- John Darragh
John Darragh (1772–
May 13 ,1828 ) was a U.S. politician. He served as theMayor of Pittsburgh from 1817 to 1825.Early life
Darragh was born in
Ireland and early in life immigrated to Pittsburgh. He began his career as a merchant on Fourth Avenue between Wood Street and Smithfield Street in the city. Darragh eventually parlayed his success as merchant into becoming the president of the Bank of Pittsburgh.Pittsburgh politics
John Darragh became mayor of Pittsburgh on
January 14 ,1817 on the sudden retirement ofEbenezer Denny because of health concerns. His tenure as mayor saw the construction of sidewalks and street drainage systems. The start of a city wide water system also took root during his service.John Darragh also hosted world leaders for the first time in Pittsburgh's history. U.S. President
James Monroe visited Pittsburgh onSeptember 5 ,1817 touring military installations around the area including theAllegheny Arsenal .French statesmen and general
Marquis de Lafayette also visited Pittsburgh with John Darragh as host onMay 30 ,1825 .Later life
On Wednesday
May 13 ,1828 , Darragh died after a long fight with consumption.Honors
Darragh Street near the
University of Pittsburgh is named for John Darragh.References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
