Joseph.

Anna Reading Gazzam authored literary works including the novel A Sketch in the Ideal (1891) and poetry collections such as Night Etchings (1892) and Gleams and Echoes (1903).

Antoinette received a considerable inheritance from her mother—estimates vary between $1.25 million and $3 million—and resided alone at her mother’s Cornwall-on-Hudson estate near Storm King Mountain. She too was involved in an alienation of affections lawsuit related to an individual known as "Niblo the Palmist." In 1910, Antoinette publicly announced her search for a husband, attracting proposals nationwide; she married engineer Charles Galvin later that year and reconciled with her father after years of estrangement.

In 1893, Joseph married Nellie Mae Reed Andrews, who was active in temperance advocacy and wartime suffrage relief efforts. Their children were Joseph M. Gazzam (1895–1960) and Olivia May de Beelen Gazzam (1896–1999).

Joseph M. Gazzam passed away in Philadelphia on September 25, 1927.