Edward V. Babcock
Encyclopedia
Edward V. Babcock was a lumber industrialist
who served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1918 to 1922.
Unlike his predecessor "Joe the builder", Babcock's administration had little time to implement much policy, they were too busy dealing with the triple threat of a massive steel strike that created much social dissension and unrest, the 1918-1919 flu pandemic
that hit Pittsburgh especially hard, all this while at the family dinnertables and company lunch rooms around the city the women's suffrage movement tested the strength of families and employers.
Despite all of those challenges to Babcock's focus on his agenda, he did make some lasting accomplishments including expansion and groundbreaking of new parks and playgrounds, along with the modernization of some key traffic arteries within the city. In response to the suffrage movement, Babcock became the first mayor to appoint a woman to a cabinet level position within the city.
in West Mifflin, he also was instrumental in providing county help to the city for the opening of the triplet bridges (6th
, 7th
and 9th
Street Bridges).
He was also extremely generous, purchasing at personal expense 4,000 acres (16 km²) of land for the expansive "North Park
" and "South Park
" in the county. He retired in 1931 and died in 1948, being buried in Homewood Cemetery
.
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
who served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1918 to 1922.
Early life
Edward Vose Babcock entered the lumber business from an early age. He ran successfully for City Council in 1911 and began making a political name for himself.Pittsburgh politics
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
that hit Pittsburgh especially hard, all this while at the family dinnertables and company lunch rooms around the city the women's suffrage movement tested the strength of families and employers.
Despite all of those challenges to Babcock's focus on his agenda, he did make some lasting accomplishments including expansion and groundbreaking of new parks and playgrounds, along with the modernization of some key traffic arteries within the city. In response to the suffrage movement, Babcock became the first mayor to appoint a woman to a cabinet level position within the city.
Later life
After leaving the mayor's office Babcock continued his political career at the county level, becoming a commissioner in 1927. During his rule of Allegheny County he was successful in pushing through the opening of the Allegheny County AirportAllegheny County Airport
Allegheny County Airport is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, four miles southeast of the city of Pittsburgh. It is the fifth busiest airport in Pennsylvania following Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Harrisburg...
in West Mifflin, he also was instrumental in providing county help to the city for the opening of the triplet bridges (6th
Roberto Clemente Bridge
The Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, 7th
Andy Warhol Bridge
Andy Warhol Bridge, also known as the Seventh Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is the only bridge in the United States named for a visual artist....
and 9th
Rachel Carson Bridge
Rachel Carson Bridge, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Named for the naturalist Rachel Carson, a Pittsburgh native, it is one of three parallel bridges called The Three Sisters, the others being the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the...
Street Bridges).
He was also extremely generous, purchasing at personal expense 4,000 acres (16 km²) of land for the expansive "North Park
North Park (Pittsburgh)
North Park is a county park in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest in the county's 12,000 acre network of nine distinct parks....
" and "South Park
South Park (Pittsburgh)
South Park is a county park in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the second largest in the county's network of nine distinct parks....
" in the county. He retired in 1931 and died in 1948, being buried in Homewood Cemetery
Homewood Cemetery
Homewood Cemetery is a historic, nonsectarian burial ground in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Squirrel Hill and is bordered by both Frick Park and the neighborhood of Point Breeze....
.
Legacy
- Babcock Boulevard in the North Hills of Pittsburgh is named for him.
- Babcock State ParkBabcock State ParkBabcock State Park is a state park located along the New River Gorge on wooded in Fayette County, West Virginia. Located near the park headquarters, the Glade Creek Grist Mill is among the most photographed tourist sites in the state of West Virginia. It was named in honor of Edward V...
in West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. - Babcock RanchBabcock RanchBabcock Ranch is an approximately planned community under development in Southwest Floridathat was approved as part of a public-private partnership strategy with the State of Florida and local governments that established the neighboring Babcock Ranch Preserve...
and Babcock Preserve in FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. - The highly profitable Babcock Lumber and Boom Company, operating out of Davis, West VirginiaDavis, West VirginiaDavis is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, along the Blackwater River. The population was 624 at the 2000 census.-History:Davis was named either for Henry Gassaway Davis, or for his family generally....
from 1907, was responsible for devastating environmental damage to much of surrounding Tucker CountyTucker County, West VirginiaAs of the census of 2000, there were 7,321 people, 3,052 households, and 2,121 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile . There were 4,634 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
, including Canaan ValleyCanaan ValleyCanaan Valley is an oval, bowl-like upland valley in northeastern Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. Within it are extensive wetlands and the headwaters of the Blackwater River which spills out of the valley at Blackwater Falls...
, Dolly Sods and the Blackwater CanyonBlackwater CanyonBlackwater Canyon is a rugged, heavily-wooded, eight-mile long gorge carved by the Blackwater River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
. These areas were clear-cut and the landscape converted into a tinderbox by the residual slashingsSlash (logging)Slash, or slashings, is a forestry term that refers to coarse and fine woody debris generated during logging operations or through wind, snow or other natural forest disturbances. Slash generated during logging operations may increase fire hazard and some North American states have passed laws...
. By 1910, fires swept over the wasteland, often burning continuously from spring until the first snows. In 1914, with the county virtually denuded of standing trees, the ground burned continually for 6 months. When the fires subsided, thin mineral soil and bare rock were all that remained. Uncontrollable soil erosion and flooding further degraded and depopulated the region, which bears the scars of the conflagration to the present day.