(Lived 1837-May 12, 1909)

Born in Bavaria, Joseph Wassman came to the United States at the age of thirteen.  After living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for seven years, Wassman moved to New York City. Five years later, in 1869, Mr. Wassman moved to Chattanooga so that he and his brother Isaac could open the Wassman Brothers Dry Goods store.  After ten years in Chattanooga, Wassman ran for and won a seat on the Board of Aldermen. Wassman served several terms as an alderman before being elected mayor in 1899.  In 1903, he was elected to the Board of Education, a position he still held when he died in 1909.