Thomas Cusack (politician)
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Thomas Cusack | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 4th district | |
In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 | |
Preceded by | Daniel W. Mills |
Succeeded by | James McAndrews |
Personal details | |
Born | Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland | October 5, 1858
Died | November 19, 1926 Oak Park, Illinois | (aged 68)
Political party | Democratic |
Thomas Cusack (October 5, 1858 in
Cusack emigrated with his family from Ireland to New York City in 1861 when he was a young boy. Shortly after the move, his parents died, leaving him and his younger brother orphaned. Cusack was raised by relatives in Chicago, where he received his education and learned how to paint, a skill that ultimately made him a very wealthy man. At the age of 17, Cusack established his own sign painting business, the Thomas Cusack Company, in Chicago, Illinois, making him one of the pioneers in the field of outdoor advertising. The business soon grew to be very profitable, leasing over 100,000 billboards and advertising spaces and turning Cusack into a prosperous and influential Chicagoan.[citation needed]
In addition to business savvy, Cusack had a strong sense of civic duty. In 1890, Mayor of Chicago
At the pinnacle of his success in business, Cusack bought the entire unincorporated town of Cascade, Colorado, at the Ute Pass in the Rocky Mountains. He hired architects and contractors to build a plush mansion nestled in the Ute Pass, which he named "Marigreen Pines" after his wife, Mary Green. Having lived through the Great Chicago Fire and experienced so many early losses in his life, Cusack built Marigreen Pines out of brick, marble and concrete to safeguard his family from harm. Marigreen Pines became a much loved mountain home for Cusack and his family, where he routinely and graciously hosted many friends and relatives, engaging them in lively conversation and debate.[citation needed]
Thomas Cusack died on November 19, 1926, at the age of 68. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois. In the 1970s, Cusack's last surviving daughter donated Marigreen Pines to the Congregation of Holy Cross to serve as their novitiate.[citation needed]
Notes
- ^ Illinois Political Directory, 1899, p172
- United States Congress. "Thomas Cusack (id: C001015)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.