John Larkin Jr. (October 3, 1804 - July 22, 1896) was an American businessman, banker and politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

who served as the first

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

Early life

Larkin was born in Concord Township to John and Martha Larkin. As a young adult he worked on the family farm in the summer and taught school in the winter.

Career

In 1826, Larkin began his business career by establishing a country store in Upper Chichester Township. In 1832, Larkin purchased a freight vessel and established a shipping line on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

between Marcus Hook and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

until 1839 when he sold the vessel, wharf and business interest. In 1840, Larkin was elected

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Delaware County. From 1844 to 1846, Larkin represented Delaware County in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

. In 1848, Larkin built two vessels and established a daily shipping line delivering goods between Chester and Philadelphia. In 1849, Larkin formed a partnership with William Booth which they named Larkin & Booth. The partners established the daily shipment of coal and lumber between Chester and Philadelphia. The firm was prosperous but was dissolved in 1852. In 1850, Larkin entered the real estate business and over the following twenty years was instrumental in developing multiple sections of Chester and nearby Marcus Hook for housing and business. He purchased an eighty-three acre lot from John Cochran just north of the old borough of Chester and laid out streets and building lots. Larkin built over 500 buildings including mills, stores and dwellings in this section of Chester which became known as "Larkintown". In 1857, Larkin was elected Chief Burgess of Chester and became the president of the Chester Gas Company. In 1866, Larkin was elected the first mayor of Chester. He was re-elected in 1869. He refused to accept any salary for his service as mayor. Larkin was one of the founders and president of the Chester Mutual Insurance Company. In 1871, Larkin became the president of the First National Bank in Chester.

Philanthropy

In 1879, Larkin donated two acres of land adjacent to the St. Martin's Church in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania for use as a cemetery. Larkin was one of the originators of the

Chester Rural Cemetery Chester Rural Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery founded in March 1863 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Some of the first burials were American Civil War, Civil War soldiers, both Union Army, Union and Confederate States Army, Confederate, who died at ...

in Chester, Pennsylvania and served as president of the organization for many years.

Personal life

In 1827, Larkin married Charlotte Morton. Together they had eight children including a daughter Caroline who married U.S. Representative

John Martin Broomall John Martin Broomall (January 19, 1816 – June 3, 1894) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th congression ...

. Charlotte died in 1847 and Larkin was married again to Mary Baggs. Together they had two children. Larkin is interred at

Legacy

The Larkin School in Chester, erected in 1894, was named in his honor.

References