Joseph J. Slocum

Joseph Jermain Slocum (June 1833 – October 2, 1924) was an American soldier and businessman. Early life Slocum was born in June 1833 in Syracuse, New York. He was a son of Joseph Slocum (1795–1863), one of the pioneer settlers of Syracuse (he was originally from Rensselaer County, New York), and Margaret Pierson ( Germain Slocum (1804–1891). His sister, Margaret Olivia Slocum, was the wife of Russell Sage (from whom she inherited his entire $70 million fortune following his 1906 death). After the Panic of 1837 and the decline of canal traffic following construction of railroads across the state, her father's businesses and warehouses began to fail. His maternal grandfather was Maj. John Jermain, who served in the Westchester Militia during the American Revolution. Career Slocum served "with honor" in the Civil War, and afterward resigned from the Union Army to go into business in Cincinnati. In 1878, he moved to New York to join Russell Sage, his brother-in-law, in business, serving as Receiver, Treasurer, and director of the Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railway. He served as director of the Metropolitan Trust Company until his death.