Josiah Sleeper was an American businessman who founded Sleeper's College

Sleeper's College

Sleeper's College was a college founded by Josiah Sleeper in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1910...

 (sometimes referred to as Sleeper's Business College) in Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...

, in 1910.

Sleeper attended grammar, or perhaps high school, at The Old Academy, located on West 2nd Street between Fulton and Franklin Streets in Chester.

Sleeper became well-known in Delaware County

Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....

. In the 1890s, he had at least partial control of a baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team in Marcus Hook

Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania

Marcus Hook is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population peaked in the 1920s with 5,324 inhabitants. 2,314 inhabitants were counted at the recent 2000 census. Marcus Hook's current mayor is James Schiliro. The borough calls itself "The Cornerstone of Pennsylvania"....

, some three miles southwest of Chester. He brought the team to Chester's 12th Street Park, which was bounded by 12th, Upland and Potter Streets. He eventually passed control of the team to local baseball impresario Jesse Frysinger, and it moved in 1900 to Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

.

In October 1921, Sleeper bought part of the "Brow O' the Hill" estate at 8 Irving Road, Wallingford, Pennsylvania

Wallingford, Pennsylvania

Wallingford is an unincorporated community in Nether Providence Township, Delaware County in Pennsylvania, USA. Founded in 1687, it is named for Wallingford, England...

, from D. Edwin Irving for $4,250. He acquired the rest on March 18, 1930, from Samuel Lloyd Irving and his wife and Jeanette Irving Stull and her husband.

Sleeper died August 20, 1946. His will allowed his sister, Lottie Sleeper Hill, to live in "Brow O’ the Hill" until her death. But she had, in fact, already died and so the property was sold for $43,000 to James H. Gorbey, who would go on to be mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Chester (1964 to 1967) and U.S. District Court judge from 1970 until his death in 1977.