Edward Tatnall (1782–1856) was an American miller and railroad executive based in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

Early life

Tattnell was a son of

Joseph Tatnall Joseph Tatnall (1740–1813) was an American businessman, who was a prominent Quaker merchant, miller, and banker in Wilmington, Delaware. Early life The only son of Edward and Elizabeth (Pennock) Tatnall, Joseph was born in Wilmington on November ...

, a miller and banker in Wilmington.

Business career

He was a director of the Delaware and Maryland Railroad and of the Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad, two of the four railroads that helped build the first rail link from Philadelphia to Baltimore. In 1838, they merged into the

Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) was an American railroad that operated independently from 1836 to 1881. It was formed in 1836 by the merger of four state-chartered railroads in three Middle Atlantic states to create a ...

. His service is noted on the 1839

Newkirk Viaduct Monument The Newkirk Viaduct Monument (also, Newkirk Monument) is a 15-foot white marble obelisk in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Installed in 1839, it is inscribed with the names of 51 railroad builders and executives, ...

(upon which his name is misspelled as "Tatnell").

Personal life

His grandson, Henry Tatnall (1897–1940), was the Pennsylvania Railroad's first professionally trained vice president in charge of finance (1904–25).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatnall, Edward 1782 births 1856 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives People from Wilmington, Delaware