WI BIO - Dane Co - NADER, John
Biographical Review of Dane County, WI. Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co. 
1893, Vol I, pp 215-216

John NADER, architect and civil engineer, is one of the oldest and most 
proficient of his profession in the city of Madison [Dane County, WI]. He 
came to Wisconsin in 1869, locating in Milwaukee [Milwaukee County], while 
engaged on U. S. lighthouse duty on Lake Michigan and Green Bay for one year; 
he was then employed by the city to take charge of the sewerage department, 
which he conducted until, in 1871, he was appointed Assistant U. S. Engineer 
in charge of the Wisconsin River improvement, with headquarters at Portage 
[Columbia County, WI], where he established a shipyard, built his outfit and 
conducted the improvement with success until 1876, when the funds gave out.

In 1873 John NADER moved headquarters to Madison [Dane County, WI] in order 
to expedite his work. He then established an office in the city and was 
elected City Engineer by the Common Council, which office he held until 1883. 
During this time Mr. NADER pursued the calling of architect in addition to 
that of engineer. He now has a considerable practice in all kinds of 
architectural work in the city and about the State. In 1885 John NADER was 
again elected City Engineer and designed and superintended the building of 
the present system of sewerage of the city of Madison, which when completed 
according to his plans, will be equal to any in the country. [p 216]

Prior to coming to Wisconsin, Mr. NADER occupied positions of prominence in 
the U. S. Corps of Engineers as superintendent of Forts Hamilton [Butler 
County, NY], Tompkins [Staten Island, NY], Wadsworth [Staten Island, NY], and 
fort at Sandy Hook [biographer probably means "Fort at Sandy Hook," which 
existed from 1857-1885 and was later known as Fort Hancock, Monmouth County, 
NJ], under Generals DELAFIELD and NEWTON, Colonels PRIME and ROBERTS of the 
Engineer Corps. It was our subject who made the preliminary surveys of a 
portion of Hellgate [Hell's Gate?], New York City, in 1866, from which the 
subsequent improvements were planned by General NEWTON. Later John NADER 
built an actual section of sea coast battery at West Point [Orange County, 
NY] for the instruction of the cadets. While engaged in New York harbor 
fortifications, Mr. NADER made some submarine borings around Fort Lafayette 
[in NY harbor, off Fort Hamilton; used for Confederate prisoners from 1861 
to 1866] and established the theory of subsidence of Mr. LEWIS, geologist of 
the Long Island Historical Society, by finding an ancient meadow fifty-three 
feet below the bed of the bay. In all Mr. NADER spent over ten years in most 
useful work, and while young in years when he came to Wisconsin, he was old 
in experience of a useful nature.

Owing to the failure of his health, Mr. NADER spent from 1887 to 1892 in the 
State of Virginia, there planning and laying out the towns of Big Stone Gap 
[Wise County] and Damascus [Washington County], and a large addition to 
Bristol, Virginia, on the Tennessee line. While there he made many local 
improvements in streets, bridges and buildings. He designed and 
superintended a fine opera house and many fine stores and private residences.

While in Madison [WI], Mr. NADER designed the Dane County and Sauk County 
asylums, Bayfield [Bayfield County, WI] courthouse, St. Patrick's Church, 
Madison, and churches at Oregon [Dane County, WI], Muscoda [Grant County, 
WI], and Roxbury [Dane County, WI] and many other fine public and private 
buildings. The past season he designed a fine county house for St. Joseph's 
County, Michigan.

John NADER was born 31 December 1838 in Westchester County, State of New 
York. He received his education in the common schools of his native county 
and his academic course at Brooklyn, New York. He adopted his profession 
early in life, in fact, while he was yet a student and before he was eighteen 
years of age he occupied the position of master mechanic at Fort Delaware [on 
Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River], and from that time on he became 
proficient in his profession until he held the highest civil assistant 
position under the U. S. Engineer Corps. He had special charge of erecting 
the first fifteen-inch gun at Fort Tompkins [Staten Island, NY] in 1862, and 
the first twenty-inch gun at Fort Hamilton [Butler County, NY] in 1865, and 
on account of proficiency has reached a position almost at the head of his 
calling.

Mr. NADER is a member of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, 
and has been vice president of the department of Arts for several terms. He 
has been an active contributor to this institution at their semi-annual 
meetings. In 1876 he contributed a paper on the ocean tides, the work of 
several years, and with it produced a new co-tidal chart, possessing some 
entirely new and interesting features. He has always been in favor of all 
measures tending to the development and improvement of both city and county 
and has always endeavored to contribute to the progress of the good and 
useful.

In religion John NADER is an active member of the Catholic Church and expects 
to preserve his standing for the remainder of his days. In politics he is a 
Democrat, and loyally supports all reasonable measures of that organization. 
He has twice in his life held office: once as School Commissioner of Kings 
County, New York, and once as Supervisor of the 4th Ward of Madison [Dane 
County, WI].

Submitted by Cathy Kubly