Joseph Calleia (1897 - 1975)

Joseph Calleia was born in Notabile in the Crown Colony of Malta on August 4, 1897. His father was an architect. Calleia studied at St. Julian’s and St. Aloysius Colleges. At age 12 he used the English pound given to him for Christmas to buy two dozen harmonicas, and organized a local band whose performances were […]

Joseph Campbell (1904 - 1987)

Mythologist, Author. He became fascinated with Native American culture as a child and this lead to a lifelong interest in mythology and religion, in particular the similar themes that were found across various cultures throughout history. A professor at Sarah Lawrence College for thirty-eight years he was the author of several books, including “The Hero […]

Joseph Carter Abbott (1825 - 1881)

Abbott was born in Concord, New Hampshire, and graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1846, having studied there and under private auspices. He studied law at Concord, and was admitted to the bar in 1852. From 1852 to 1857, Abbott was the owner and editor of the Daily American newspaper, in Manchester, New […]

Joseph Catania (1902 - 1931)

Organized Crime Figure. Known as “Joe Baker”, he was a top Captain to Joe “the Boss” Masseria during the Castellammarese War. On February 3, 1931, future mob informant Joseph Valachi, then a soldier loyal to Salvatore Maranzano, shot him six times while he was walking on a street in the Bronx. He died in the […]

Joseph Cattarinich (1881 - 1938)

Professional Hockey Pioneer, Team Owner. Born on the St. Lawrence River, near Quebec City, Quebec, in 1881, he played hockey from a very young age. He later played for the Montreal Nationals. He met a young man named Georges Vezina while playing with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1909-1910 season.  George wa an up and […]

Joseph Cawthorn (1868 - 1949)

Joseph Cawthorn (March 29, 1868, New York City, New York – January 21, 1949, Beverly Hills, California) was an American stage and film comic actor. Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debuting at Robinson’s Music Hall in his hometown of New York in 1872. He appeared in minstrel shows and vaudeville as a […]

Joseph Charless, Sr (1772 - 1834)

Founder of the first newspaper established in St. Louis, Missouri. Of Welsh origin, his family moved to Ireland in 1663 and as a young man he participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. After the failure of that patriotic movement he fled to France and from there came to the United States. He was a […]

Joseph Colombo (1924 - 1978)

Joseph Colombo Joseph Colombo Sr., the reputed Mafia leader who was a founder of the Italian‐American Civil Rights League —and who was gunned down and left almost totally paralyzed at a 1971 league rally in Columbus Circle — died Monday night at St. Luke’s Hospital in Newburgh, N.Y. He would have been 55 years old […]

Joseph Conrad (1857 - 1924)

Author. Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in Berdyczów, now in the Ukraine, he changed his name to Joseph Conrad in 1886 when he became a British citizen, and gained his Master Mariner’s Certificate. He retired from the sea in 1894, after various adventures including gun-running and duelling, which served him well as material for his […]

Joseph Cornell (1903 - 1972)

Avant-garde Sculptor,  Filmaker.  A pioneer of assemblage art,  he is noted for his boxes created with collages and found objects.  He took old photographs, images of exotic birds, bits of fabric,  miniature toys, and other discarded bric-a-brac and arranged them into enigmatic compositions.  A typical Cornell box is fronted with glass and evokes an overall […]

Joseph Cotten (1905 - 1994)

Actor. His career spanned the American film, stage, and televisions genres. He was born in Petersburg, Virginia where his father was an assistant postmaster. After high school he studied acting at the Hickman School of Speech and Expression in Washington, DC and then worked as an advertising agent. His work as a theater critic led […]

Joseph Coveney (1805 - 1897)

‘Freethinker.’ Born in County Cork, Ireland. He is buried near his Monument to Freethought, which was erected in 1874. The monument has many inscriptions, including: FREE THOUGHT, FREE RELIGION, FREE SPEECH, AND FREE PRESS.  Family links:  Spouse:  Louisa Roe Coveney (1819 – 1894)*  Children:  Melissa Jane Coveney Tennant (1838 – 1903)*  Catherine Coveney McCracken (1840 […]

Joseph Crehan (1883 - 1966)

Actor. Prolific Hollywood character player. Born Joseph Creaghan in Baltimore, he began performing in regional theatres in the early 1900s and made his Broadway debut in 1914. Apart from an isolated silent screen appearance in “Under Two Flags” (1916), he showed no interest in movies until the arrival of talkies. Stocky and severe-looking, Crehan was […]

Joseph Doty Oliver (1850 - 1933)

Businessman. Assumed the controls of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works and continued in charge until his death in 1933. He built the mansion Copshaholm and lived there from 1897 till his death. His remains lie in the family Mausoleum. (bio by: Tom Kepshire)

Joseph Effner (1687 - 1745)

Architect and Master Builder.  Joseph Effner was born in Dachau, Bayern Province, Germany and died in Munich, Germany. A German master builder, landscape gardener and decorator, Joseph Effner descended from several generations of gardeners. Effner (originally opener) is the name of a Bavarian gardener and architect dynasty. In the beginning Joseph Effner likewise became a […]

Joseph Ellicott (1760 - 1826)

Surveyor, Land Agent. Founder of Batavia, New York and Buffalo, New York. Trained as a surveyor by his brother, United States Surveyor-General Andrew Ellicott, he was also the brother of Congressman Benjamin Ellicott. Joseph and Benjamin helped Andrew complete the survey of Washington D.C. In 1797, he was hired by a group of six Dutch […]

Joseph Force Crater (1889 - 1930)

New York Supreme Court Judge.  Born in Easton, Pennsylvania. Joseph was one of four children born to his father, Frank E. Crater, an orchard owner and operator of a produce market and the former Leila Virginia Montague. Joseph began to show a passion for music during his youth, and was encouraged by his mother to […]

Joseph Foxcroft Cole (1837 - 1892)

Acclaimed Artist. Apprentice with artist Winslow Homer. Best known for his works of ‘Coast of Normandy’, and ‘The Aberjond’, both can be seen in the Winchesster Library in Massachusetts. (bio by: Laurie)

Joseph Gallo (1912 - 1995)

Organized Crime Figure. He was the Consigliere of the Gambino Organized Crime Family during the reigns of Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano and for a short time, John Gotti. After Gotti took control of the Family he removed Gallo as Consigliere and replaced him with Sammy (The Bull) Gravano. Gravano would later become the Underboss of […]

Joseph Goldsborough Bruff (1804 - 1889)

Artist. Historian. In the 1840s, he worked for the United States Bureau of Topographical Engineers where he created many of the maps used by the United States government, including maps of battle sites from the war with Mexico. In 1849, he was among the “49ers” who headed west during the California Gold Rush. He was […]

Joseph Griesedieck (1863 - 1938)

Griesedieck was a founder of Griesedieck Brothers Brewing Company, later Falstaff Brewing Company. He was a brewer in St. Louis for over 50 years. Born in Germany, Joseph came to the U.S. as a youth, working for a time in breweries in the East. Coming to St. Louis, he managed several breweries before becoming the […]

Joseph Grubb Alexander (1887 - 1932)

Motion Picture Screenwriter. A former civil engineer, he started his career as a vaudeville songwriter and later wrote plays. He began writing motion picture screenplays with Universal Studios in the mid-1910s and worked on a number of serials.  He later wrote for Fox Studios and signed a contract with Warner Brothers in 1928. In all, […]

Joseph Henry Bush (1970 - 1865)

Artist. A portraitist, he studied under famed artist Thomas Sully in Philadelphia from 1814 to 1817 in an apprenticeship financed by statesman Henry Clay. Painted well known subjects such as Henry Clay, Dr. Benjamin Dudley and Zachary Taylor. One portrait of President Taylor crafted by Bush is now displayed in the White House Collection in […]

Joseph Hopkins Millard (1836 - 1922)

US Senator. He came to the United States when he was 14 years old. The family settled in Jackson County, Iowa. He came to Omaha in October 1856 to work in the real estate firm of Barrows Millard & Company. In January 1867 he became the cashier of the Omaha National Bank. Later he was […]

Joseph Horace Eaton (1815 - 1896)

Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. An 1835 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, during the Mexican War he was an aide to General Zachary Taylor and was twice promoted and cited for gallantry, first at the Battle of Monterey and then at the Battle of Buena Vista. Following […]

Joseph Jacobs (1859 - 1929)

Businessman. A pharmacist, he first introduced what was to be known as “Coca-Cola” to the drinking public on May 8, 1886. It had been invented in 1885 by John S. Pemberton.

Joseph John “Joe” Papike (1914 - 1967)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Eveleth, Minnesota, Papike played the position of Right Wing for teams in the NHL, TBSHL, AHA, CHL, and the EAHL hockey leagues. At 5’11”, and 175lbs, Papike played for the Virginia Rockets from 1931 to 1932, Eveleth Rangers from 1932 to 1934, Baltimore Orioles from 1934 to 1935, Wichita […]

Joseph Jukes (1811 - 1869)

A Sketch of the Physical Structure of Australia … could be considered as Joseph Jukes’ finest or most important contribution to Australian geology. It contained the very first ever complete map of the continent of Australia, imperfect as it was. He designed this map based on a vast collection of notes he had gathered, and […]

Joseph Kane (1894 - 1975)

Jasper Joseph Inman Kane (March 19, 1894, San Diego – August 25, 1975, Santa Monica, California) was an American film director, film producer, film editor and screenwriter. He is best known for his extensive directorship and focus on Western films. Joseph Kane began his career as a professional cellist. In 1934 he took an interest in […]

Joseph Kearns (1907 - 1962)

Joseph Kearns He was a versatile character performer fondly remembered for his role as Mr. Wilson on the CBS “Dennis the Menace” television series. He began his acting career on radio in the 1930s, appearing on such programs as “The Adventures of Sam Spade”, “The Jack Benny Show”, “My Little Margie” and “It’s a great […]