George Law (1806-1881)

He was born on his father's dairy farm at Jackson, Washington Co., New York. He was a stonemason by trade who became a self-taught engineer as he won contracts to build canals and railroads. He came to New York City in 1837 and two years later won the contract to build High Bridge over the Harlem River. In the 1840s, he purchased and extended the New York & Harlem Railroad before moving into steamships. He gained a reputation for using the best materials with which to build his ships and earned his nickname for his insistence on using "live oak".

In 1848, he co-founded the U.S. Pacific Mail Steamship Company to run mail to California, holding the U.S. mail delivery monopoly in the Gulf of Mexico. He partnered with William H. Aspinwall in the Panama Railroad; purchased the Staten Island Ferry route among others; purchased the Eighth Avenue Railroad in New York City; and, built the Ninth Avenue Railroad. In 1856, he was nominated as a U.S. vice-presidential candidate. Staten Island's Saint George Terminal is named for him after Erastus Wiman, said "George, if you let me have the option (to lease it again), I will canonize you... I will name the place Saint George", This appealed to Law's sense of humor and the name has stuck. He died at his mansion in Manhattan, 529 Fifth Avenue. In 1833, he married Sarah Anderson of Philadelphia and had seven children, five of whom lived to adulthood: Mrs Charles A. May; Mrs Laurence A. Williams; Mrs Granville Wright; George Jr., and, Samuel.