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

Early life and education

O'Donnell was born on October 1, 1792, in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. 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 ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 102,287 at the 2022 census, Limerick is the third- ...

, 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 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...

, east of

Fell's Point Fell's Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore, Maryland, established around 1763 along the north shore of the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, Baltimore Harbor and the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River. ...

." 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 parts of the Ea ...

, a 1,628 estate in Howard County known as Never Die, and 3,000 acres in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. 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 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, 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 were driven from the field, they were able to do so in g ...

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 ...

's Maryland Militia 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 (locomotive), Tom Thumb'', founded the Cooper Union ...

. 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 and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

and the Union Bank of Baltimore. He was also an original member of the Maryland Club 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. Among her siblings were sisters Henriette (wife of French Gen. Jean-Jacques Reubell, who came to Baltimore with

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

), and Josephine (wife of James Gallatin, 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 so ...

and

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

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 legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

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 is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

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 th ...

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

Adrian Iselin Adrian Georg Iselin (January 17, 1818March 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 broth ...

. * 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 American politician, planter, and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only Catholic signatory ...

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 and education Carroll was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 3 ...

, 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, patriot and politician who served as Maryland Governor for five one-year terms (1779-1783 and 1792-1794), as well as in the Congress of the Confederation (1783–84) ...

, 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 w ...

) and lived in

Montreux, Switzerland Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut district in the canton of Vaud, having a population of approximately 26,500, with about 85,00 ...

. 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 th ...

(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 Donne ...

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

References

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