Born in
Romulus, New York Jeptha Wade was a
member of the
Presbyterian Church there, which his father and mother helped found. In 1847, he was subcontractor for
J.J. Speed and constructed a telegraph line from Detroit to
Jackson, Michigan, where Wade and his son operated the telegraph office. He also connected
Detroit, Michigan, to
Buffalo, New York,
Cleveland to
Cincinnati (Cleveland and Cincinnati Telegraph Company, the Wade Line), and others. Wade moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1856 with his wife and only child, Randall P. Wade (1835–1876). Eventually Randall would supervise the construction of two adjoining mansions with a shared driveway on Cleveland's
Euclid Avenue, called Millionaires' Row. His grandson, Jeptha H. Wade II (1811–1890) commissioned the Cleveland firm of
Hubbell & Benes to design several residences, commercial and public buildings. In 1856 Jeptha helped Hiram Sibley consolidate most of the telegraph industry by forming Western Union through a series of acquisitions and mergers. In 1861, Jeptha Wade joined forces with
Benjamin Franklin Ficklin and
Hiram Sibley to form the
Pacific Telegraph Company. The company's formation completed the linkage between the east and west coast of the United States by
telegraph. Wade became president of Western Union in 1866. A year later he resigned because of ill-health and sold his interests to
Jay Gould, and
William Orton succeeded to the presidency of Western Union. Jeptha was nominated by the
Democratic Party for Representative of
Ohio's 18th congressional district in 1864, but lost. He was an incorporator of the
Cleveland Rolling Mill Company and the
Citizens Savings and Loan Association (becoming its first president), became president of National Bank of Commerce, and served on the board of directors of eight railroads. Wade used his vast wealth to benefit the city of Cleveland. Jeptha Wade was a trustee of the Cleveland Protestant Orphan Asylum (now known as Beech Brook) and financed the construction of its new building on
Saint Clair Avenue in Cleveland. In 1882, he donated of land east of the city for the purpose of creating
Wade Park, which was named in his honor. Wade Park is Cleveland's cultural center surrounded by the
Cleveland Museum of Art, the
Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the
Western Reserve Historical Society and the
Cleveland Botanical Garden. Jeptha Wade partnered with Presbyterian minister Hiram Haydn, along with industrialist Amasa Stone, to create
University Circle. Wade also was heavily involved with the establishment of
Hathaway Brown School, a private academy for young girls and women. He also co-founded the
Case School of Applied Technology, which later became part of
Case Western Reserve University. In addition, Wade served as the first President of the Board of Trustees for
Lake View Cemetery on Cleveland's east side. ==Personal life ==