Dr. Jonathan Pitney (October 2, 1797 – August 7, 1869), considered the Father of
Atlantic City, New Jersey, was a physician who promoted
Absecon Island
Absecon Island is a barrier island located on the Jersey Shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic County, New Jersey. On the island from north to south are the resort communities of Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate, and Longport. The island ends a ...
as a healing seashore resort.
Biography
Born in
Mendham Borough, New Jersey
Mendham Borough is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,981, which was unchanged from the count in the 2020 census and which in turn reflected a decl ...
in October 29, 1797, he studied medicine at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
under
Valentine Mott
Valentine Mott (August 20, 1785April 26, 1865) was an American surgeon.
Life
Valentine Mott was born at Glen Cove, New York. He graduated at Columbia College, studied under Sir Astley Cooper in London, and also spent a winter in Edinburgh. A ...
. He moved to
Absecon, New Jersey
Absecon (, ) is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 8,411, in 1819 and established his medical practice there. He was a delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention in 1844 and was instrumental in lobbying for the construction of the
Absecon Lighthouse in the aftermath of the
Powhattan ship wreck
Pitney's main achievement was the promotion of Absecon Island as a shore medical retreat, with the help of civil engineer Richard Osborne and well connected Richard Summers they devised the idea creating a large scale resort. In 1853 he presented Osborne's designs for the city to Philadelphia railroad investors, which led to the creation of the
Camden and Atlantic Railroad which opened on July 4, 1854. Pitney further promoted the city by extolling the healing properties of salt water and ocean air. He died in his
Absecon home on August 7, 1869.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitney, Jonathan
1797 births
1889 deaths
Columbia University alumni
People from Absecon, New Jersey
American city founders