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James Tillinghast died on October 25, 1898. Mr. Tillinghast was assistant to the president of the New York Central Railroad and president of the Wagner Sleeping Car Company. He was a close friend of Commodore Vanderbilt, who expressed, on more than one occasion, admiration for Mr. Tillinghast's extensive practical knowledge of railroading and respect for his judgment. Mr. Tillinghast was born in Cooperstown, New York in 1822. His working career started as a store clerk. Eventually he would be part owner of a country store. After this he worked on ships and then got interested in the railroad business. In 1882, Mr. Tillinghast came to Buffalo to organize, with two partners, a line of steam propeller ships on the Great Lakes. Subsequently, he was identified with the Michigan, Southern, Buffalo & Erie, and the New York Central roads. When Vanderbilt obtained control of the New York Central Road, one of his first acts was to name Mr. Tillinghast its superintendent with headquarters in Albany. Under his administration, tonnage hauled on that road increased tenfold while freight rates decreased. In 1881, he was appointed assistant to the president of the New York Central Railroad. Mr. Tillinghast was also vice-president of the Niagara River Bridge Company, which built the cantilever bridge at the Falls, opened in 1883. James Tillinghast is buried in section 2 in Forest Lawn.