Peter Edward Costello

Peter Edward Costello (June 27, 1854 – October 23, 1935) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 5th congressional district from 1915 to 1921. He was born on June 27, 1854, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Edward and Cecelia Costello. Raised in Boston, he attended the public schools there, receiving a basic formal education that preceded his later career in business and public life.

In 1877, Costello moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he embarked on a varied and increasingly prominent career in construction, manufacturing, and real estate development. He worked for eleven years for the firm of Henry Disston & Sons, a major industrial concern in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, gaining experience in industrial operations and local development. Building on this background, he became a significant real estate developer, helping to develop large sections of the Tacony neighborhood. He also entered the field of public utilities and transportation, establishing the Suburban Electric Lighting Company and organizing the Tacony, Holmesburg & Frankford Street Railway Company, which contributed to the expansion of transit and electric service in northeastern Philadelphia.

Costello’s growing business reputation led to more substantial roles in large-scale infrastructure projects. He served as vice president and treasurer of the Millard Construction Company, which was involved in major municipal undertakings, including the construction of the Market Street subway line in Philadelphia. His work in this period reflected a close connection between private enterprise and public infrastructure development, positioning him as a figure of influence in the city’s physical and economic growth at the turn of the twentieth century.

Costello entered public office as a member of the common council of the city of Philadelphia, serving his first tenure from 1895 to 1903. In 1903 he was appointed director of the Department of Public Works of Philadelphia, a position he held until 1905. In that capacity he supervised important municipal improvements, most notably the construction of the Torresdale Water Works, a major facility designed to improve the city’s water supply. His tenure in city government, however, was marked by political controversy. Mayor John Weaver requested the resignations of Costello and David J. Smyth from their city posts after they sponsored legislation granting the United Gas Improvement Company a favorable seventy-five-year lease, which critics contended was detrimental to taxpayers and advanced at the behest of political boss Israel W. Durham. Both Costello and Smyth refused to resign and were dismissed by Mayor Weaver, with the stated reason for Costello’s removal being that he was “serving the interests of the organization and deceiving his superior.” Costello and Smyth challenged their dismissals and were ultimately permitted to retire rather than leave under the cloud of outright removal.

Despite this episode, Costello remained active in Philadelphia politics and returned to the common council, serving again from 1908 to 1915. During his second period on the council, he introduced and supported legislation that funded major transportation improvements, including the creation of Roosevelt Boulevard and the Frankford elevated rail line, both of which became key components of the city’s transportation network. These initiatives underscored his longstanding interest in infrastructure, transit, and urban development.

Costello advanced to national office when he was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-sixth Congresses, representing Pennsylvania’s 5th congressional district from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1921. As a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania, he contributed to the legislative process during three terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history that encompassed World War I and its aftermath. While in Congress, he aligned with the broader Republican program of the era, though detailed records of his specific committee assignments and legislative initiatives are limited in surviving summaries. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1920, thereby concluding his service in the House after six years.

Following his departure from Congress, Costello returned to private life in Philadelphia, where he continued to work in real estate development and investment brokerage. He remained associated with the Tacony area, where he had long been a prominent developer and civic figure. Peter Edward Costello died at his home in the Tacony neighborhood of Philadelphia on October 23, 1935. He was interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, closing a career that spanned local and national public service as well as extensive involvement in the business and infrastructural development of Philadelphia.