Erastus Wiman
| Erastus Wiman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 21, 1834 Churchville, Peel Regional Municipality, Ontario |
| Died | February 9, 1904 (aged 69) St. George, New York City, New York |
| Cause of death | Complications of a stroke |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Citizenship | Canadian, American |
| Occupation |
|
| Organization | Founder, Canadian Club of New York City |
| Known for |
|
| Criminal charge | Forgery, 1894 |
| Criminal penalty | Five years and six months in state prison |
| Criminal status | Conviction overturned, 1896 |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Anne Galbraith (1860-until death) |
| Parent(s) | Erastus Wiman (father) |
Erastus Wiman (21 April 1834 – 9 February 1904) was a Canadian journalist and businessman who later moved to the United States. He is best known as a developer in the New York City borough of Staten Island.
Wiman was born in Churchville, Upper Canada (now part of Ontario) on April 21, 1834.
Wiman's first job was at the North American in Toronto (not to be confused with the Philadelphia-based paper) at age 16, as an apprentice printer for a salary of $1.50 a week. After four years, he worked as a reporter and later the business editor for the Toronto Globe. He moved into business for R.G. Dun and Co., becoming the manager of the company's Ontario branch at age 26. At age 33, he was transferred to New York and would become general manager of the company (at this point known as Dun, Barlow & Co.) The firm would later be called Dun, Wiman & Co. He became president of the Great Northwestern Telegraph Company of Canada in 1881.
In the late 1800s, Wiman emerged as a major developer in the New York City borough of Staten Island. As the president of the Staten Island Railway Co. and the St. George Ferry to Manhattan, Wiman pushed to make the borough the center of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's New York operations, and was also involved in one of the early proposals to connect Staten Island to the other four boroughs of the city via a rail tunnel. Wiman later constructed an amusement park near St. George Ferry Terminal, and purchased the Metropolitan Baseball Club which played in the neighborhood. He owned several properties on the island, including a country home on Hylan Boulevard in Eltingville previously owned by Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted.
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