John Hennessy Saul

John Hennessy Saul (December 25, 1819 – May 11, 1897) was an Irish-born American horticulturist and landscape architect who assisted in the planning and the development of the National Mall in Washington D.C. and served as the first chairman of Washington D.C.’s parks commission.

John Hennessy Saul
BornDecember 25, 1819
County Cork, Ireland
DiedMay 11, 1897(1897-05-11) (aged 86)
NationalityUnited States
Occupationlandscape architect
Known fordevelopment of the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Spouse(s)Rosina Mary Lawley
ChildrenBernard Francis Saul
Parent(s)Mary Hennessy Saul
James Saul
FamilyBernard Frances Saul II (great-grandson)

Early life

John Hennessy Saul was born in County Cork, Ireland, the son of James Saul (1779-1869) and Mary Hennessy (1790-1880), both also born in County Cork. His surname is of Norman-Irish origin being a corruption of DeSalle. Saul worked in various nurseries in the British Isles, assisting his father, eventually becoming a manager of several nurseries.[1] In 1841 he was recorded as working as a gardener at Llantarnam Abbey whilst the rest of his family were with their father who was working on the estate at East Cowes Castle.[2]

Career
A plaque on E Street NW southeast of the White House

In 1851, he emigrated to the US preceded by his brother, also a horticulturalist, who had emigrated in 1849, to work for noted landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing.[1][3][4] From 1851 to 1853, he was responsible along with William Dunlop Brackenridge for improving the National Mall, Lafayette Square, and the Smithsonian Museum grounds.[1][5]

In 1852, he started a seed business. In 1854, Saul became the first Chairman of Washington’s Parks commission, the forerunner of the Park and Planning Commission for the city.[6] In 1854, he purchased his first nursery and in 1872, he purchased his second. He operated twenty greenhouses using his horticultural skills to create numerous new varieties of plants. He was a member of the American Society of Florists and was a frequent contributor to the journal The Horticulturalist.[1]

Personal life

He married Rosina Mary Lawley, daughter of a German clockmaker, Josef Laule, later anglicised to Joseph Lawley. She was born in Bath, Somerset, England in 1825 and they married in a Catholic ceremony in Bath in 1850.[1][2] He died on May 11, 1897.[1] His son, Bernard Francis Saul (January 16, 1872 - February 1, 1931) was the founder Washington D.C.'s first mortgage bank, the B. F. Saul Company.

References
  1. Tree Culture or a Sketch of Nurseries in the District of Columbia by John Saul Columbia Historical Society Records, Volume 10 (Washington, D.C.) - April 9, 1906
  2. "Lawleys of Bath Tree". Ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  3. Junior Achievement of Washington D.C.: Washington Business Hall of Fame > History > Past Laureates > 1989 > B. F. Saul Archived 2013-10-21 at the Wayback Machine retrieved August 3, 2013
  4. Chevy Chase Trust website: "Chevy Chase Trust Company and Its Heritage – Part 3: The Growth of American Security and Trust" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine retrieved August 3, 2013
  5. On this Spot: Pinpointing the Past in Washington, Part 3 - By Douglas E. Evelyn, Paul Dickson retrieved August 3, 2013
  6. B.F. Saul Company website: "A Brief History of the Company" retrieved August 3, 2013


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