South, Thomas W., 1847-1922

Thomas Winfield South was born in Laurel, Ohio on October 1, 1847. He was the son of Dr. Stephen Benton South (1819-1885) and Abigail Steelman Higbee (Higby) (1826-1885). In 1863 he enlisted in the Union army with the 153rd Ohio Volunteers, but was discharged at his father's urging due to his young age.

South was related on his mother's side to the Disston "Steel" Family, and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1872 to work for Disston & Sons Saw Works, one of the largest saw manufacturing companies in the world. He worked as manager and land-agent for the Disston-owned properties in the Tacony section of the city. South oversaw the implementation of Henry Disston's paternalistic vision of Tacony as an ideal family-centered company town, and was quite influential in this capacity. In his obituary, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin dubbed him the "Father of Tacony."

South became heavily involved in Philadelphia real estate and transportation. He worked very closely with P.E. Costello, a builder and contractor who served as Director of Public Works from 1903 to 1905. South also organized the Tacony Building and Loan Association, for which he worked as treasurer for 42 years. From 1904-1906, Thomas W. South partnered with Frank E. Caven to sell sand and gravel as the firm South & Caven. South served as director of the Suburban Electric Company, and was one of the promoters of the Holmesburg, Frankford and Tacony Electric Railway.

South, a lifelong Republican aligned with the machinery of Philadelphia boss James McManes, was also active in local politics and government. He was a delegate to the convention that elected Rutherford B. Hayes for President. An obituary characterized South's interests: "Having his position at the head of the world famous saw works, he wanted nothing for himself, but was eager to find good places for his protégés in politics... He represented a much higher intellectual type than the ordinary ward politician. He was proud of his personal reputation for integrity." ("'Tom South.'").

By most accounts, South was an efficient judge and bureaucrat. South was appointed Index Clerk in the Recorder of Deeds office under the administration of General Louis Wagner, and then was promoted to special agent in the Revenue Office. In 1875, he was elected magistrate at the Central Police Court in Philadelphia, and was reelected to this post five times. He handled over 100,000 cases before retiring from magisterial duties in 1904. He was elected ward leader for the 41st Ward in 1901. Mayor John Weaver (1903-1907) appointed him Assistant Director of Public Safety in 1905, although South and Director Sheldon Potter were forced to resign the following year. South was appointed to Chief Clerk of the Board of Mercantile Appraisers in 1907, a position he held until his death of a heart attack in 1922.

In 1878, Thomas South married Ida Norman Corbly (1859-1939) with whom he had three children: Blanche Lillian South (1879-1966), Hamilton South (1880-1931), and Effie L. South (1880-1931). Hamilton South married Elizabeth (Elsie) Turnbull (1881-1958), daughter of Charles Turnbull, M.D., in 1905.

Around the late 19th century, many wealthy Philadelphians who suffered from ill health began vacationing in Florida, hoping that the climate would relieve their symptoms. These excursions sometimes inspired them to invest in the largely undeveloped state. South, for instance, who suffered from rheumatism and frequently travelled to St. Lucie, became interested in Florida land development. He was encouraged in this by his cousin and close friend, Hamilton Disston (1844-1896), the largest single investor in Florida's history.

Hamilton Disston ran his father Henry Disston (1819-1878)'s company, Disston & Sons Saw Works, after his father's death. In 1881, Hamilton purchased four million acres of Florida land (reportedly the most land ever purchased by a single person in world history), including Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Gulfport, Tarpon Springs, and St. Petersburg. Before realizing plans to develop his purchase, however, Hamilton's finances were decimated in the Panic of 1893. He committed suicide in 1896, leaving his property holdings to his brother, Jacob Disston (1862-1938).

Jacob Disston teamed up with a group of Philadelphia investors including Frank A. Davis (1850-1917), George Gandy (1851-1937), and Charles R. Hall (1869-1939) to create the St. Petersburg Investment Company. The Investment Company was a holding company with several subsidiaries dedicated to financing various development projects in and around the Disston lands in Florida, including railway, electricity, and building construction. The Investment Company went into receivership during World War I, with Charles M. Allen serving as receiver. The precise relationship between the St. Petersburg Investment Company and Thomas South is unclear, although he was a cousin of the company's founder, Jacob Disston.

Bibliography :

"F.A. Davis, Father of City, Dies at His Home in Philadelphia." St. Petersburg Daily Times . January 13, 1917. Accessed May 14, 2013. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=890&dat=19170113&id=PBdPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rkwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5722,744966

Iatarola, Louis M. and Siobhán Gephart. Images of America: Tacony . Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia, 2000.

"Jacob Disston, Pioneer Land Owner, Passes. The Evening Independent . February 28, 1938. Accessed May 14, 2013. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19380228&id=7w9QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OlUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2864,3204455

Jordan, John W., ed. Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, volume 6. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1914. Accessed September 26, 2011. http://www.archive.org/stream/encyclopediaofpe06jord/encyclopediaofpe06jord_djvu.txt

Michaels, Will. The Making of St. Petersburg . Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2012. Accessed May 14, 2013. http://tinyurl.com/cvgldke

Smith, Rick D. "Historic Landmark Designation of the Man-Jean Hotel, 2349 Central Avenue (HPC Case No. 00-02)." Nomination before St. Petersburg City Council, July 19, 2001. Accessed May 14, 2013. http://www.stpete.org/historic_preservation/historic_landmarks/docs/HPC_00_02.pdf.

"T.W. South Dead; Long in Politics." February 20, 1912. Photocopied clipping found in collection, Box 6, Folder 12.

"'Tom South.'" February 22, 1922. Photocopied clipping found in collection, Box 6, Folder 12.

From the guide to the Thomas W. South papers, 1861-1919, (Historical Society of Tacony)