The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-01
JAMEs n. pREsLIN DEAD.
Had been Manager OF Many Of the Country's
Leading Hotels.

James II. Breslin, the hotel man, died
early yesterday morning at the Hotel VOL
oott, in East T~hirty-first street, OF which
he wa managing director, after an Illness
Of more than a year. The cause OF his
death was Bright's disease, but 1t was only
during the last few months that he was
forced to give up personal supervision OF
the various interests with which he was
associated.
Jim" Breslin, as he was known to his
friends, was born 70 years ago in the little
town of Waterford, n, Y. He drifted into
Saratoga a small boy and started his hotel
career answering fronts" and ice waters"
as a bellboy in the United States Hotel.
He went next to Congress Hall, then to Union
Hall, and became the mana ger OF the Grand
Union during his hotel training at the Spa.
Then New York claimed him in 1859 as
the room clerk at the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
where he got a salary Of 5000, a record
for those times. He drifted to the st.
James soon after this and also to the st.
Nicholas. When the Gilsey House was
erected in 1871 Breslin was selected to
manage it. It looked then a big under;
taking and william H. Vanderbilt told
Breslin to go ahead, as he would back him
in the enterprise. The hotel was a success
and Breslin's fame asa hotel keeper spread
to all parts of the country. 1t seemed as if
every hotel needed him to manage 1t.
Breslin in his time conducted the Willard
in Washington, the Southern in St. Louis,
had a part interest in the Auditorium at
Chicago, for everal years ran the Edge
mere at Edgemere. l.. l.. and the Manhattan
Beach, Oriental and Brighton Beach hotels,
all at the same time.
Breslin suffered more or less notoriety
while managing the Gilsey House by issuing
an order banishing all prize fighters from
the place. This followed a row between
Jim Corbett and Kid Mccoy in the lobby Of
the hotel. To make matters worse for
Breslin. he was sued for $4,000 damages
by Robert Fitzsimmons. The Cornishmlan
thought his reputation had been damaged
to that extent because Breslin had said that
Fitz was a party to the row. The suit was
settled.
When Breslin left the Gilsey House several
years g his funds were very low. A
number of friends came to his rescue and
organized a company which secured the
capital to build the Hotel Wolcott, which
Breslin managed up to his death. Tn
triumph Of his hotel career came with the
building of the Hotel Breslin. The cor
building and named it after the man they
selected to run it left to Breslin the task Of
drawing the plans for and experimenting
every detail Of its construction. =. a
Fol-, many years Mr., Breslin had beeh
and before his health gave way he was
famous as an after-dinner speaker. He
was also president of the Congress Hotel
Company, an official of the Brooklyn
Heights Realty Company, Of the Knicker-
booker Trust Company and of the Garfield
Bank.
Three daughters and two ons survive
Mr.. Breslin. Two of the daughters are
married. One is the wife Of Charles B.
Dana and the other of Grant Shepard.
Funeral services will be held at Mr.. Bres-
Inns residence, 283 Lexington avenue, to-
morrow afternoon by the Rev. DR.. George
C.. Houghton Of the Little Church Around
the Corner, after which the body will be
taken to Saratoga for burial. Mr.. Breslin
was a member Of the Lambs, the Phoenix
and the Manhattan clubs, a director Of the
Knickerbocker Trust Company and the
Garfield National Bank