Christopher Columbus O'Donnell (October 1, 1792 – Mary 26, 1873) was an American businessman who served as president of Baltimore's Gas and Light Company.

Early life

O'Donnell was born on October 1, 1792 in

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 ...

. He was the son of prominent merchant, and slaveowner, Capt. John O’Donnell (1749–1805), and Sara Chew ( Elliott) O'Donnell (1766–1857). His father was born in

Limerick, Ireland Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 c ...

and ran away to India where he "amassed a substantial fortune from mercantile pursuits." His father likely arrived in Baltimore around 1785, eventually acquiring a 1,981 acre estate that he called Canton, that "wound around the elbow of the northwest branch of the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

, east of

Fell's Point Fell's Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore, Maryland. It was established around 1763 along the north shore of the Baltimore Harbor and the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River. The area has many antique, musi ...

." He also bought more than 100 lots in Baltimore, the two Miller Islands in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

, a 1,628 estate in Howard County known as Never Die, and 3,000 acres in Virginia. His paternal grandfather was John O'Donnell and his maternal grandfather were Capt. Thomas Elliott "of a well-known Quaker family and descendant of one of the Pilgrim Fathers." He was educated at St. Mary's College.

Career

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, he fought in the

Battle of North Point The Battle of North Point was fought on September 12, 1814, between General John Stricker's Maryland Militia and a British force led by Major General Robert Ross. Although the Americans retreated, they were able to do so in good order having inf ...

between General

John Stricker Brigadier General John Stricker (1758–1825) was a Maryland state militia officer who fought in both the American Revolutionary War in the First Maryland Regiment of the famous "Maryland Line" of the Continental Army and in the War of 1812. He ...

Maryland Militia Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...

and a British force led by Major General Robert Ross. In 1828, O'Donnell and others petitioned the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

to incorporate the Canton Company, "a real estate company that was to include at the outset the Canton plantation plus all the waterfront property from Fells Point to Lazaretto Point, a total of 3,000 acres." The bill passed in 1829 and the company was given the right to lay out streets, build wharves, ships, factories, stores and homes, which O'Donnell did together with William Patterson and

Peter Cooper Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791April 4, 1883) was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and politician. He designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the ''Tom Thumb'', founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of S ...

. He served as president of Baltimore's Gas and Light Company for thirty-nine years, president of the Baltimore Water Company for fifteen years, and was on the board of directors of the

Baltimore & 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 ...

and the Union Bank of Baltimore. He was also an original member of the

Maryland Club Founded in 1857, the Maryland Club is one of the oldest private clubs in the United States that was founded as an exclusive men's club. Its large Romanesque clubhouse, dating to 1891, is located in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon neighborho ...

and was one of the commissioners appointed to lay out

Druid Hill Park Druid Hill Park is a urban park in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are marked by Druid Park Drive (north), Swann Drive and Reisterstown Road (west and south), and the Jones Falls Expressway / Interstate 83 (east).

Personal life

O'Donnell was married to Eleanora C. Pascault (1799–1870), a daughter of French-born merchant

Louis Pascault, Marquis de Poleon Jean-Charles-Marie-Louis-Felix Pascault, Marquis de Poléon ( – May 31, 1824) was a French-American aristocrat best known today for building Pascault Row in Baltimore. Early life Pascault was born in France the son of Anne Marie Pascault and Je ...

. Among her siblings were sisters Henriette (wife of French Gen.

Jean-Jacques Reubell Jean-Jacques Reubell (Rewbell) (born August 12, 1777 in Colmar, died 24 January 1847) was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. Life After joining the French army he was appointed a second lieutenant on 23 April 1792. In 1796 he was alrea ...

, who came to Baltimore with

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 1 ...

), and Josephine (wife of

James Gallatin James Gallatin (December 18, 1796 – May 29, 1876) was an American banker who was the son of Albert Gallatin. Early life He was the eldest of two sons and four daughters born to Hannah ( Nicholson) Gallatin and Albert Gallatin, the 4th U.S. Secr ...

, eldest son of

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

and

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

Albert Gallatin Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan– American politician, diplomat, ethnologist and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...

) Her brother, Louis Charles Pascault, was a Capt. in the Mexican War (who married Ann Goldsborough, a granddaughter of

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

man

Robert Goldsborough Robert Goldsborough (December 3, 1733 – December 22, 1788) was an American lawyer and statesman from Maryland. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. Early life Robert Goldsborough was the son of Elizabeth (née Ennalls) and ...

), Together, the O'Donnells were the parents of: * Emily O'Donnell (1818–1888), who married

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

and

Mayor of Baltimore The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the ...

Solomon Hillen Jr. Solomon Hillen Jr. (July 10, 1810 – June 26, 1873) was a U.S. Representative from Maryland and mayor of Baltimore. Early life Solomon Hillen Jr. was born on July 10, 1810, at the family estate, "Hillendale," on Hillen Road north of Baltimore t ...

* Eleanora O'Donnell (1821–1897), who married the New York financier

Adrian Iselin Adrian Georg Iselin (January 17, 1818 – March 28, 1905) was a New York financier who invested in and developed real estate, railroads, and mining operations. For many years during his early business career he was engaged in importing with his ...

. * Charles Oliver O'Donnell (1823–1877), who married Hellen Sophia Carroll (1834–1886), a descendant of

Charles Carroll of Carrollton Charles Carroll (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832), known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles Carroll III, was an Irish-American politician, planter, and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only Catholic sign ...

and sister to Gov.

John Lee Carroll John Lee Carroll (September 30, 1830 – February 27, 1911), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 37th Governor of Maryland from 1876 to 1880. Early life Carroll was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Col. Charles Carr ...

, in 1867. * Josephine O'Donnell, who married Thomas Sim Lee, a grandson of Gov.

Thomas Sim Lee Thomas Sim Lee (October 29, 1745 – November 9, 1819) was an American planter and statesman of Frederick County, Maryland. Although not a signatory to the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation or the U.S. Constitution, h ...

, in 1843. * Christopher Columbus O'Donnell Jr., who married Caroline Jenkins. O'Donnell died on Mary 26, 1873 in Baltimore. In his will, he left his estate to his children and grandchildren, with specific bequests of $5,000 to the Maryland Institution for the Instruction of the Blind, $5,000 to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, and $5,000 to the Roman Catholic Asylum for Widows.

Descendants

Through his son Charles, he was a grandfather of John Charles O'Donnell (1868–1914), who married Julia Edie (a granddaughter of

John Rufus Edie John Rufus Edie (January 14, 1814 – August 27, 1888) was an Opposition Party and Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and a United States Army officer in the American Civil War. Early life John Rufus Edie wa ...

) and lived in

Montreux, Switzerland Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...

. Through his daughter Eleanora, he was a grandfather of Adrian Iselin Jr. (1846–1935), William Emil Iselin (1848–1937), Eleanora Iselin Kane (1849–1938),

Columbus O'Donnell Iselin Columbus O'Donnell Iselin (1904–1971) was an American oceanographer. He was the director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1940 to 1950, and from 1956 to 1960. He was Professor of Physical Oceanography at Harvard University and the ...

(1851–1933),

Charles Oliver Iselin Charles Oliver Iselin (June 8, 1854 – January 1, 1932) was an American banker and yachtsman who was captain of racing yachts that won the America's Cup three times. Early life Iselin was the son of Adrian Georg Iselin and Eleanora O Donnell I ...

(1854–1932), Papal Countess Georgine Iselin (1857–1954), and Emilie Eleanora Iselin Beresford (1860–1916).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Donnell, Columbus 1792 births 1873 deaths People from Baltimore County, Maryland Baltimore and Ohio Railroad people Businesspeople from Baltimore