John Oldham (1853-1910)
John Oldham (c1853-1910)
1910 Obituary [1]
JOHN OLDHAM died on May 19, 1910, after a very short illness.
He had been in the telegraph service for fifty-seven years.
Commencing at the age of 17, he worked for eleven years in England, and in 1864 went out to La Plata to superintend the laying of the cable between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The cable was opened for service in 1866, and Mr. Oldham remained as manager to the Cable Company.
On the absorption of the company by the Western Telegraph Company in 1903, Mr. Oldham was appointed general manager of the branch, and his project of laying a cable between Argentina and Great Britain via Ascension Island was commenced.
His death unfortunately occurred a week before the date fixed for the opening of the cable.
He had been a Member of the Institution since 1881.
Mr. Oldham was Local Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Institution for Uruguay from 1886 to 1902.