Joseph Zito (elevator operator)
Joseph A. Zito | |
|---|---|
| Born | Giuseppe Alessandro Maria Zito September 1, 1883 Serre, Campania, Italy |
| Died | October 22, 1932 (aged 49) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Resting place | Bayview – New York Bay Cemetery |
| Occupation | Elevator operator |
| Known for | Saving over 100 lives in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire |
| Children | 7 |
Joseph A. Zito (September 1, 1883 – October 22, 1932), born Giuseppe Alessandro Maria Zito, was an Italian-American elevator operator who saved over 100 lives during the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911.[1][2][3]
Early life
Zito was born in Serre, Campania, Italy. He emigrated to the United States at age 19 and had been employed by the Triangle Waist Company for six months when the fire occurred.[4]
Triangle Fire heroism
During the fire at the Triangle Waist Company in Manhattan, Zito made between eight and twenty elevator trips through smoke and flames, evacuating workers from the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors.[5][6] He continued operating until fire engulfed the elevator shaft, sustaining severe burns and stab wounds from scissors held by panicked workers trying to board.[7]
Zito later recounted hearing bodies hitting the roof of his elevator car and the sound of coins from workers' pay envelopes falling through the grating.[8] In his testimony to The New York Times, he described finding "a group of girls screaming and pressing up against the door" at the eighth floor, with factory co-owner Isaac Harris telling them to stay back and let women evacuate first.[9]
Aftermath and recognition
District Attorney Charles Seymour Whitman, who interviewed Zito at the scene, stated: "He is a hero, every inch of him."[10] Whitman ensured Zito received medical attention for his injuries and was released from police custody.
The Charity Organization Society provided $400 to support Zito's family during his recovery.[11] His wife suffered a miscarriage upon learning of the fire.[2] Zito received medals from La Societa' Reduci, the Foresters of America, and the Italian government for his heroism.
Later life and death
Zito's injuries left him with lifelong health problems. He died penniless at age 49, having refused bribes during the fire investigation.[12] Four years before his death, he lost his position at the Erie Railroad Camp in Croxton, Jersey City, and remained unemployed. He was buried at Bayview – New York Bay Cemetery after funeral services attended by family, friends, and fellow members of Veritas Lodge Number 228, Free and Accepted Masons.[12]
Legacy
In 2017, his hometown of Serre, Italy, named a street "Vicolo Giuseppe Zito" in his honor.[13] Materials related to Zito's life are preserved at Cornell University Library's Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives.[14]
See also
References
- ^ von Drehle, p. 157
- ^ a b at_admin (2017-12-06). "Triangle Fire Hero: Joseph Zito". Accidental Talmudist. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
- ^ "IT and US: Fire!". We the Italians. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
- ^ "Family Keeps Memory of Hero Triangle Fire Elevator Operator Alive | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "Died for $6 Per Week Pay Envelopes of Triangle Shirtwaist Girls Found in Their Clothes". Daily People Newspaper. 1911-03-28. p. 3.
- ^ "TimesMachine: Sunday March 26, 1911 - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
- ^ "Exits Shut Tight At Triangle Fire". New York Times. 1911-12-14. p. 3.
- ^ "East Side Mourning for Its Dead In Saturday's Fire". The Saratogian. 1911-03-27. p. 6.
- ^ "Elevator Man's Accounts of it". The New York Times. 1911-03-26.
- ^ "Police Numbering the Bodies in the Street". New York Times. 1911-03-26.
- ^ Emergency Relief after the Washington Place Fire, New York March 25, 1911, p. 28
- ^ a b "Saved 100 From Death, Dies Penniless: Hero of Fire Laid to Rest in Jersey City". The Jersey Observer. 1932-08-26.
- ^ "IT and US: Fire!". We the Italians. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
- ^ "Guide to the Fazio-Villeda, Jane Collection of Joseph A. Zito Photographs and Article Photocopies, 1911-1932". rmc.library.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2025-02-15.