Jeptha Homer Wade (August 11, 1811 – August 9, 1890) was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and one of the founding members of Western Union Telegraph. Wade was born in

Romulus, New York Romulus is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 3,383 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the mythical founder of Rome, Romulus, a name assigned by a clerk with an interest in the classics. It is located ...

, the youngest of nine children of Jeptha and Sarah (Allen) Wade. He made the first

Daguerreotypes Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre an ...

west of New York, was a portrait painter, and moved to

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 7th congressional district. History Adrian was founded on June 18, 1826 by Addison Co ...

in 1840 before developing an interest in the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

Biography

In 1847, he was subcontractor for J.J. Speed and constructed a telegraph line from Detroit to

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

, where Wade and his son operated the telegraph office. He also connected

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

(Cleveland and Cincinnati Telegraph Company, the Wade Line), and others. Wade moved to

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in 1856 with his wife and only child, Randall P. Wade (1835–1876). Eventually Randall would supervise the construction of two adjoining mansions with a shared driveway on Cleveland's Euclid Avenue, called Millionaires' Row. His grandson, Jeptha H. Wade II (1811–1890) commissioned the Cleveland firm of

Hubbell & Benes Hubbell & Benes was a prominent Cleveland, Ohio architectural firm formed by Benjamin Hubbell (1857–1935) and W. Dominick Benes (1867–1953) in 1897Benjamin Franklin Ficklin and

Hiram Sibley Hiram W. Sibley (February 6, 1807 – July 12, 1888), was an American industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who was a pioneer of the telegraph in the United States. Early life Sibley was born in North Adams, Massachusetts on February ...

to form the

Pacific Telegraph Company The Pacific Telegraph Company was one of the organizations responsible for constructing the telegraph line which resulted in the first transcontinental telegraph network in the United States. The company built the section of line between Julesbu ...

. The company's formation completed the linkage between the east and west coast of the United States by

. Wade became president of Western Union in 1866. A year later he resigned because of ill-health and sold his interests to

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made hi ...

, and William Orton succeeded to the presidency of Western Union. Jeptha was nominated by the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

for Representative of

Ohio's 18th congressional district The 18th congressional district of Ohio is an obsolete congressional district last represented by Republican Bob Gibbs. The district voted for the majority party in the House of Representatives in every election since 1954. After the 2010 cen ...

in 1864, but lost. He was an incorporator of the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company and the Citizens Savings and Loan Association (becoming its first president), became president of National Bank of Commerce, and served on the board of directors of eight railroads. Wade used his vast wealth to benefit the city of

. In 1882, he donated of land east of the city for the purpose of creating

Wade Park Wade Park is a sports ground originally constructed for cricket located in the town of Orange, New South Wales, Australia. Cricket The park has hosted Sheffield shield matches, an International T20 match between Hong Kong and Sydney Thunder p ...

, which was named in his honor. Wade Park is Cleveland's cultural center surrounded by the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...

, the

Cleveland Museum of Natural History The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum located approximately five miles (8 km) east of downtown Cleveland, Ohio in University Circle, a 550-acre (220 ha) concentration of educational, cultural and medical institu ...

, the

Western Reserve Historical Society The Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) is a historical society in Cleveland, Ohio. The society operates the Cleveland History Center, a collection of museums in University Circle. The society was founded in 1867, making it the oldest cul ...

and the

Cleveland Botanical Garden The Cleveland Botanical Garden, located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. History The garden was founded in 1930 as the Garden Center of Greater Cleveland. It was the first such organization in an Amer ...

. Wade also was heavily involved with the establishment of

Hathaway Brown School Hathaway Brown, commonly referred to as HB, is an all-girls private school located in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The school serves pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. Hathaway Brown is a member of the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, ...

, a private academy for young girls and women. He also co-founded the Case School of Applied Technology, which later became part of

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

. In addition, Wade served as the first President of the Board of Trustees for

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...

on Cleveland's east side.

Personal life

Wade married Rebecca Louiza Facer in 1832, who bore his first son, Randall Palmer Wade, later that year. Rebecca Wade died November 30, 1836 at the age of 24. He remarried in 1837 to Susan Maranda Fleming, with whom he adopted 4 more children. All are buried in Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland.

Legacy

Wade's grandchildren included Jeptha Homer Wade II (1857–1926), son of Randall Palmer Wade and Anna Rebecca McGaw Wade. He worked in the banking industry, railway business, mining industry, and manufacturing after graduating from Mt. Pleasant Military Academy in

Ossining, New York Ossining may refer to: * Ossining (town), New York, a town in Westchester County, New York state *Ossining (village), New York, a village in the town of Ossining * Ossining High School, a comprehensive public high school in Ossining village * Ossi ...

and

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

. He owned the USS Wadena (SP-158). He established the family's Mill Pond Plantation in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany, Georgia, Albany. The city deems itself the "C ...

in 1906 (later divided by the family to include the Arcadia Plantation).Jeptha H. Wade obituary August 19, 2008 Times Enterprise He bequeathed to the

a large gem collection that is now part of the Jeptha Homer Wade II Gallery of Gems and Jewels. A grandchild of Jeptha Homer Wade II was Jeptha Homer Wade III (December 26, 1924 – August 8, 2008), son of George Garretson and Irene Love Wade, who was a prominent Boston attorney assisting in the formation of the federal Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and served in the American Field Service beginning in 1944. He graduated from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1946 and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1950. He volunteered as an assistant to retired Secretary of the Army John McCloy in the formation of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency under the Kennedy Administration before returning to

Choate, Hall & Stewart Choate Hall & Stewart LLP, commonly referred to as "Choate", is a Boston-based law firm. The firm is known for having a one-office approach to its operations. Recognition In 2019, The Vault named Choate one of the top ten law firms to work fo ...

in 1961. He was an advocate for nuclear arms control, president of the Lawyers Alliance for Nuclear Arms Control (later known as LAWS, Lawyers for World Security). He married Emily Vanderbilt, daughter of

William Henry Vanderbilt III William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901April 14, 1981) was Governor of Rhode Island and a member of the wealthy and socially prominent Vanderbilt family. Early life William Henry Vanderbilt III was born in New York City on November 24, ...

, who in 2015 added to the family's land holdings in Thomasville, Georgia, by purchasing roughly of the

Greenwood Plantation Greenwood Plantation is a plantation in the Red Hills Region of southern Georgia, just west of Thomasville. Its Greek Revival main house was built in 1838 and expanded in 1899. With . The plantation includes 5,200 acres of forest used for quai ...

. The large tract of old-growth forest will be conserved for research on the ecology of longleaf yellow pine forests. Jeptha Wade has many living descendants.

Biography

Personal life

Legacy

References

Further reading