J.W. Eddy
Encyclopedia
Colonel James Ward Eddy was the builder of Angels Flight
funicular
railroad in Los Angeles, California
.
Eddy was born in Java, New York
and matriculated at Genesee College
in Lima, New York
. He taught school in western New York before going to Illinois
in 1853, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in Chicago
in 1855.
He practiced in Batavia, Illinois
, where he also served on the Board of Education and as a county supervisor. In 1866, he was elected to the state legislature, and in 1870 to the state senate.
Eddy was a friend and supporter of Abraham Lincoln
. He was in Washington, D.C.
when the Civil War
broke out, and enlisted in Cassius M. Clay and Gen. James H. Lane’s battalion which was formed for the protection of Washington during the first month of the war.
Eddy spent three years in railroad construction in Arizona
, where he built a branch of the Santa Fe
road south from the town of Flagstaff
.
He moved to Los Angeles
in 1895, where he settled and surveyed the first transmission line for water power from Kern River
to Los Angeles, which was later obtained and used by the Pacific Electric Railroad Company
of Los Angeles. In 1901 Eddy developed and built Angels Flight
without public financing. The funicular
system of two counterbalanced cars traveled up and down parallel tracks and transported passengers along the steep grade between Third and Hill Streets and Bunker Hill
, where Eddy lived. The ride lasted one minute and cost one cent.
Eddy served as vice-president of the California Children’s Home, president of the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital, and was member of the Chamber of Commerce
.
He was married to Isabella A. Worsley, of Bavaria, Illinois, until her death 1895. In 1900 he married Jane M. Wiswell, a native of Vermont, who died in 1913.
Angels Flight
Angels Flight is a landmark funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, Sinai and Olivet ....
funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
railroad in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Eddy was born in Java, New York
Java, New York
Java is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 2,222 at the 2000 census. In the 2007 estimate, this had declined to 2,153.Contrary to practice elsewhere, the name is pronounced "Jay-vuh"....
and matriculated at Genesee College
Genesee College
Genesee College was a college founded in 1832 as the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary by the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was located in Lima, NY and eventually relocated to Syracuse, NY, becoming Syracuse University.-Genesee Wesleyan Seminary:...
in Lima, New York
Lima, New York
Lima, New York refers to two locations south of the City of Rochester, New York in Livingston County, New York:*Lima , New York*Lima , New YorkNote that the names of both places are pronounced like the bean, not like the capital of Peru....
. He taught school in western New York before going to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1853, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1855.
He practiced in Batavia, Illinois
Batavia, Illinois
Batavia was founded in 1833, and is the oldest city in Kane County, Illinois, with a small portion in DuPage County. During the Industrial Revolution, Batavia became known as ‘The Windmill City’ for being the largest windmill producer of the time...
, where he also served on the Board of Education and as a county supervisor. In 1866, he was elected to the state legislature, and in 1870 to the state senate.
Eddy was a friend and supporter of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. He was in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
when the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out, and enlisted in Cassius M. Clay and Gen. James H. Lane’s battalion which was formed for the protection of Washington during the first month of the war.
Eddy spent three years in railroad construction in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where he built a branch of the Santa Fe
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
road south from the town of Flagstaff
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
.
He moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1895, where he settled and surveyed the first transmission line for water power from Kern River
Kern River
The Kern River is a river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for...
to Los Angeles, which was later obtained and used by the Pacific Electric Railroad Company
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
of Los Angeles. In 1901 Eddy developed and built Angels Flight
Angels Flight
Angels Flight is a landmark funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, Sinai and Olivet ....
without public financing. The funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
system of two counterbalanced cars traveled up and down parallel tracks and transported passengers along the steep grade between Third and Hill Streets and Bunker Hill
Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California
Bunker Hill, in the downtown area of Los Angeles, California, is a short, developed hill with its peak located roughly around 3rd Street. It is located directly east of the Harbor Freeway...
, where Eddy lived. The ride lasted one minute and cost one cent.
Eddy served as vice-president of the California Children’s Home, president of the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital, and was member of the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
.
He was married to Isabella A. Worsley, of Bavaria, Illinois, until her death 1895. In 1900 he married Jane M. Wiswell, a native of Vermont, who died in 1913.
External links
- http://www.you-are-here.com/location/angels_flight.html
- http://www.placesearth.com/USA/California/LA/code/anglflit.htm