Fitler Square is well known across the city for its beautiful parks, popular small businesses, and its close proximity to the Schuylkill River. But those aware of the neighborhood’s history know that it was not always the residential haven that exists today; prior to the 1890s, the neighborhood now known as Fitler Square did not even have a formal name. But that all changed due to the life and works of a very important man in Philadelphia’s history: Edwin Henry Fitler, the namesake of Fitler Square.

Edwin Henry Fitler, the 100^th Mayor of Philadelphia, was born on December 2^nd, 1825 in the Kensington neighborhood. His parents, William and Elizabeth Fitler, owned a leather tanning and manufacturing business. Not much is known about his childhood, but according to the 1884 book History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884 by John Thomas Scharf, Edwin was born “at the old Fitler homestead” on 2^nd Street and Otter Street, an intersection which no longer exists.

Fitler’s initial plan was to pursue a career in law, and after receiving an education he got his first job in the offices of Charles E. Lex, a notable lawyer who later became the city solicitor. However, he found himself dissatisfied with his occupation and decided to pursue a different career path: according to Scharf’s book, “He learned enough law to know when and how to keep out of its entanglements. But his tastes and inclinations were almost entirely toward mechanical and industrial pursuits, and he finally concluded to abandon his legal studies for more congenial associations.”

Following this decision, Fitler found employment at the cordage factory of George J. Weaver in 1846. After over a decade of diligent work, Fitler bought the business from Weaver, founding Edwin H. Fitler & Co. along with his two sons, Edwin Jr. and William. He greatly expanded the business, and according to Scharf, “at the present time (1884) there [was] no other manufactory in the United States which [produced] so great a quantity of material as does the firm of Edwin H. Fitler & Co.”

Due to his vast success in the cordage business, Fitler became involved in numerous organizations of finance, politics and more. By 1870, he was president of the Cordage Association of the United States, as well as being a director of the North Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the Northern Liberties Bank, the Northern Liberties Gas Company, and the Arch Street Theatre Company. He was very influential in the Republican Party, becoming one of Philadelphia’s Republican presidential electors in 1876. His importance grew to the point that in the 1880s, as Scharf put it, “there is, probably, no man in private life in Philadelphia whose name is more widely known throughout the State than is that of Mr. Fitler.”

A portion of his fame was due to his avowed support of the Union cause during the Civil War. He served as the 10^th president of Philadelphia’s Union League and organized a delegation of his own employees to serve as soldiers for the Union. According to the book Chronicle of the Union League of Philadelphia, 1862-1902, “Mr. Fitler’s support of the Federal Government during the War of Rebellion was deserving of the highest commendation.”

Largely due to his fame and success, Fitler was easily elected Mayor of Philadelphia in 1887, serving until his term ended in 1891. He was elected by the widest popular vote margin in the city’s history to that point. Not much is remembered about his term as mayor, but it was not without its difficulties, as the city had just recently passed a new charter known as the Bullitt Bill which massively expanded the powers and responsibilities of the mayor’s office. However, his performance in office was evidently highly regarded, as in 1888 he received the vote of the Philadelphia delegation of the Republican National Convention for President of the United States. Despite this, Fitler decided not to campaign, and lost the nomination to Benjamin Harrison, a Union soldier and Indiana senator who became the country’s 23^rd president.

After his single term as mayor, Fitler spent his final years mainly at his estate in Torresdale with his wife, Josephine. He passed away on May 31^st, 1896, and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery. In that same year, a city ordinance created Fitler Square in his honor on the grounds of a former brickyard, and the name was later applied to the area surrounding the park. At that time, what is now known as Fitler Square was a very different neighborhood: it had been an important location for brickmaking, shipbuilding, and shipping from the 1700s to the late 1800s. However, by the 1870s, the increasing size of boats caused most shipbuilders and shippers to move their business from the Schuylkill to the deeper Delaware River.

By the time Fitler Square was dedicated in 1896, the neighborhood surrounding it had become mainly residential. However, it suffered from a lack of economic development and by the early 20^th century had largely fallen into disrepair. Despite the blight of the area, its potential was seen by a few wealthy benefactors, including James P. Methany, a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, and Joseph H. Horn, part-owner of the large food service company Horn & Hardart. The two decided to construct new homes in the neighborhood, one of which still stands today at 2410 Pine Street. This attracted other wealthy families to the area, who began to reshape the neighborhood.

Following the combined efforts of private citizens, government acts such as the Clean Streams Act of 1937, and grassroots organizations like the Schuylkill River Park Development Corp and Fitler Square Improvement Association, the Fitler Square neighborhood was completely revitalized by the 1980s. It has now become one of Philadelphia’s most well-regarded neighborhoods for its community-oriented atmosphere. Today, Edwin Henry Fitler’s prized values of civic engagement and patriotism are still very much alive in the neighborhood.