Diamond Jim Brady

For other people named James Brady, see James Brady (disambiguation).

James B. Brady
Diamond Jim Brady c. 1900
Born	James Buchanan Brady (1856-08-12)August 12, 1856 New York City, New York
Died	Atlantic City, New Jersey
Cause of death	Myocardial infarction
Body discovered	Shelburne Hotel
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery
Other names	"Diamond Jim" "Diamond Jim Brady"
Occupation	American businessman Financier Philanthropist Railroad business magnate
Years active	61
Known for	Penchant for diamonds, precious stones, and jewelry Voracious appetite
Parent(s)	John Brady Mary A. Lucas

James Buchanan Brady (August 12, 1856 – April 13, 1917), also known as Diamond Jim Brady, was an American businessman, financier, and philanthropist of the Gilded Age.

Life and career

Born in New York City to a modest household, Brady worked his way up from bellhop and courier. After gaining employment in the New York Central Railroad system, he became the chief assistant to the general manager by the age of 21. At 23, Brady parlayed his knowledge of the rail transport industry and its officials to become a highly successful salesman for Manning, Maxwell and Moore, a railroad supply company. In 1899 he became Sales Agent for the Pressed Steel Car Company.

Known for his penchant for jewels, especially diamonds, he collected precious stones and jewelry in excess of US$ 2 million (equivalent to approximately $56,888,000 in 2024 dollars).

Brady's enormous appetite was as legendary as his wealth, though modern experts believe it was greatly exaggerated. It was not unusual, according to the legend, for Brady to eat enough food for 10 people at a sitting. George Rector, owner of a favorite restaurant, described Brady as "the best 25 customers I ever had." In the book Fenton And Fowler's Best, Worst, and Most Unusual (1976), Brady was listed in the chapter "Food" as having the "Best Appetite". For breakfast, he would eat "vast quantities of hominy, eggs, cornbread, muffins, flapjacks, chops, fried potatoes, beefsteak, washing it all down with a gallon of fresh orange juice." A mid-morning snack would consist of "two or three dozen clams or Lynnhaven oysters." Luncheon would consist of "shellfish...two or three deviled crabs, a brace of boiled lobsters, a joint of beef, and an enormous salad." He would also include a dessert of "several pieces of homemade pie" and more orange juice. Brady would take afternoon tea, which consisted of a "another platter of seafood, accompanied by two or three bottles of lemon soda." Dinner was the main meal of the day, taken at Rector's Restaurant. It usually comprised "two or three dozens oysters, six crabs, and two bowls of green turtle soup. Then in sumptuous procession came six or seven lobsters, two canvasback ducks, a double portion of terrapin, sirloin steak, vegetables, and for dessert a platter of French pastries." Brady would even include two pounds of chocolate candy to finish off the meal.

"Diamond Jim" is known for his longtime relationship with actress and singer Lillian Russell. It is said that her eating habits were a perfect match for his own.

A gregarious man, Brady was a mainstay of Broadway nightlife. He often dined with popular society. After further investments in the stock market, Brady accumulated wealth estimated at $12 million, though not always by ethical means. According to one anecdote:

Biographer Harry Paul Jeffers wrote, "On election night (1896), Brady won about $180,000 (equivalent to approximately $5,119,920 in 2024 dollars) by making crooked bets on the William McKinley-William Jennings Bryan presidential election." He also enriched himself to the tune of $1.25 million (equivalent to approximately $35,555,000 in 2024 dollars) through a shady stock deal involving the Reading Railroad.

He was known for being the first person in New York City to own an automobile (in 1895).

Brady donated a significant sum in 1912 to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where he had once been treated. The hospital created the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute in his honor.

Death

Brady died in his sleep on April 13, 1917, of a heart attack.

Brady had never married, and after his death his estate was distributed to many institutions, most notably New York Hospital. When his body was examined, doctors discovered that his stomach was six times the size of that of an average person.

Legacy

Brady was the inspiration for a 1935 film written by Preston Sturges entitled Diamond Jim and might have inspired a character called "Big Jim" in the Bob Dylan song, "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts."

Brady is mentioned in an episode of I Love Lucy (S04E01), to describe a very generous person (Ricky to Fred: "Mr. Hickox? He makes you look like Diamond Jim Brady!").

Brady was mentioned in the Jerry Herman musical Hello, Dolly!, in the song "Elegance." The lyrics refer to many wealthy, upper-class figures from the 19th century, including Brady.

Brady's appetite is immortalized at Lawry's Prime Rib Restaurants with a 16 ounce, two-inch-thick prime rib.

Brady was the protagonist of the fictional film Bonjour, Diamond Jim that was featured in the 2012 film Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

Brady was mentioned in Caleb Carr's novel "The Angel of Darkness", follow up novel to "The Alienist", where he is introduced as one of the patrons of the Canfield Casino.

A story about Brady is told in Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Jailbird", in which Brady, while dining at the famous Hotel Arapahoe, eats four dozen oysters, four lobsters, four chickens, four squabs, four T-bone steaks, four pork chops, and four lamb chops - on a bet.

In his 1969 novel "The Delta Factor", Mickey Spillane made a reference to Brady, describing a casino in a fictional, corrupt Latin American country: "There was a Diamond Jim Brady atmosphere and you could almost hear the money rustle in the thick wallets of the patrons."

Brady was mentioned in "The Odd Couple" (1968) by Oscar Madison (Walter Matthau) to sarcastically describe Felix Unger (Jack Lemmon) for ordering only a hot tea in the diner.

Brady was mentioned in "The Wonder Years" (1989) in "The Cost of Living" (Season 4, Episode 4) when narrator Kevin Arnold (Daniel Stern) refers to wealthy student Mark Kovinsky (Justin Whalin) as "Diamond Jim Kovinsky".

In the Family Guy episode "No Meals on Wheels", Peter refers to a customer in his restaurant as Diamond Jim Brady for asking if the restaurant accepts Discover Card.

Brady inspired Monty Python's Flying Circus to create the fictional character Mr Creosote, who appeared in The Meaning of Life'.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Jeffers, Harry Paul. Diamond Jim Brady: Prince of the Gilded Age, New York: Wiley, 2001.

Further reading

• Gourmandizer.com
• "Whether True or False, A Real Stretch" New York Times (December 20, 2008)

External links

• Gilding the Gilded Age: Interior Decoration Tastes & Trends in New York City A collaboration between The Frick Collection and The William Randolph Hearst Archive at LIU Post.