Peter Gorman (1808 – June 6, 1862) was one of the first contractors of the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

. His son

Arthur Pue Gorman Arthur Pue Gorman (March 11, 1839June 4, 1906) was an American politician. He was leader of the Gorman-Rasin organization with Isaac Freeman Rasin that controlled the Maryland Democratic Party from the late 1870s until his death in 1906. Gorman ...

would go on to become a Senator and pioneer in baseball. His other son William Henry Gorman would become a prominent businessman. Gorman's parent's John Gorman and Miss McDonald (first name unknown), came from Northern Ireland in 1794 to

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, and later

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

working in the cattle business. Gorman married Elizabeth Browne, daughter of John Riggs Browne who owned the farmstead called Good Fellowship dating back to the original land grant by

Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675), also often known as Cecilius Calvert, was an English nobleman, who was the first Proprietor of the Province of Maryland, ninth Proprietary Governor of the Colony of Newfo ...

. In the 1840s Gorman built a two-story granite house where his first son Arthur was born. After completing his railroad contract, he purchased the 500-acre estate Fairview in

North Laurel North Laurel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The published population was 4,474 at the 2010 census. This population was substantially less than the CDP's population in 2000, and was the result of an er ...

from Dr. Charles Griffith Worthington. The property was part of Warfield's Range, containing a log cabin built around 1696 that survived until an arson fire in 2001 when relocated to accommodate the Warfield's Range development. He built a house and library at the site shortly before his death. The house burned down in 1890 and a new Queen Anne structure was built in its place. A school house (No.4) was also situated on the site in 1860. Fairview stayed in the family until the 1970s where a Healy painted portrait of young Peter Gorman hung. He had five children, naming his first son Arthur Pue after his doctor and tutor Dr. Arthur Pue. The 1850 census recorded Gorman as owning at least one slave. Gorman was the contractor for the portion of the

between

Ellicott Mills Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 65,834 at the 2010 census, making it the mo ...

and

Woodstock, Maryland Woodstock is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community which is a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The original village of Woodstock is located in Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, and also includes portions of Baltimore ...

. On the evening of November 18, 1834, during labor disputes between Irish and German railroad workers, John Gorman was beaten nearly to death along with John Watson. Peter Gorman was spared. In the early hours of November 20, 1834, Watson and William Mercer were killed by workers on the line between Savage and Laurel. In 1845, Peter Gorman was responsible for the first macadamized (paved) road in Laurel, Avondale Street next to the new

Avondale Mill __NOTOC__ The Avondale Mill was a large gable-front stone structure, three stories in height, and 10 bays long by three wide. It was located on the bank of the Patuxent River in the city of Laurel, Prince George's County, Maryland. It was constru ...

. In 1850, William T. Hamilton and General Edward Hammond were called upon to give 11-year old Arthur Pue a page position in Washington D.C. Gorman and his younger son William Henry Gorman (1843–1915) were the proprietors of several quarries in Laurel that supplied granite for the U.S. Treasury Building and the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

, and bridges for the

. Gorman was captured on a business trip south in 1860 and sent to

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

. He died in Baltimore on June 6, 1862.

External links

Arthur Gorman

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorman, Peter 1808 births 1862 deaths American people of Irish descent People from Woodstock, Maryland People from Laurel, Maryland Businesspeople from Maryland Baltimore and Ohio Railroad people Gorman family of Maryland