Alexander Diven led effort to bring railroad to Elmira and was an abolitionist in Congress

“Iron Horses Put Elmira on Map Long Before Incorporation,” read the headline, and the 1939 Star-Gazette article noted “the snorting of the ‘iron horse’ when it scarcely had been harnessed to rails, contributed richly to the development of the Village of Newtown into the Queen City.”

A very important “visionary” in bringing the railroad to our community was Alexander S. Diven. He became a director of the New York and Erie Railroad in 1842 and was its attorney until 1865, when he was chosen its vice president.

When he became a director, the railroad was built only to Binghamton, funds were exhausted, and it was proposed that the project be abandoned. Diven opposed that idea and went to work. According to Joyce Tice in “Tri-County Genealogy and History,” “He drew up the bills passed by the Legislature in aid of the road … the first issues of bonds and mortgages were drafted by him, he was commissioner of construction during its’ building. In 1849 he organized the company … who built the road from Binghamton to Corning.”

According to a 1934 Star-Gazette article, “An Erie historian commented on this syndicate (Diven; John Arnot, of Elmira; John Magee and Constant Cook, of Bath; and Charles Cook, of Havana) as follows: The arrangement with the construction company rescued the railroad from inevitable suspension of further construction, awakened new interest in it and insured its completion to the lake without further interruption.”

The Chemung County Historical Journal of June 1967 noted, “In recognition of his great service he was given the honor, in 1851 of making the welcoming address of President Millard Fillmore and Secretary of State Daniel Webster when they arrived in Elmira aboard the Erie in commemoration of the completion of the line from Piermont to Dunkirk.”

Diven was born in Schuyler County on Feb. 10, 1809. At the age of 21, he came to Elmira to study law. Between 1830 and 1845, when he brought his family to Elmira, he traveled the Southern Tier practicing law and served as the Allegany County District Attorney for four years.

The Chemung Historical Journal notes that Diven was politically active. He was “a Democrat casting his first vote for Andrew Jackson; later he followed the tenets of the ‘Free Soil’ element of the Democratic Party and finally joined the Republican Party which he helped organize in New York State." He served in the state senate from 1858 to 1859 and became a member of the 37th Congress in 1861-63.

In Congress, Diven was a staunch supporter of President Lincoln. He favored the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia and introduced the first bill providing for the enlistment of African-American troops in the war.

Ausburn Towner, in his “Our County and Its People,” wrote that “in 1862, upon the personal request of Lincoln, Diven received a leave of absence from Congress to return to Elmira to raise a regiment to fight in the South. Colonel R.B. Van Valkenburgh and Lt. Colonel Diven recruited the 107th New York Volunteers. This regiment was the first one in the state to answer President Lincoln’s call for men in July 1862.” The congressmen represented the 28th and 27th districts, respectively. Diven was the only man on the original muster roll who would become a Civil War general, and he was the only one who would rate a sketch in the "Dictionary of American Biography."

Diven’s view of the situation was expressed in a letter to Charles Cook, of Havana (Montour Falls): “Dear Sir: I shall be with you in a day or two. Don’t say we must resort to drafting. We have not the time to draft. We must end this war soon, or fight the world. We can end it now. We can’t fight the world successfully; you know we can’t” (undated Star-Gazette article on file at the Chemung County Historical Society).

When General Diven had first arrived in Elmira, he had formed the law firm of Diven, Hathaway and Woods. With the end of the war, he returned to his law practice which in 1862 had become the firm of Alexander S. and his son George M. Diven.

In 1868, George M. Diven bought out the bankrupt Elmira Water Company, which had been formed in 1859. According to "Documentary History, American Water Works," the Elmira Water Works Company was incorporated in 1869 by Jervis Langdon, Edwin Eldridge, Alexander S. Diven, George M. Diven, James L. Woods, Uriah S. Lowe and another son, Eugene Diven, "for the purpose of supplying the said city of Elmira with pure and wholesome water.”

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The arrival of Truckson LaFrance in Elmira created another opportunity for the Diven family to serve the community. His work for John Vischer at the Elmira Union Iron Works allowed him to secure several patents. Eventually, they produced a steam fire engine. Their efforts attracted the attention of some wealthy local men, and they bought out the operation on April 17, 1873, forming LaFrance Manufacturing Company. The primary founder-owners were Gen. Alexander S. Diven and his four sons. By July of 1873, they had purchased about 10 acres and constructed a small plant in Southport, producing the first steam engine by the end of the year.

General Diven, “… from its birth has been one of the most intelligent, generous and energetic supporters of Elmira College … for many years chairman of the executive committee of the trustees.” (Elmira Daily Gazette and Free Press, June 11, 1896). Diven also served as chairman of the Arnot Ogden Hospital Board and as an officer of the First Presbyterian Church.

Alexander S. Diven died on June 11, 1896. A month later, the Elmira Daily Gazette and Free Press observed, “It can truly be said that the spirit of a great man has taken its flight, and upon the ‘wings of the morning’ a soul that knew no guile has passed into eternity.”

Jim Hare is a former history teacher and mayor of the City of Elmira. His column appears monthly in the Star-Gazette.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Alexander Diven brought railroad to Elmira, was an abolitionist