Pa. entrepreneur John E. Connelly dies
PITTSBURGH (AP) — John E. Connelly, a former coal miner turned multimillionaire entrepreneur and operator of riverboat dining and gambling cruises, has died. He was 83.
Connelly died Saturday morning at home of congestive heart failure, his grandson, Terrence Wirginis, said Sunday.
Connelly was born in Pittsburgh, worked in a coal mine to support his family after his parents died and was also a Golden Gloves boxer. He later built a fortune coming up with bank promotions, and was once called by Fortune Magazine “the godfather of make-a-deposit, get-a-toaster bank marketing.”
Connelly later created riverboat dining cruises in Pittsburgh, as well as New York and St. Louis. He ran riverboat gambling cruises on the Mississippi and sought to bring casino gambling to Pittsburgh. In 1993, he was on Forbes’ list of the 400 richest Americans.
Connelly founded Gateway Clipper, one of Pittsburgh’s most visible tourist attractions, in 1958.