They Lived Here “DIAMOND JIM BRADY”

While some people adhere to the credo that it is wise to work hard and save every penny for a rainy day, others like “Diamond Jim” Brady, believed money was meant to be spent. As one of the original tycoons in New York City history, Brady was notorious for his lavish lifestyle and an insatiable appetite.
James Buchanan Brady was born on August 12, 1856 on the lower west side of Manhattan. The son of John and Mary A. Brady, he came from a hard-working Irish family. Contributing to the family’s income, he worked as a bellboy and a messenger. Despite his modest upbringing, Brady had a great appreciation for the finer things in life. Moving to Queens during his heyday, Brady lived at 270th Street between 77th Avenue and Union Turnpike in Glen Oaks.
As a young boy, Brady displayed the fierce drive that successful entrepreneurs often have. Taking notice of the unique opportunity presenting itself in the railroad system, Brady made an effort to familiarize himself with the industry.
He began as a baggage handler at a local railroad station, carefully observing workers and learning the nuances of the railways on his own. By the age of 21, he had worked his way up to the chief assistant to the general manager of the New York Central Railroad system. Brady is often remembered as the man who spearheaded the changeover to steel railroad cars from wooden ones for the sake of safety.
Showing an extraordinarily tenacious work ethic at such a young age, Brady became a sales representative for Manning, Maxwell and Moore, a major railroad equipment firm, at the age of 23. With his hands-on knowledge and masterful sales skills, Brady was able to arrange multimillion-dollar railroad deals almost immediately.
He quickly established the great fortune he had always desired. With his refined tastes and a penchant for luxury, Brady took advantage of all the extravagance New York had to offer. “If you’re going to make money, you have to look like money,” he said.
As a frequent visitor of Broadway, Brady had a passion for clothes. He put together a wardrobe of 200 custom-made suits and 50 glossy silk hats. He also had an eye for expensive jewelry, diamonds being his best friend.
Throughout his life, Brady accumulated a precious stone and jewelry collection worth in excess of $2 million in 19th Century dollars. He paid $87,315 for a set of shirt studs, vest studs, and cuff links; his diamond rings were among the largest in New York.
Among his 30 celebrated timepieces was a watch appraised at $17,500 after his death. For his unabashed display of wealth, Brady earned the nickname “Diamond Jim.” He was known to be the first person to own a car in New York City in 1895.
Aside from his clothes and jewelry, Brady was quite the gastronista of the time. His breakfast usually consisted of eggs, pancakes, pork chops, cornbread, fried potatoes, hominy, muffins, and a beefsteak; he would wash all of that down with a gallon of orange juice, or “golden nectar,” as he called it. For lunch, he might have two lobsters, deviled crabs, clams, oysters and beef, with a few pies for dessert.
The evening meal began with an appetizer of two or three dozen oysters, six crabs, and a few servings of green turtle soup, followed by a main course of two whole ducks, six or seven lobsters, a sirloin steak, two servings of terrapin and vegetables. For dessert, Brady savored pastries and a two-pound box of candy. George Rector, owner of Brady’s favorite restaurant, often called Brady, “the best 25 customers I ever had.”
While Brady never married or had any children, his estimated $12 million fortune was distributed to many institutions. In 1912, a large sum of his money was donated to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland where Brady was once treated. The hospital created the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute in his honor.