John Wilkinson

Who was John Wilkinson?

John Wilkinson was a lawyer and first Postmaster of community known as Bogardus Corners, Cossit's Corners and Salina in Central New York. As a young man, Wilkinson took inspiration from a poem about an ancient city and named the new village, Syracuse just in time for the opening of the Erie Canal. Wilkinson was a prominent citizen in Syracuse and was an original town planner and helped lay out and name the village streets. He also served as an assemblyman and founded the Syracuse Bank in 1838.

He was a close friend of Unitarian minister, Samuel Joseph May, the fiery abolitionist. Wilkinson was an out-spoken advocate of the anti-slavery movement. His grandson, also named John Wilkinson, was chief engineer at Franklin Automobile Company where he invented the air-cooled motor used in the Franklin automobile which was manufactured in Syracuse for 35 years.