John Sergeant Cram
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John Sergeant Cram | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| President of the New York Public Service Commission | |
| In office 1911–1916 | |
| Governor | John Alden Dix Charles Seymour Whitman |
| Preceded by | Edward Bassett |
| Succeeded by | Travis Harvard Whitney |
| President of the Dock Board | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 18, 1851 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 18, 1936 (aged 84) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Beatrice Budd Cleland
1898 (m. 1903, died) |
| Relations | John Sergeant (grandfather) John Sergeant Wise (cousin) Richard Alsop Wise (cousin) Alexander S. Webb (cousin) H. Walter Webb (cousin) William Seward Webb (cousin) |
| Parent(s) | Harry Augustus Cram Katherine Sergeant |
| Education | St. Paul's School |
| Alma mater | Harvard College Harvard Law School |
| Signature | _signature.jpg){kind=small} |
John Sergeant Cram Sr. (May 18, 1851 - January 18, 1936) was president of the Dock Board and the head of the New York Public Service Commission.[1][2]
Cram was born on May 18, 1851, in New York City. He was the eldest son born to Harry Augustus Cram (1818–1894),[3] a lawyer,[4] and Katherine Sergeant (1825–1910).[5] His maternal grandparents were John Sergeant (1779–1852), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, and Margaretta (née Watmough) Sergeant (1787–1869).[6]
His aunt, Margaretta Sergeant was married to Major General George Meade. Through his aunt, Sarah Sergeant, who married Governor of Virginia Henry A. Wise, he was a first cousin of politicians John Sergeant Wise and Richard Alsop Wise. His uncle was James Watson Webb, the United States Ambassador to Brazil, who married his father's sister, Laura Virginia Cram. Through Webb, he was a first cousin of Gen. Alexander S. Webb, railroad executive H. Walter Webb, G. Creighton Webb, and Dr. William Seward Webb, who married Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt, daughter of William H. Vanderbilt.[1]
Career
He was educated at St. Paul's School and graduated from Harvard College in 1872 and, later, Harvard Law School in 1875.[1] After graduation from Law School, he practiced law with his father at his father's firm.[7]
Cram was first appointed to the Dock Board by Mayor Thomas Francis Gilroy.[8] He was reappointed by Mayor Hugh J. Grant and during the Robert Anderson Van Wyck administration, he was appointed president of the Dock Board.[1][5]
In 1911, he was nominated by to the New York Public Service Commission by Governor John Alden Dix, with Dix stating:[9]
I know Mr. Cram to be a man of unusual of force and ability and of demonstrated courage and independence. He is a man who accomplishes results, the kind of man the New York City rapid transit situation needs at the present time."[9]
He was confirmed by the New York State Senate over the denunciation of State Senator Josiah T. Newcomb, a Republican who was opposed to the stronghold of Tammany Hall.[10] He was reappointed by Governor Charles Seymour Whitman, serving until 1916 when he was replaced by Travis Harvard Whitney.[2]
He was perhaps best known at the time of his death as the close friend and social advisor to Charles Francis Murphy, the late leader of Tammany Hall.[1]