James P. Mcallister

JAMES P. MCALLISTER

ABUSINESS man of prominent and successful iientincation with varied maritime interest James P. McAllister, of 24 State Street, New York City, whose career has been one which has given him a wide and diversified knowledge f snipping interests in their various phases.

Ele wis born in Ireland, but his parents, James mi Catherine (Reid) McAllister, were citizens. The United States, and he himself arrived in New York when he was three months old. Pie was educated at St. Leonards Academy, at Pub- 1 School No. 22, and St. John's University, Fordham, New York, from which he was graduated in 1886.

After graduation he entered upon maritime life in sail lightering and tugboat work, and afterward advanced until he became master and chief engineer of steam vessels. He spent seventeen years in active harbor and coast work, becoming manager and owner of harbor, coast and ocean-going craft. As manager of the John Ar- buckle Wrecking Company he was active along the coast in wrecking and salvage work, and in conjunction with W. A. Wotherspoon perfected a

compressed air salvage device which was used with great success in the raising of the steamship "Yan- -<ee" and in other specially difficult salvage oper-ations.

He has long been prominent in the lighterage business, is president of the McAllister Lighterage Line, largely engaged in river, harbor, coast and long-distance towing. During the war period and since its close the river, harbor and coast activities, of which he is the executive head, have had a continuous and steady growth. This progress is partly due to the expanded demand for towing, lighterage and similar service, and because of the high reputation built up by his firm during his long connection with these activities. He gives a close personal supervision to all his interests.

During the war Mr. McAllister was Director of Army Floating Equipment, and served at the New York Port of Embarkation as marine expert

for the United States Engineers.

He is president of McAllister Brothers, operating many tank steamers for the United States Shipping Board; and is also actively iden-tified with important shipping operations in the West Indies, South Africa and South American trade with sail and steam. His operations in this trade have been developing with a steady expansion, and besides his connection with ship-ping operations between New York and the West Indies, he has other interests in those islands, being a director of the West India Sugar Cor-poration.

Mr. McAllister, in ad-dition to his activities in business life, takes an interest in public affairs, and is an influential and active member of the Democratic party, which, in 1912, honored him with election as a presidential elector; and he was a member of the Electoral College of 1913, in which year the State of New York cast its electoral vote for Wilson and Marshall. He is a director of the Maritime Association of New York, and through other connections is promi-nently identified with marine affairs.