Webster Wagner (October 2, 1817 – January 13, 1882) was an American inventor, manufacturer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

Wagner was born near

Palatine Bridge, New York Palatine Bridge is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 737 at the 2010 census. The basis of the name is the community's location in a region settled by Palatine Germans. The Village of Palatine Bridge is ...

. He developed a wagon-making business with his brother James. The business had folded by 1842, largely due to the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

. After serving as an employee for the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

, Wagner invented the sleeping car and luxurious parlor car. He also perfected a system of ventilating railroad cars. His inventions were first used on the NY Central and later spread to other lines. He founded the Wagner Palace Car Company, located in

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 ...

. Several legal battles with the

Pullman Company The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...

failed to put him and his partners out of business. He was married to Susan Davis, and they had five children. He was a Republican member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Montgomery Co.) in 1871; and of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from 1872 until his death, sitting in the

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, 96th, 97th, 98th, 99th, 100th,

101st The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute mul ...

, 102nd (all eight 15th D.), 103rd, 104th and 105th New York State Legislatures (all three 18th D.). He was killed in a rail accident while returning from Albany to New York City when two trains of the

New York Central and Hudson River Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

collided in between the Kingsbridge and Spuyten Duyvil stations in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, two weeks into his sixth Senate term, on January 13, 1882. The Webster Wagner House at Palatine Bridge was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1973.

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External links

Webster Palace Car CompanyAccident at Spuyten Duyvil
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at the

New York State Library The New York State Library is a research library in Albany, New York, United States. It was established in 1818 to serve the state government of New York and is part of the New York State Education Department. The library is one of the largest ...

, accessed January 5, 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Webster 1817 births 1882 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Buffalo, New York American people in rail transportation American railway entrepreneurs Railway accident deaths in the United States Accidental deaths in New York (state) People from Palatine Bridge, New York 19th-century American politicians Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York 19th-century American businesspeople

Life

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