Nov. 14, 1934
Casey, Jermyn dead
The city of Scranton lost two people that left their mark on the Electric City — former Mayor Edmund B. Jermyn and businessman and hotel owner P.J. Casey.
Edmund B. Jermyn
Jermyn, twice mayor of Scranton, died Nov. 14, 1934, at his home in Clarks Summit. He was 67.
Before entering politics in 1913, Jermyn worked for his father, John, managing mining properties. He later started his own mining company and organized the Archbald Bank.
He was elected mayor of Scranton in 1913. During his first term, residents found he ran the city well. He didn’t seek reelection in 1917 because he wanted to return to his private life.
He was elected mayor a second time in 1925 by defeating Police Chief M.J. McHugh. The race between the two was described as “one of the bitterest fights in the political history of the city.” After leaving office in 1929, he returned to his business life.
Jermyn was involved with the Wayne County Fair Association and was a member of several sports and fraternal organizations.
He was survived by his wife, Mary, and two children, Elizabeth and William; and five grandchildren.
P.J. Casey
Casey, businessman and hotel operator, died Nov. 13, 1934, at the Post Graduate Hospital in New York City, where he had been a patient since Nov. 10. He was 65.
Casey got his start in business when he joined his brothers in their wholesale liquor business, Casey Brothers. Later the brothers entered the brewing business with Pennsylvania Central Brewing Co..
Casey’s next business venture left a mark on Scranton. Construction got underway in 1909 for the Hotel Casey. The grand hotel, at Adams and Lackawanna avenues, formally opened in 1911. Years later, Casey added a 500-car garage to his hotel. The garage was considered “one of the finest buildings of its sorts in this part of the country.”
In addition to his business interests, Casey was a member of several social and fraternal organizations. He helped to form the Cathedral Cadets and a summer camp for boys at Moosic Lake.
Casey was survived by his wife, Bridget, two daughters and seven sons, and two sisters.
BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.