Ill IN G ZS HES W EZ ES M .

W er e Am er i can N ewc om en to do n a ug h t el s e, our

w or k i s well don e i f we s u cee c d i n s ha r i n g wi th

Am er i ca a s tr eng th ened i nsp i r a ti on t o c onti n ue

the s tr ugg l e t owar ds a n oé l er C i v i l zz

'

ati on

t/z r oug lz wi der kn owl e dg e an d finders tandi ng of th e

h op es, am é i z i o m, an d de eds of l eaders i n the pas t
up he l d Ci vi l zz ma ter ia l pr ogr ess
’

w h o h av e i ’
a t on s
f
.

As we l o ok éa elewa r d, l e t as l ook
f or w ar d .
”

—
C H ARLE S P EN R O S E
S e ni or Vi c e-P r es i de n t faf N or th Am er i ca
Tb e N e w c om e n S oc i e ty fE
o n g la n d

s ment i td lli Z fflg a b roddpmpoxe of rée S oezety wmfi m rea d

'

} sta te
‘
’
J
, ,

a t tb eN ewcom en M eeti n a t N ew Y ork W orld s Fa i r on An us”

’
g g 1 9 39 , ,

when Ameri ca n N ewcomen were gum: of Tb e B ri ti rb G overnm ent

Actomm M emores Ji mul

'
a
fi etd mw Agenda
 TH E I L L IN OIS C EN T RA L HE R I TAG E

1 85 1 -
1 95 1

A Cen tener y Addr ess

AM ER I CA N N E W COM E N ,
th r oug h th e ye a r s, h e : h on or e d

n um er ous m il tran sp or ta ti on s ys tem s ha th i n th e Un i te d

of Am er i ca d ha s h o n or e d i m
'
S ta tes an d i n Ca na tte , an

p o r ta n t m i l e s t on es i n the h i s tor y o f th ese . I t he : b e e n a

fur th er p i l
r v i eg e to p ay tr i b u te t o th e v i s i on, i ni ti a ti v e,

r es o ur c eful n ess ,
c our ag e, de te rm i n ati on, har d w or k, an d

a b i di ng Fa i th o
f t h os e p i o n eer -
foun der s an d th e i r s i te

c e ss or s wh o l ai d th e founda ti ons an d c o nti nu ed th e

o
p e r a ti o ns o f wh a t ca m e to he g r ee t c om m on c a r r i er s ,

c o n tr i b uti ng m i g h ti l y t o ec on o m i c a n d m a tef i e l p r ogr ess .

S uch a N e wc o m en m a n uscr i p t i s thi s , dea l i ng wi th th e

h i s t or y of a
g r ea t l
r a i r oad i n Am er i c a , up on c
o c a s i on

o f i ts 1 00t h An n i v e r s ar y, an d r e c i ti ng th e fasci na ti ng
s t or y o f i ts b e i n ni n g s i ts
g , g r o w th ,
an d i ts

c ontr i b u ti on: to M i d—Am e r i ea !

83 3?
” ‘
 W I L L I AM H E N RY OS B O R N

( 1 8 2 0- 1 8 94 )

He ex t e n de r! opera t i on : to N ew r
O l e an s
 Th e
'

C e n tra H eritage
1 85 1 1 95 1 -

A Ceh l efl dtj/ Addr ess

'
’

W AYN E A . J O H N S TO N
M E M B ER O F T H E NE W C O M EN S O C I E TY
P RE SI D EN T

I L L I N O I S C EN T RA L RAI LR OA D

C H I CAG O

TH E NEWCO MEN S O C I E TY I N N O RT H AMER I CA

N E W YORK S AN FR A N C I S C O M O NTREAL
1 95 1
 The N e wc om e n S o ciety a s ,
a b ody,
is n ot r sp nsib l f pini ns
e o e or o o

ex
t r esse d i n th f ll w ing pa g s
e o o e

Fi rst P rinti ng M r ch : a 1
95 1

S ec o n d Print ing M r ch : a 1
95 x

T his N e wc o m en
r ss d ling with th Add e
,
ea e

h ist ry
o f th I llin i s C ntr al R ilr ad a n d
o e o e a o

m m ri
e oli ing i ts m th Ann i rs ry ( 8 5
a z o ve a 1 1

w d li r d t N t i n al N wc m n
as e ve e a a a o e o e

D i nn r f Th N wc m n S
e o i y f E ngla n d
e e o e o c et o ,

h l d i n B ll r m
e f Th P i r
a oo t N w o e e re
,
a e

Y k
or N Y
, . .wh n M
, J hnst n e r . o o

wa s th g st f h n r e ue o o o
,
on

F b r ry 8 95 e ua ,
1 1

S FT UP , P RI N TE D AN D BOUN D I N TH E UN I TE D S TATE S

OF AM E RI CA FOR TH E N E W COM E N P UBL I CATI ON S IN

N ORTH AM E RI CA BY P RI N CE TON UN I VE RS I TY P RE S S
 E . H . H AR R I M AN

( 1 848 -
1 909 )

He cc up ied a p os it ion of un dispu t ed l eadersh ip

o

in the fi el d of r ai l road man age m en t in Am er i ca

 I N T R O D U CT I O N OF M R .
J O H
'

N S T O N ,
AT N E W YO RK ON

F E B R UA RY 8, 1 95 1 ,
BY E UG ENE W . S T ET S ON C H A I R
,

M AN OF TH E E! E CU TIV E C OM M I TT E E ,
I LL I N O IS C E N
T RA L RAI LR OA D ; M E M B ER O F TH E N E W Y ORK COM

M I TT E E I N TH E NE W C O M E N
,
S O C I E TY OF EN G LA N D

fell ow m em b er s of N e weo m en

f B EL I EV E i n bri ef i n troductio n s an di f a story is told i t

LL should be a tru e story so h ere g o es ,

O u the e v en n i g of Ja nua ry 3 r d 1 9 45 a l i ttl e —

o ver 6 ye ars an d 1 mo n th a go the lat e lam en t e d an d

—

highly esteem ed presi d en t of th e I ll i n o i s Ce n tral Ra i l

road —
Joh n L . B ev en —
sudd enl y pass ed awa y Th is .

was i n wartim e . Two da ys lat er Th e Boa r d of Directors

,

d el egat ed to m e th e r espo n si b il i ty of fi n di ng an d sug

e v en s succ essor
’
es ti n a k B
g g J c .

P r omptl y I m et w it h th e s i x top m en i n th e or g a n z i a

E 6 ]!
tio n— 4 V ice P r esi den ts, th e
.
-
Chie f en gi n eer ,
an d th e
G en e ral Coun s el At this m eetin g we al l agr eed th a t :
.

1 st —
we would n ot g o outsid e to s eek a succ es so r un ti l

we had exhaust ed all possi b i l iti es i n the o r ga n i z ation ;

2 n d— w e would la y n o fa v o r it e s , rd we would p la y —
p g
n o po l itics ; 4 th we would tak e suffi ci en t tim e to mak e
—

our choice . I th en s aw e ach of th es e key m en p r i v ately

an d said : I “
kn ow you would l ik e to b e presid en t of this
railroad but i f , you a r e n ot chos en whom would you
,

recomm en d ? ”
E ach on e, n ot kn o wi ng that th e oth ers
“
had b een approach ed a n s wered : Wa yn e Joh nsto n, .
”

P erso n all y I h ardl y kn ew Wa yn e hav i ng o n l y s een him ,

on ce . He was th en 4 7 years of age and o nl y on e of th e

key m en was u n d e r 6 0 I studi ed his r ecord : H e had
.

s erved accou n ti ng tra n sportatio n op erati n g

i n th e , , ,
an d
tr affi c d epartm en t s H e had o n l y rec en tly b een
.
p ro

mot ed to the positi o n of G en eral M an ag er ,

i n S ept emb er
1 94 9, at a salary of a r ou n d $ 1

His record was exc ell en t . I had s ev eral ta lk s w ith

him I qui etl y suggest ed to s ev eral of th e D i rectors that

.

th ey m eet Wa yn e Joh nsto n ; an d i n th e m ea n t i m e afte r ,

abo u t 5 w e eks I i n v it,

e d th e 6 k ey m en to lu n c h w ith
me ; I t hen told th em that I w an t ed th em to r ecomm en d
a pres i d en t , and that whomso ever th ey recomm en d ed
I would submit th e n am e to th e board Th ey th en u n a n i .

m ous l y recomm en d ed Wa yn e Joh nsto n I r emi n d ed .

t hem t hat th ey w ere about 1 5 ye ars old er tha n Wa yne ,

I 7 l
an d that th ey could m ake his regime a succes s or fa i lure
accordi n g to th e ir lo yal suppo r t of a m an m uch yo un ger
tha n th ey all pl edged th ei r lo y al support
—
.

33 93
‘ ‘

Th ey recomm en d ed I n omi n at ed
, ,
an d Th e Board
el ect ed W a yn e Joh n sto n P r esid en t of th e Ill i n ois Cen
tral Rai l road , on Feb r uary 2 3 rd 1 94 5 .

W e are p r oud of our choice— s lts sp eak for th em

re u

s el ves .

“
83 ?

I am d elighted to pres en t to y ou : W AY N E JO H N S TO N .

83 33
” ’

[M l
 B i og r ap hi ca l S hetch
o
f The Au thor
33
‘

M 1D -
AM E R 1 C A : v e r i ta hl e “
N o r th -
an dS -
ou th b a ck b on e
o f th e N a ti on : th a t fer ti l e l a n d r i c h ly b l ess ed b y fr ui ts
o f the s o i l a nd tr eas ur es of th e ear th w h er e
, g r ea t wa te r s

ow wh e r e i n dus tr
fl , y th r i v es ,
an d wh e r e m e n c a n s tr i v e

towar ds c ons tr u ti v e c p g
r o r e ss in a fr ee ec o n om y —
M m
AM ER I CA : i n dee d a p r i z ed s to r eh o us e of Am er i ca n g r i t,
f
o A m er i c a n r e s ou r cef u l n e ss ,
a n d of Am er i c a n a m b i ti on!

To M id—Am e r i ee , dur i ng n ow a c en tur y, h a s th e I l l i n oi s

Ce n tr a l Ra i l r o ad c o n tr i b uted ,
to i ts m az i ng de v e l op
a

m en t a nd s er vi c e : to I ndustry, to Ag r i eul tttr e, to M i ti

i ng , a nd t o Tm nsp or ttz ti on Up a n of doe s . a ll th es e

G e n e r a l B usi n es s dep e n d N on e b e tter c o ul d te ll th e dm

.

mtz ti e s t or y o f th e I l l i n oi s C e n tr a l th e n does W AY NE
“ ”

AN DRE W JO H N S T O N o f Ch i m g o, i ts di s ti ng ui sh ed P r esi
de n t N . i
at ve o f I lli n o i s a nd g r a dua te o f th e Un i v er s i ty
of I ll i n o i s i n th e C l a ss o f 1 9 9,1 M r. J o h ns to n e nter ed
th e serv i ce of o a d thhi s
a t s am e
r ai rl y e a r D ur i ng n ow .

o v er 3 0 year s hi s has b e en opp o r tu ni ty for i nti m a te ex

,

e r i e n ce i n n ea r l h i l o d e r a ti on
p y e v e r y p a s e
of r a r a o
p ,

m a nag em en t a nd fi na n c e H e hn ows r a i l r o a di ng ! I n
,
.

addi ti o n h e h as tak en a c ti v e p a r t i n th e efi e i r s o f h i s
,

i ndus try a n d i n p uhl ic spi r i te d ca use s o f e n l i g h ten e d

-

c i ti z en s h i p S er v e s on nu m er o us hoa r ds o f di r ec ti o n i h
.
,

c l udi ng : M adi s o n C 0 4 1 C or p om ti on Ter m i na l Ass oc i a

ti on of S t L o u i s ; Ra i l wa y E x p r e s s Ag e n c y I 71 6
. Ass o ,
.

c i ati on o f Am er i can Rai l r oa ds ; H e rr i s Tr us t E ff S av i ng s

Ba nk o f Chi cag o ; Ch i cag o Ass o c i a ti o n o f C o m m e r ce {9 °

I n dus tr y an d o th er s I s a Tr us tee o f th e Un i v e r s i ty o f
.

I Z l i n oi s an d o f D e P a uw Un i v e r s i ty i n I ” di a m Re i l ,
.

r o ad ofi i c i al b us i n ess e x e c u ti v e s tu de n t o f tr a n s p or ta ti on
‘
, ,

hi s to r y g ood ci ti z en M r J o h n s to n i s a m em b er o f
, ,
.

th e Ch i c ag o C om m i tte e i n Th e N e w c o m e n ,

S o ci e ty o f E ng l a n d .
M y f el l o w m em b e r s of N ewc o m en

7
?
T P ON t i g
en er nth e N ati on al Arc h i v e s Buildi n g i n Washi n g

13 ton w h er e th e p r ic el e ss r e co r ds of th e Am er ic a n C o m m o n
i ,
\
M
/
wealth ar e stored on e en coun t e rs this arr esti n g i n sc r ipt i o n
,

TH E H E R I TAG E O F T H E P AS T I S T H E S E E D TH AT
B R I N G S F O R TH T H E H A RV E S T O F T H E FUT UR E .

Tonight as we m ee t i n the C i t y of N ew Y ork to c el eb r at e th e

,

c en t en n ial of th e Il l i n ois C ent r al Rail r oad Company we ar e keenl y

,

aware of our great h eritage an d of th e respo n sibility which r ests

u p o n us as the c ustodia ns of that h eritage to preserv e it for those
who wi ll follo w us Recalli n g th e probl ems an d achi ev em ents of
.

thos e wh o ha v e go n e b efore us an d r evi ewi n g th e progre ss of th e

g r eat p ub l ic s erv ic e i n stitutio n which th ey d eli vered i n to our
ha nds we ar e fi r ed wi th d et ermi n atio n to pres erv e our syst em of
,

free ent er p r is e and th e Am erica n W ay of L ife I f th ese in spiri ng

.

i nfluen ces we re not pre s en t th en as I see i t an o b s erv a n ce such

, , ,

as this would b e m ea n i ngl ess .

th e o b s erv a n ce for wh i ch we ar e h ere a ssemb l ed w e m ust en c om ,

pass th e en tire V i ew of Am er ica n gro wth an d dev elopm en t agr i ,

culturall y i n dustriall y an d comm ercia l l y during the last hu ndred

, , ,

y e ars W
. e must r ev i e w i n that p e rsp e cti v e th e extraordi n ary
cha nges which hav e occurred i n this Count r y si n c e 1 8 5 0 wh en ,

four fi fths of its area was i n its pri miti v e stat e and wh en th ere
—
,

we re fewer p eopl e i n the Un it ed S tat es of Am erica t ha n th ere ar e

toda y i n i ts four l e adi ng m etropolita n c en t ers .

What has occurred i n this Coun try duri n g t hese ten ev entful
d ecades is without p r ec ed en t or parall el i n the history of M a nki nd .

I n ev ery m at eri al way our progress as a n at i o n has b een ex tra or

,

di n ary an d dramat i c .

In 1 th er e were n i ne thousa n d mil es of railroad i n t his

8 5 0,
Count r y Th ese railroads we re locat ed for the most part i n the
.

Atla n tic S eaboard S tat es M a ny of th em were b uilt of wood en

.

rails capp ed with strips of iron Th e wood—b urn i ng locomot i ves of

.

that p eriod an d the wood en cars were sm all an d light From t hose .

cr ud e b egi nn i n gs the railroads multipli ed an d expa nd ed u ntil the

rail n e two r k r each ed i n to ev ery S tat e an d n earl y ev ery city and
to wn an d far ming commun ity across th e Coun t r y E v ery one of .

th es e rail r oads has contr ibut ed its part to the making of our N atio n .

I t has b een said that th e history of the Illi n ois Cen tral Railroad
is the history of M i d Am erica Th e truth of this stat em en t is ev i
—
.

d en t i n the striki n g fact that of all the th r i v i n g citi es and to wn s

w hich n ow li n e the 9 2 1 mil e l i n e of the Illinois C en tral b etween
-

th e Gr eat L ak e s a n d the G ul f of M exico o n l y s ev e n we r e on th e

,

map w h en th e Illi n ois C en tral was orga n i z e d on e hu n d r ed years

ago At the south ern extremity of the rout e was N ew O r l eans
.
,

m e tropolis an d chi e f s eaport of the S outh with a po p ulatio n of ,

1 At the n orth er n ext r emit y on L ak e M ichiga n was, ,

Chicago b ut littl e more tha n a fr o n ti er trading post with a p 0 p u

, ,
~

latio n of l ess tha n Be tween Chicago an d N ew Orl ea n s ,

th e o n l y commu n iti es of a ny impo r ta n c e w er e : Cairo I ll i n ois w it h , ,

2 4 2 i n ha b ita n ts ; M emphi s Ten n ess ee with l ess tha n

, ,

Hern a n do M ississippi with l es s tha n

, ,
Ca n ton M ississi p p i , ,

with two or thr ee hund r ed ; a n d Jack s o n M i s sissippi with about , ,

[I I I l
 Th e
combin ed populatio n of th es e seven citi es an d town s
( Chicago , Cairo M emphis H ern an do Ca n to n Jackso n an d N ew
, , , , ,

Orl ea n s ) was th en o n l y about equal to th e presen t po p ulatio n of

Jackso n M ississippi Be tween th es e s ev en citi es an d to wn s toda y
,
.

ar e n um ero us th r i v i n g i n du st r ia l an d comm e r cial c en t e rs which

S p r a n g up as a r e sult of th e comi n g of th e railroad .

E l s ewh e re th e tra n sformatio n was equall y stri ki n g I n Io wa .

,

for exampl e th e li n es of the Illi n ois C en tral were p ush ed through

,

vi r gi n t err itory O ver th e entire ro ut e fr om Dub uqu e to S ioux

.

City not on e of th e ma ny thri v i n g citi es and to wn s which n ow li n e

.

th e railroad wa s on th e map i n 1 8 5 0 .

The Illi n ois Cen tral and i ts acqu i red l i n es were the pio n eers th e ,

trail bla z ers ; th ey pa ved the way for the settl er th e farm er th e
-
, ,

i ndustrialist and the m ercha n t Th ey cr eated markets and oth e r

,
.

co nditio n s which w ere favorabl e to agr icultural and industri al

gro wth and prosp eri ty Th e Illi n o i s C en tral with i ts n etwork of
.
,

li n es ext endi n g E ast and West N orth an d S outh b ecam e the , ,

M a i n L i ne o f M i tZ Am er i ce b r inging to th e p e opl e of i ts t erritory

-
,

regular year ro un d tra n spo r tatio n Through lo cal emplo ymen t

-
.
,

pur chases an d taxes the railroad has also co n tribut ed to the up

, ,

building of th e regio n which has b ecom e th e eco n omic h eart of the

N atio n .

Th e Ill i n ois Cen tral was the fi r st railroad i n th e Uni t ed S tat e s

to b e authori z ed locat ed an d promoted b y th e Fed eral Go v er n
, ,

m en t I t was p r ojected b y the Congress of the United S tat e s not

.
,

as a syst em of t r a n sportat i o n lo cal to Illi n ois but as the c en tral

trun k or g r a n d st em of a syst em of railroads wh i ch ultimat el y
would co nn ect th e rai l thorough fare s of the en tire Cou n t ry Today .
,

th e Illi n ois C en tral w ith its 6 5 00 mil e n et w ork has ph ysical

, ,
—
,

co n n ectio n s with n earl y ev ery railroad that reach es i n to M i d

Am erica I ts r elatio n ship to the gr eat cont i n en tal n etwo r k of rail
.

roads is such that n e a r l y ev ery ton of freight that mov es acros s

th e Co un t r y eith e r pass e s o v er or cross e s its li n e s at on e or mor e
poi n ts .

P roposals for th e c en tral Illi n o i s railroad project we re b efore

Congress for many years The p r oject recei ved the support of such
.
outs tan di n g stat esm en as H en ry Cla y Joh n C Calho un Da n i el , .
,

Web st er Abra ham L i ncol n Thomas H Ben to n S t eph en A

, , .
,
.

Dougla s J efferso n Dav is an d S amuel Housto n Fi n all y i n th e

, ,
.
,

clo si n g da ys of th e Thirty fi r st Co ngress i n S e pt emb er 1 8 5 0

-
, ,

largel y through the efi or ts of S en ator S t eph en A Do uglas of .

Il l i n ois Co ngress pass ed a m easure granting to th e S tat e of I l l i n ois

,

som e tw o an d a half millio n acre s of th e el ev en millio n acr es of

p ublic lands i n th e S tate Th es e la n ds had b een on the mark e t for
.

years w ithout purchas ers at 5 an acre Fe rtil e as th e la n ds .

w ere th ey w ere v irtuall y worthl ess w ithout railroads to mak e

,

th em acc essib l e By this gra n t to the Illi n o i s Cen tral r emai n i n g

.
,

p ublic la n ds n ot o n l y soo n had eag er buyers an d a doubli n g i n

p r ic e b ut what was more i mporta n t at that ti m e a real start was
, ,

mad e i n th e d ev elopm en t of th e S tat e to what it is today .

Th e L a n d Gra n t Act of of th e m i l esto n es i n

1 85 0 was on e

Am er ica n history I t establish e d a n ew n at i onal poli cy wi th r efer

.

en c e to th e d evelopm en t of th e p ub lic domai n an d th e en courag e

m en t of railway buildi n g i n th e un p eopl ed r egio n s of th e West .

I ts effect was far reachi n g Duri n g th e n ext two d e cad es th e

-
.
,

Un it ed S tat es Gov ernm en t mad e similar gra n ts to aid i n d ev elo p

m en t of railroad li n es which b ecam e pa r ts of such great pres en t
day s yst ems as th e S o u th er n P aci fi c th e Un ion P aci fi c th e N orth , ,
‘

er n P aci fi c th e Burli n gto n

,
th e Chicago 81 N o r th We st ern th e
, ,

Rock Isla n d an d th e S a n ta Fe Th u s th e Go ver nm ent c r eat e d a

,
.

r e ad
y mark e t at ad v a n c e d pric e s for millio n s of acr e s o f u n occ u p d
i e

l a n ds an d th e Great We st was op ened for colo ni z atio n and i n

,

dustr i al d ev elopm en t What h as occu rred si n c e th en i n th e r egio n

.

b eyond th e M i s sissippi fo r ms an amaz i n g chapt er i n our history .

Th e origi nal Illi n ois Cen t r al Ra il road was 7 0 5 mil e s in l ength ,

ext ending from Ca i ro th e so u th er n most poi n t i n I l li n oi s th r ough

, ,

th e h eart of th e S tat e to th e l e ad mi n e s o f G a l en a and on to D un

l eith on the M ississ i ppi Ri v er i n th e ex t r em e n orth west er n co r n er
,

o f th e S tat e w ith a bra n ch to Chicago on L ak e M ichiga n

,
.

Wh en Congr ess pass ed the L a n d Gra n t Act n o rail r oad of such ,

m agnitude as th e propos ed I lli n ois C en tral th en exist ed i n Am er

l 1 3 l
i ca I t would co s t millio n s to bu i ld
. of Ill inois was . Th e S tat e
h eav il y i n deb t an d on the v erge of ba n kruptcy Th e doors of .

ev e ry b a n k i n th e S tat e w er e clos e d N e ith er th e S tat e n or any of .

its citi z en s was i n positio n to fi n an ce the u n d ertaki ng Th erefore, .

Illi n ois was comp ell ed to loo k el sewh ere for th e n eed ed capital .

As earl y as Ja nuary 1 8 5 0 more tha n a year b efore the Illi n oi s

,

Cen tral was incorp o r at ed S en ator Douglas had be en i n co n tact

,

with a gro up of E ast ern busi n ess m en of wh om Rob ert Ra n toul , ,

Jr a disti n guish ed lawye r and stat esma n of M assachus etts b ecam e

.
, ,

th e spok e sma n Th e Ranto ul grou p as it was call e d w ork e d i n

.
, ,

clos e coop er atio n with the Go ver n or of Illi n o i s and oth er stat e
ofl i cer s i n formulati n g th e chart er which aft e r mo n ths of discus ,

si o n d ebat e an d ma n euv ering was gra n t ed b y the S tate of Illi n ois

, , ,

on Fe b r ua r y 1 0, 1 85 1 .

Th e chart er co n ta i ned cer tai n un ique provisio n s O n e was that .

,

i n li eu of oth er taxes the railroad should p ay i n to th e stat e treasury

,

5 p erc en t of i ts gross reven ues plus a stat e tax w hi c h has had the
eP fec t of maki ng th e total 7 p erc en t of gross earni n gs on the charte r
l i ne s .

An ot her pro v isio n was that th e Gov e rn or of Illi n ois should

serve ex ofli ci o as a m emb e r of th e Board of Directors
-
.

Un d er th e Fed eral L a n d Gra n t Act as later i n t erpret ed b y the ,

courts , the railroad was requi r ed to transpo r t go v ern m en t troop s

an d prop erty at 5 0 p er c en t of sta n dard rat es .

TheIlli n ois Cen tral Railroad Compa n y might b e said to hav e

m ore tha n one birthplace S om e would co n ten d that the rail r oa d
.

was born i n Washi ngto n D C wh er e the L a n d Gra n t Act was

,
. .
,

pass ed an d sign ed Oth ers would mai n tai n that th e tru e b irthplace
.

o f th e road w as i n th e old state capitol i n S p r i n g fi el d Illi n ois , ,

wh ere the road was chart ered S till oth ers would b e of the opinio n .

that the real b irthplac e of the compa ny was i n a sm all an d di m l y

“

light ed room at th e corn er of Ha n ov er and W all S t r eets i n th e

”

City of N ew Y or k a sit e n ow occupi ed b y Bro wn Broth ers Harri

,

m an 8: Compa ny H er e on M arch 1 9 1 8 5 1 about fi v e w eeks

.
, , ,

I I 4 ]!
aft er th e railroad r ecei ved i ts charter, met th e i ncorporators of th e
Illi n ois Central Railroad Compa ny The compa ny was orga n i z ed .

at this m ee ti n g its fi r st board of directors an d its fi r st offi cer s w ere

,

el ect ed an d th e b od y corporat e fo r m all y acc e pt ed th e t e rms of th e

,

Ill i n o i s chart er Thus th e Illi n ois Cen tral was lau nch ed upo n its
.

career u n d er the l ead ership of a coteri e of busi ness l ead ers of

outsta n di ng accomplishm en ts .

I n additio n to Rob ert Ra n toul Jr of M assachus etts wh o was ,

.
, ,

associat ed i n law practic e with Da n i el Webst er an d succeed ed him

i n th e Un ite d S tat es S en at e th e group i n clud ed suc h m en as :
,

Davi d A N eal presi d en t of the E ast ern Railroad of M assachu

.
,

s etts ; Gouvern eur M orris railway promot er an d son of C ouver

,

n eur M orr i s of Rev olutio n ary War fam e ; William H Aspi nwall .
,

N ew Y ork m ercha n t bu i ld e r an d fi r st pre sid en t of th e P a nama

,

Railroad ; Fra n kli n Ha v en Boston fi nan ci er ; an d H en ry G r i n

,

n ell N ew Y ork m ercha n t an d ch i ef back er of Arctic e xp e ditio n s

, .

Referr i ng to thefoun di n g fath ers of the Ill i no i s Cen tral Wil ,

lia m K Ackerma n ,
. an e arl y pr esid en t who was i den ti fi ed w ith th e

compa ny fro m i ts earli est years o n ce wrote ,

P r ob a b ly no b ody f
o i n
'

eor p ora t or s
,
or di r ec tor s as th ey a te rf
war d b ecam e, was ev er fi l l e d wi th m or e ear ne st deter m i na ti on,
c on fi dent r e l iance, pr i de of under taki ng , a n d h on es ty o f p p
u r os e .

Although most of th e i n corporators w ere m en of large m ea n s as ,

wealth was m easured i n th eir day even th eir pool ed r esourc e s ,

were b y n o m ea n s suffi ci en t to carry th e great Illi n ois C en tral

r o ect forward to compl etio n Wh en it was fou n d to b e out of th e
p j .

qu estio n to rais e th e necessary millio n s to fi nance th e co n st r uctio n

of the railroad i n th e Un ited S tat es th ey sought to mark e t th eir ,

s ecuri ti es i n L o n do n and i n oth er fi nan ci al c en t ers of E urop e .

Comm en ci n g W ith a fi ve millio n dolla r bo n d is su e floated in

L o n do n i n 1 8 5 2 th e ho l di n gs of E u rop ea n i n v e sto r s i n Illinoi s
,

Central s tocks and bo n ds i n cr eas ed rapidly Wi thi n a few years a .

majo r it y of the compa ny s stocks an d bo n ds was h eld i n Great

’

Br it a in and el sewh e re i n E u r o p e an d for n early half a c ent ur y

, ,

Il l s l
un til arou n d th e turn of th e cen tu ry E urop ea n i n vestors h eld a
,

co n trolli n g i n t erest i n the compa ny .

O n th e li n e s of th e railroad i n Ill i n ois ar e at l east three citi e s

and to wn s which were n am ed for E nglishm en wh o were closel y
associat e d with the compa ny i n its early years Cobd en was nam ed .

for Richard Cobden the disti nguish ed British statesma n an d

,

e co n omist who i n v e st e d most of his p erso n al fortu n e i n th e I l li n ois

,

Cent r al an d V i sit e d Illi n o i s rep eat edly to exami n e th e prop erty I n .

th e dark e st ho ur s of th e 1 8 5 7 P a n ic Cobd en did much to r e stor e

,

an d bo l s t e r c on fi dence i n th e Illi n ois C en tral among th e Brit i sh

i n vesto r s H eyw orth was n am ed for L a wr enc e H eyworth wh o

.
,

i nv e st e d approximat ely a mil l io n dollars i n th e compan y ; an d

P axto n was n am ed for S i r Jos eph P axto n the disti n guish ed E ng
,

lish horticulturist a n d archit ect wh o was a promi n en t stockhol der

,

an d also acti v e i n th e coloni z atio n of Illi n ois C e n t r al t e rr itory .

M an y oth er n ot ed E n glishm en w er e hold ers of Illinois C e ntral

s ecuriti es i n th e earl y years of the compa ny amo ng th em Wil l i am
,

Gladsto n e th e great P remi er of E nglan d

,
.

N um er ous E ngl ishm en Visit ed Illi n ois in that p er iod an d to u red

th e rai l road I n 1 8 5 6 a co r r e spo n d en t in the Illinois C e nt r al offi ce
.
,

at Chicago wr ot e :
H on or a hl e L o r ds a n d M em b e r s o f P a r l i a m e n t ar e s o p l en ti
fu l h e r e th es e da ys tha t I he e
p a c opy of B i t r h e s P e e
’
r a
g e a n d
th e B l ue B oo h on th e s am e s h e l f a s th e E n g l i s h di c ti o na r y a n d

o th er b ooks o f r eady r efer ence .

Wh en its original li n es w er e compl et ed i n 1 8 5 6 th e Illi n ois ,

C entral was th e lo n gest railroad in th e Un it ed S tat es u n de r one

managem ent Because of th e p r omin ent place which it occupi ed i n
.

th e t r anspo r tatio n wo r ld th e Illi n oi s Ce n tral att r act e d ma ny dis

,

ti n g ui sh ed m en to its s erv ic e .

Abraham L i n co l n w as an I l li n oi s C en tral m an As a m emb er of.

th e I l linois G en e r al As s embl y h e h ad e x er t ed his i n fluen c e i n

,

b e half of a c en t r al Illinoi s rai l road as earl y as 1 8 3 6 Whil e th e .

rail r oad wa s u n der constructio n h e b ecam e an atto r n ey for th e

com p any in 1 8 5 3 an d he contin ued i n that post unti l his nomina
,

l 1 6 l
tio n for the p r esiden cy i n 1 8 6 0 L i n col n repres en t ed the I l li n oi s
.

C en tral i n n um erous cases b efore the circuit co urts an d s ev er a l

cas es b efore the S uprem e Court of Illi n ois Two of the S uprem e .

Court cas es w ere amo n g th e most importa n t cas es i n the history of

the r ailroad both i nv olvi ng basic q ue stions of taxatio n Th e la r g es t
, .

fee L i nco l n ev er r ec ei ved duri n g his professio n a l caree r was fi v e

tho usa n d dolla r s paid him b y the Illi n ois C en tral i n a n i mporta n t
,

tax cas e which was carr i e d to a n d argu ed tw i c e b e for e th e S tat e

S uprem e Court .

S everal disti n guish ed mi litary m en of th e Ci v il War e ra we re

associat ed wit h the earl y railroad G en eral G eorg e B M c c l ella n
. .

was chi e f engi n ee r and lat er Vic e presid en t of the Illi n ois C en t r a l
-
.

G en eral Am b r os e E Burnsid e was successi v el y cashi er an d treas

.

ur er of th e Illi n ois C en tra l prior to th e w ar an d a di r ector of th e

r ailroad a ft e r i t G en e ral G r en v il l e M
. Dodge chi e f e ngi n eer i n .
,

cha r ge of th e co n structio n of the o r iginal li n e of the Un io n P aci fi c

Railroad b ega n hi s brillian t railroad career with the Illi n ois Cen
,

tral G en eral N atha n i el P Ba nks a Go v ern or of M assachu setts

. .
,

an d S p eak e r of th e Hous e of Repr e s entati ve s was r esid en t di r ec ,

tor an offi c e comparabl e with that of Vic e pr e sid en t Colon e l

,
-
.

Ro swel l B M aso n who had h elp e d build th e E r i e Ca n al was th e

.
, ,

chi ef engin eer i n charg e of th e co n structio n of the original lin es of

th e Il l inoi s C e ntral S i r William C Va n Horn e buil de r a n d l at er
. .
,

p r esi dent o f th e Ca n adia n P aci fi c Rail way was a n oth er wh o b egan ,

his career on the Illi n o i s Cen tral .

P r omin e ntl y i de n ti fi ed wi th th e arl y history of li n es w hich th e

e

I ll inois Ce nt r al acquired sou th of the Ohio Ri v er wer e such m en

a s G e n er a l P G . T Beauregard the fa mo us Confed e ra t e mi l itary
. .
,

l e a de r ; Colli s P Huntingto n on e of th e orga n i z e rs of th e C e nt ra l

.
,

P a c i fi c a n d S o u th ern P aci fi c s yst ems an d L Q C L amar Unit e d , . . .

,

S tat es S en a tor and S ec r e t ar y of th e I n t erior in th e ca b in e t o f

G r ov er Cl ev ela n d .

Amo n g the outsta n di n g m en wh o di r ect e d th e of th e a fI a i r s

Illinois Ce ntral i n i ts fo r m a ti v e yea r s non e d e s erv es a high e r ,

p l a c e tha n Wi l liam H e nry O sbo r n M r O sbor n was a command . .

ing fi gur e in the a ffairs of th e company fr om 1 8 5 4 to 1 8 8 3 a ,

I I 7 I!
p i d
er o o
f thi r ty y
ea r s . He
was presiden t of the compa n y from
1 8 5 5 to 1 8 6 5 years which i n clud e d th e P a n ic of 1 8 5 7 and th e
,

Ci v il War a most critical p eriod i n the railroad s hi sto r y Upo n

,
’
.

th e should ers of William H Osborn mor e tha n upo n thos e of an y

.

oth er m an of that p eriod fell the respo n sibility of st eer ing th e

,

railroad thro ugh som e of its mo s t di ffi cul t t i m es an d of sett i n g its

cours e for th e future .

Th e gro wth of Illi n ois as a result of ra i lroad d evelopm en t was

tru l y asto undi ng I n a p eri od of ten years from I 8 5 0 to 1 8 60 the
.
, ,

populatio n of the S tat e more tha n doub l ed an d that of Chicago ,

more tha n trebl ed Duri n g this p eri od thousa n ds of n ew farms

.
,

wer e establ i sh ed i n Illi n o i s as the wild pra i ri e la n d was put un d er

culti v atio n Coal mi ni ng b eca m e on e of the S tat e s i mporta n t i n
.
’

dus tr i es Q uarr i es w ere op en ed L and v alues i n creas ed astonish

. .

i ng l y N um erous m i lls an d small factor i es— fore runn ers of th e

.

gr eat i n d ustrial pla n ts of today — c am e i n to b ei n g .

Althoug h for th e fi r st s i xt een years of i ts corporat e life th e

Il l i n ois C en tral was stri ctl y an Ill i n o i s ra i lroad i t had b een k een ly ,

acti ve i n d evelopi ng trade through i ts co nnect i o n s at Chicago ,

D unl eith Cairo an d elsewh ere wi th emphasi s upo n th e port of

, , ,

N ew Orl ea n s Almost from the b egi nn i n g of i ts ex i st en c e the

.
,

r a il r oad mai n tai n e d tr afli c offi ces i n N ew Orl ea n s By 1 8 5 8 it had .

,

cont r a ct ed with a lin e of steamboats to pro v id e regular serv ice

with through rat es a nd fare s b etw een Ca i ro an d N ew Orl ea n s .

Wh en railwa y servi ce was establish ed b e tween Col umbus K en ,

tucky and N ew O r l ea n s earl y i n 1 8 60 the Ill i n o i s Cen tral en

, , ,

te r e d i n to clos e tr affi c allia n c es with th e rail li n e s also But n o .

s oon e r had th e r a ilroad mad e a good start toward building its

t r ade with N ew Orl ea n s through i ts ra i l an d st eamboat co n n ections

than the N atio n was plunged into a dev astating war Al l rail com .

m un i cati on s with th e S outh we re s ev ered o vernight a n d th e cur ,

r e nt s of tr affi c o ve r th e Illi n ois C en tral w er e drasticall y alt e r ed .

D ur i ng th e Ci v il War th e Illi n ois Cen tral was of Vital i m

,

po r tance to the Govern m en t from a military sta n dpoint Th e l i n es .

b e tw e en Chica g o and C a i r o a n d b e tw een D ub u qu e a n d C en tra l ia

w er e tak en o ver larg el y b y th e military e stablishm ent an d b ecam e

[l 1 8 l
th e ro ut e s of the armi e s soldi ers foodstufi s an d military suppli es
, , ,

goi ng S outh and r et urni ng soldi ers and hospital trains goi n g
,

N orth .

Aft er th e war rail an d st eamboat co nn ectio n s with N ew Orl ea n s

,

an d oth er poi n ts i n th e S outh w er e r e establish ed an d th e Illi n ois -

,

C en tral en t ered upo n a progra m of ex pa n sio n b eyo nd th e bo r d ers

of the S tat e I n 1 8 6 7 it cross ed the M i ss i ssippi Ri v er and ext en d ed
.
,

i ts op eratio n s i n to th e n ewl y op ened I owa cou ntry By 1 8 7 0, its .

li nes had b een ext en d ed to th e M i ssouri Ri ver at S ioux City .

Th en i n 1 8 7 2 through the i ni tiative of William H Osb orn ,

, , .

th e compa n y took a mom en tous st ep I t en t ere d i n to an agr eem en t .

with co n nect i ng li n es i n th e S outh which ulti m at el y ext en d ed its

op erati o n s to N ew O r l ea n s By 1 8 7 7 the Illi n ois C en tral was i n
.
,

co n trol of th e N ew O r l ea n s li n e as well as bra n ch li nes i n M issis

,

sippi I n th e n ext fi ve years th ese S outh ern li n es and th eir equip

.

m en t which had su ffered the ravages of war were co m pl etely

, ,

rebuilt b y the Illi n o i s Cen tral .

Un t i l 1 8 8 1 the i n t ercha nge of passenger and freight cars b e

,

tween th ese N orth ern an d S outh ern li nes was i mp ed ed b y the

fact that th e gauge of the l i nes n orth of the Oh i o Ri ver was 4 feet
8 % i n ch es ( n ow the sta n dard gauge ) wh i l e that of the li n es sout h
of the river was 5 feet I n that year i n a m atte r of hours one day
.
, ,

th e gaug e of th e en tir e li n e from E ast Cairo to N ew Orl ea n s a ,

dista n c e of 5 4 7 mil es was co nv ert ed to sta ndard gauge This en

,
.

abl ed both locomoti v es and cars to b e i n t erchan ged free ly Two

. .

y e ars lat e r ,
th e compa n y b ega n op e rat i n g th e S o u th e rn li n es as a

part of the Ill i n ois Cen tral syst em .

Th e op en i n g of th e gr eat br i dge across th e O hio Ri ver at Cairo ,

Illi n ois i n 1 8 8 9 compl et ed the last li nk i n this L akes to Gulf rail

, ,
- -

r out e Th e Cairo Bridge s ymbol i z ed as p erh a ps n othi n g els e did

.

th en or has si n ce the reunion of the N orth an d S outh .

M eanwhil e i n 1 8 8 8 the railroad had furth er ex p and e d its

, ,

op eratio n s b y ext endi n g i ts li n es as far West as S ioux Falls S outh ,

l 1 9 l
D akota Th en i n 1 8 9 2 the Il l i n ois C entral cam e i n to cont r ol of
.
, ,

a second li ne b e tween M emphis an d N ew Orl eans th r ough th e

h eart of the fertil e alluv ial d elta cou n try of M issi ssippi a li n e ,

wid el y k n o wn for ma n y years as th e Y a z oo 8: M ississi p pi Val l ey

Railroad I n th e middl e n i n e ti e s the compa ny ext en ded its op er a
.
’

tio n s i n Kentucky and south ern Illi n ois Thus st ep b y s tep the .
, ,

I l l i n ois C entra l was being forged i n to a g r eat railwa y syst em By .

th e en d of th e c en tury it had a dir ect rout e b e t ween S t L o uis and .

Chicago and had built or acquired li nes i n to P eori a E v ansv ill e , ,

an d Omaha .

The acquisitio n of the li n e s i n western Ken tucky and so u th ern

Illi n ois dur i n g the ni n eti es was of far more sig n i fi can ce than might
’

app ear to th e casual o b serv e r L arge areas serv ed b y th ese lin es

.

we re u n d er laid with rich d e posits of bit umi n o us coal of good

quality Th e Illi n ois Cen tral took st eps to p r omot e the d ev elop
.

m en t of th e s e hidd en resourc es ; and b y 1 9 00 th e compa ny had , ,

t aken its place as on e of th e foremost coal carri ers of th e N atio n .

M ea n w hil e important cha n ge s had taken p l ace i n the manage

,

m en t of th e r a ilroad Upon the re tirem en t of Wil l i am H O sb orn

. .

a t th e clos e of 1 8 8 2 two o u n g m e n S tu v e sant Fi s h a n d E d w a r d

, y y ,

H Harrima n w e re mo v i ng i n to key pos i tio n s e ach to play a

.
, ,

m ajor rol e i n the a ffair s of th e compa ny I n I 8 7 7 S tuyvesa n t Fish .

,

b ecam e a director an d i n I 8 8 7 presiden t of th e compa ny a posi

, , ,

tio n W hich h e h eld for n i n e t een years th e lo n ge st t enur e of any ,

p r esi den t i n the railroad s history E dward H Harrima n b ecam e

’
. .

a di r ector i n 1 8 8 3 an d Vic e presid en t i n 1 8 8 7 H e resign ed fro m

,
—
.

th e latt er p osition i n 1 8 9 0 b ut co n ti n u e d as a dir ector u n til h i s

,

d ea th i n 1 9 0 9 .

Duri n g this middl e p e riod from the early eighti es to th e early

,
’

y e a rs of th e pr e s e n t c e n tu r y th e polici
,
e s of th e compan y w e r e

l ar gel y shap e d b y th ese two m en B oth ma s t er s of fi n an c e Fi sh and

.
,

Harr ima n w orked as a t eam In a p er iod of twenty yea r s fr om

.
,

1 8 8 0 to 1 9 0 0 th e mi l eage of the Illinois C e ntra l mor e th an

,

treb l ed the n um b er of unit s of e qui p m en t o wn ed inc r eased s ix fo ld

, ,

th e c a pita l i z atio n of th e compan y inc r ea s ed fo u r fo ld an d tr affi c ,

l zo l
an d e arn i ngs i n creased n earl y fi v efol d By 1 9 00 th e I l li n ois .
,

C en tral was a fi ve thousa n d mi l e s yst em reachi n g i n to fo urt een

- -

S tat es of th e M idd l e West and S o u th .

Th e long a ss ociatio n of S tu yv e sa n t Fish and E dwa r d H Ha r r i .

m an i n th e ma n ag em en t of th e Illi n ois Ce ntral cam e to a decisi ve

i

a n d dramatic c l ima x i n th ei r co n t est for control of th e compan y ,

i n th e ea r l y years of th e pres en t c en tury This co n t es t ext end ed .

o v er a p eriod of many mo n ths an d culmi n at ed i n th e oust er of

M r Fish from th e pr esid en cy i n 1 9 0 6 Be cau se of his oth er wi de
.
,
.

Sp r ead int erests M r Harrima n s Victory n ot o n l y mad e him the

,
.
’

domi nant fi g ur e i n th e a ffairs of th e compa ny ; it also ga ve him a

positio n of u n disput e d l ead ership i n th e fi eld of railroad ma nage
m en t .

M Ha r riman co n ti n ued i n co n trol of th e Illi n ois Central until

r .

his d eath i n 1 9 0 9 Four years later his eld er son Wi ll iam Av erel l
‘

.
, ,

Harrima n then tw en ty two years of ag e b ecam e a dir ecto r of th e

,
-
,

compa ny The yo ungest di r ector i n th e hi s to ry of th e Illi n ois

.

C entr al William Av er ell Harrima n soon demonstrat ed that h e

,

had i n h er it ed his fath er s anal ytical mi n d an d p en e t ra ting grasp

’

of b usin ess pro b l ems L at er h e b ecam e Chairma n of th e E x ecuti v e

.

Committ ee an d for ma ny years un ti l his withdraw al fr om b usin es s

, ,

to d ev ot e his tim e and att entio n wholl y to go v er n m ent a ffai r s i n

1 9 4 2 William Av er ell Harrima n was th e k ey fi g ur e i n th e Illinois
,

C en t r al di r ectorat e Although h e has d ev ot ed his en ergi es en tirel y

.

to th e a ffa i r s of go v ern m en t s i n ce th en h e an d his b roth er Ro l a n d ,

Ha r r ima n still mai n tai n a li v el y int er es t i n th e rai l r o ad w hich

p l a yed such a promin en t part i n th eir fath er s railro a d ca r eer ’
.

From 1 8 8 3 u n til 1 9 0 9 a p eriod of twen ty six ye a r s E d ward

,
-
,

H Ha r r ima n was an important fi gu r e in th e a ffairs of th e com

.

pa ny Fr om 1 9 1 3 un til 1 9 4 2 a p eriod of thi r ty ye ar s his son

.
, ,

Wi l liam Av erell Harrima n was an equall y im p orta n t fi g ur e i n

th e compa ny s a ffairs Thus th e i n fluen ce of th e Harr im a n Fa mil y
’
.

has ext en d ed o ver a p eriod of co n sid erab l y more than ha l f th e life

of th e compa ny .

Char l es H M arkham on e of th e d ynamic p er s o naliti e s i n

.
,

Illi n ois Cen t r al histo ry cam e to the presid ency i n 1 9 1 1 a n d con

,

l Z I l
ti n ue d as the adm i n istrati ve h ead of th e company un til 1 9 2 6 wh en ,

h e was succ eed ed b y L a wrenc e A Do wn s son of a railroad s ectio n

.
,

forema n M r Do wn s remai n ed at the h ead of th e compa ny un til

. .

1 93 8 wh en h e was succ eed e d b y Joh n L a n sing Beven s on of an

, ,

Illi n ois Cen tral locomot i ve engi n eer Follo wing M r Bev en s
. .
’

d eath i n 1 9 4 5 I was el ect ed as his successor I t is i n t er esti n g an d

, ,
.

I b eli ev e sig n i fi can t that th e last four presid en ts of the Illi n ois
C en tral h av e b een n ati v es of S tates i n which the Illi n ois Cen tral
op erates .

E ven more sig ni fi can t was th e tra n sfer i n 1 9 3 8 of th e m eeting

place of the Board of Directors from N ew Y ork to Ch i cago and
th e r eplac em en t of six E ast ern d i rectors b y ei ght n ew m emb e rs of
th e board all r e sid en ts of c i t i e s an d to wn s on the Illi n o i s C e ntral
,
.

Thus for the fi rst ti m e the ra i lroad had a board composed mai n ly
of resid en ts of M i d Am eri ca D esig ned to b r i ng po l icy maki n g
-
.
t
—

manag em en t i n to the most i n t i mate relatio n ship with adm i n ist r a

ti v e ma n agem en t th ese cha nges were proposed b y William
,

Averell Harrima n who was fi r mly co n vi n ced that such a mo ve

,

was i n th e best i n terests of the railroad and its te rritory .

Throughout i ts hi story the Illi n ois Cen tral has b een aggress i v e
i n promoti n g the d evelopm en t of i ts t e rri tory agricult urall y i n ,

dustr i al l y an d comm e rcial l y I t was th e fi r st rail r oad in th e

, .

Un it ed S tat es to carry on a wid espread publicity campaig n for

attracti n g settl e rs trad esm en an d i n d ustrialists to its t erritory
, ,
.

Th e fi r st large s cal e g eological survey ev e r mad e i n Illinois an d

-

th e fi r s t soi l anal ys is p r ogram ev er un der tak en i n th e S tat e wer e

u n d er Illi n o i s C en tral auspic es Th e compa ny had much to do with
.

th e d ev elopm en t of coal m i n i ng i n its t erritory I t pio n ee r ed i n th e

.

shipm en t of fruit u n d er refrigerat i o n Fro m i ts earli es t yea r s i t

.

has direct ed its att en tio n u n c easi ngl y to industri al an d ag r icultu ral
d evelo p m en t all along its li n es an d to the promotio n of forei g n
trad e through its S outh ern ports parti cularl y wi th L ati n Am erica
,
.

Follo wi n g th e First World War the Illi n ois Cen tral ent ered
,

upo n on e of th e greatest i mprovem en t programs ev e r un d ertaken ,

l z z l
i n vol v i ng ex p en ditures exc eedi ng three h un dred millio n dollars .

I n cl ud ed were th e reco n structio n of t er minal faci l iti es the el ec tr i ,

fi cati on of sub urb a n s e rv ic e th e reductio n of gr ad es th e con struc

, ,

tio n of seco n da r y mai n s an d n ew li n es th e r eco n structio n of r epair

,

shops and fr eight yards and th e ex pa n sio n and mod ern i z atio n of
,

m oti ve po wer and rol li ng stock Wh en com p l eted th e program

.
,

h ad ex p a n d ed th e capacit y and effi ci en cy of th e tra nspo r tatio n

pla n t e fi ected eco n omi es and pro v ided imp r o ved s erv ice to th e
, ,

public .

Dur ing the tw en ti es traffi c was h eavy an d th e railroad pros

’

p ered Th en comm en ci ng i n 1 9 2 9 cam e th e gr eat D epressio n

.
, , .

I n a p er iod of four years 1 9 2 9 to 1 9 33 more th a n ha l f of th e

, ,

busi n ess an d r ev en u es of the Illi n ois C ent r al disapp ea r ed Th e .

situatio n was aggra v ated b y th e i nroads of comp etitio n on high

wa ys and wat erwa ys N ev e r was th e Illi n ois Cen tral clos er to th e
.

ba nkruptcy courts S o gra v e was th e situat i o n that pap ers w er e

.

prepared for fi l i ng i n a court of ba n kruptcy at a mom en t s n otic e ’

,

if and wh en such a d esp erate st ep s eem ed imp er ati v e Th r o ugh .

th e most d r astic e co n om i es ev er u n d e rtak en th e com p an y man ,

aged to surv i v e the eco n om i c storm .

In re rt o sp ect the picture cha nges L ooki n g back we w ond er i f this

.

p er iod of ad v ersi ty was n ot a b l essi n g i n di sgui se Th e ha r d tim es .

resul t ed in the most thoro ugh housecl ea n ing i n th e hi s to r y of th e

comp an y This searchi ng ex ami natio n and o v er ha ul ing of al l i ts
.

m ethods mad e it possi b l e for the Il l inois C en t r al to ha ndl e th e

u n p r e ced en t ed traffi c of th e S econ d Wo r ld W ar In deed h ad it .
,

n o t b een for th e b en e fi c i al l esso n s l e arn ed fr om th e drastic e c on o

mi e s which wer e n ec essa ry and for th e g r eat imp r o v em ents w hich

were mad e i n pla n t a n d e quipm ent d u ring th e 1 9 2 o s and 1 9 3 o s
’ ’
,

th e compan y w ould n ev er hav e b e en abl e to p er fo r m th e p r odi

g i ou s ta s ks of t h e war y e ars 1 9 4 2 1 9 4 6 -
.

Throughout i ts history the Illi n ois C en tral has b een a u ser of

,

publicity an d advert i sing i n d ev elopi n g i ts t erritory an d attracting

fi c to i ts li nes Fol l o wi n g th e r e tu r n of th e rail r o ads from
tr af . ,

Fed e ral co n t r ol i n 1 9 2 0 th e Illi n ois C ent r a l ent ered up o n a

, ,

public relatio n s progra m d esign ed to creat e a b ett e r public u n d er

I 23 l
sta n ding of its achi ev em en ts Th e resp o n s e to its month l y m e ssages
.

i n n ew spa p er s througho u t its t er r itory was so fa v orab l e that th e

progr am is n ow i n its thirty—fi r st yea r— a r eco r d un ique a mo n g
rai l roa ds for conti n uous i n stitutional p ublicity and adv ertisi n g .

A few mom ents ago , I r eferr ed to the huge exp en ditu r es which
w er e ma de for impro vem ents i n th e twen ti es This im p ro vem ent’
.

p r og r am had th e effe ct of incr easing debt and i n t er es t to th e high

es t poi n ts i n th e history of th e com p a n y Duri n g th e D e p r e ssio n of
.

the thi r ti e s i n t er e st on fu n d ed d ebt was th e onl y it e m of exp e n se

’
, ,

exc e pt t a x e s w hich could n ot b e r e duc e d Int er e st ch ar g e s w hich

,
.

took slightl y o v er ni n e c en ts of th e r ev en ue doll ar in 1 9 2 7 i n

creas ed to more th an eight een an d one ha l f c ents i n 1 9 33 due to —
,

th e h e avy r eductio n s i n tr affi c a n d r ev en u e s .

With im p rov ed ea r nings i n th e earl y forti es the Illi n ois Cen ’

,

t r al u n der took a long range program for reductio n of its fu n d ed

—

d eb t an d for gen eral o verhaul ing an d si m p l i fi cati on of its co r p orat e

and deb t st r ucture This p r ogram of d eb t red uctio n co n so l idatio n ,
.
,

and r e fi n anc i n g n ow w el l on its way b ut sti ll in p r ogress is g en

, ,

er a ll y r ega r ded as th e most si g n i fi ca n t d ev elopm en t i n th e a f

fairs
of the I ll i n oi s Central i n th e last q uarter c ent ury I t has en do wed -
.

th e rai l road with n ew stre n gth I t has plac e d th e compa ny i n a

.

stro nge r positio n tha n ev e r b e for e to m eet an d o v er com e any eco

nomic s to r m Tim e do es n ot p ermit a d etail ed discu ssio n of th es e
.

accomp l ishm en ts but I c an sum up the results i n a few words :

,

S i nce 1 9 4 1 Illi n ois C entral has red uced its fun de d d ebt
,
th e
fr om 3 6 8 millio n to 2 1 6 millio n dolla r s or 4 1 p ercen t an d i t has , ,

lo w er ed its ann ual i n t er est charges fr om 1 5 mi l lio n to 9 millio n

do ll a r s a red uctio n of 4 0 p erc en t As a result interest on th e
,
.
,

fun d ed d ebt of the Illi n ois Central which i n 1 9 2 7 took abo u t 9

,

c ents an d i n 1 9 3 3 ab o u t 1 8 % c ents today tak es onl y abo ut thr ee

,

and on e third c en ts out of each r even u e dolla r which is th e lo wes t

-

in th e r a i l r oad s history ’
.

Thi s not ew orth y achi evem en t has b een the result of years of
conc ent r at ed e ffort on the part of the Illi n ois C en tral offi cer s an d
emplo ye s and m ag n i fi cen t t eam w o r k on th e part of stockhold er s ,
b o n dhol de rs, an d m anage m en t
gen er a l l y I t gi v es m e g r eat sa tis .

factio n this ev en i n g to ack n o wl edg e th e sp eci al ind eb t ed ness of

th e compan y to th e Chairma n o f our E x ec uti v e Committ ee ,

E ugen e W S t etso n For s ev eral years past h e h as dev ot ed a larg e

. .
,

p a r t of his tim e tho ught and e f

,
fo r t to w orking out w ith i n fi n i te
, ,

pati enc e and disc er n i n g judgm ent st ep b y st ep th e m ul titudi n o us , ,

d e tails of th e r e fun ding co n solidatio n an d debt r eductio n p r o

, ,

gram .

P r incipall y b ecau se of th e great l y imp r o v ed fi n anc i al sit ua tio n

which was thus brought about th e Illi n ois C en tral was a b l e e arl y , ,

i n 1 9 4 8 to resum e di v id en d pa ym en ts on its p r eferr ed share s aft er

,

a lap se of fi fteen years ; and i n Ja n uary of last year to r esum e , ,

div i den ds on its common shares aft er a lap se of s eventeen years ,

thus restori n g th e compa ny to its traditio n al ro l e of a div id end

pa ying railroad Th e much imp r o v ed fi nanci al positio n i n which
.

th e I l l i n ois C en tral fi n ds its elf today is a tri b ut e mo r e eloqu en t

an d im p r e s si v e tha n an w or d s of min c n po s ibl xp r e ss to th e
y e a s y e

sagacio u s l ead er ship of E ugen e W S te tson . .

In ackn o w l edging our sp ecial d eb t to M r S te t s o n I do n ot wi s h .

,

to d e t r act from th e credit which b elongs to oth er di s ti ngui sh ed

m emb er s of th e Board of Di r ecto r s whos e wi se cou n sel has h elp ed
to shap e th e polici e s of th e compa ny i n r ec en t years .

Througho ut its hi sto r y th e Illi n ois C entral has b een fortu nat e
,

i n ha v ing Boa r ds of Di r e ctors compos ed of b usi n ess l ead ers of

un usual Visio n an d int egrity I n additio n to th e i n co r p orato r s al
.

r ea d
y m e n tio n ed an d a lo n g lin e of Go v er n o r s of Illinois th e
, ,

boa r d i n p a st years has i n clud ed such o ut s ta n ding fi gur es i n

Am er i ca n b usin es s a n d fi nance as : J O gden Armou r Joh n Jacob .
,

As tor Vi n c ent Asto r Wil l iam Wa l dor f A sto r John W Auch i n

, , ,
.

closs P i er re Chout eau Jr Jam es C Fa r go S ta n l ey Fi eld S tuyv e

, ,
.
,
.
, ,

sa n t Fish Ro b ert W G oel et E dward H Ha r r ima n Oli ver Har

, .
,
.
,

rima n W Av erell Harrima n Abram S H ewitt Jam es F Joy

,
.
, .
,
.
,

Ro b er t S L o vett J P i erpont M orga n L ev i P M o r to n Jam es

.
,
.
, .
,

N o r r is J erom e J Ha n au e r Ch a rl es A P eab od y Joh n G S h edd

, .
, .
,
.
,

a n d G e n eral Corn elius V a n d e rbilt .

 Th ese ar e a few of ma ny outsta nding m en wh o hav e s erv ed as
directors of the Illi n ois C en tral Railroad Compa ny Bu t I doubt .

tha n any Board of Directors has b een compos ed of an abl er group

of m en th an that which compos es the Board of Directors of the
Illi n ois C ent r al i n this year of its cen t en n ial L et m e call th e roll : .

E ug en e W S t e tso n of N ew Y ork , form erly presid en t and cha i r

.

m an of th e board of the Guara n ty Trust Compa ny of N ew Y ork .

G en eral Cl i fford W Ga ylord of . St L. ouis presiden t of

,
th e
Ga ylord Co n tai ner Corporatio n ;
S t eph en Y . Hord of Chicago g eneral partner , ,
Brown B roth ers
Harr ima n 81 Compa ny ;
O scar G
‘

Joh n sto n of M i ssissipp i orga n i z e r of the N ati o n al

.
,

Cotto n Coun c i l of Am erica ;

Will i am R K i ng of M emphis presiden t of the Wi ll i a m R
.
, .

M oore D r y Goods Compa ny ;

Jam es R L eav ell of Ocea n S pri ngs M issi ssipp i ret i red pres i
.
, ,

d en t of th e Co n ti n en tal Ill i n o i s N at i o n al Ba n k 8: Trust Compa ny

of Chicago ;
D on ol d B L . ouri e of Chicago , presid en t of The Q uaker Oats
Compa ny ;
Joh n W Rath of Wat erloo I owa , cha i rm a n of th e fi n ance com
.
,

m i ttee of the Rath P acki ng Compa ny ;

Adla i E S t even so n , Govern or of Illi n o i s ex ofii c i o ;
.
,
-

E dwi n S S S u nd erla n d of N ew Y ork m emb er of the l aw fi r m

. .
,

of Dav is P ol k Wardwell , S un d e rla n d Ki endl ;

, ,

S olo n B Turma n of N ew Orl ea n s ex ecuti ve V i c e pr esid en t of

.
,
—

L yk es Broth ers S t eamship Compa ny I nc ; ,

.

L ouis Ware of Chicago presid en t of I n t e rn atio n al M i n e rals

,

an d Ch em i cal Corporat i o n ;

Thomas E Wi l so n of Chicago chai r ma n of th e board of Wilso n

.
,

81 Compa ny m eat pack ers ;

,

G en eral Rob ert E Wood of Ch i cago cha i rm an of th e b oa r d of

.
,

S e ars Ro eb uck
,
Compa ny .

E v e ry m emb e r of the pre s en t board is i n timat el y acquai n t ed

l 26 l
w ith th e I ll i n ois Cen tral its t err itory its p er so nn el its op er ation s
, , , ,

its traffi c i ts fi n an ci al a ffairs an d i ts ma nagerial pro b l ems Th es e

, , .

a r e th e g e ntl em en w h o m ee t fr equ en tl
y a n d act u p on al l m ajo r
question s of po l icy a ffecti n g th e compa ny .

I wa n t also to p ay the high est tri b ute to the offi cer s wh o sha r e
with m e the ta sk of keepi n g the Illi n ois Cen tral ru n ning smooth l y
from day to day W e ha v e had ma ny a b l e m en i n key position s
.

throughout our hun dred years but I am v er y c ertai n that th e

,

rail r oad was n ev er i n stro n ge r ha nds tha n it i s to da y Agai n l et m e .

call the roll : Cha r l es F Dugga n v ic e presid en t i n cha r ge of

.
,
-

op er atio n s ; Roy E Ba r r, vice presid en t i n charge of traffi c ;

.
-

Charl es H M ott i er, Vi c e presid en t an d ch i ef en gi n eer ; Ottis O

.
-
.

Al b ri tto n Vic e presid en t i n charge of p urchas es an d stores ; Fra n k

,
-

E . M arti n , compt r oll er ; Jos eph H Wright g en eral cou n s el ; .

,

G eorge M Cro wso n assista n t to th e presid en t ; Al b ert L Ch urch ,

.
,
.

s ecreta r y an d as sista n t to the presid en t ; A B Huttig treasur er ; . .

,

an d G J Willi ngham director of p erson n el I am con fi den t that

. .
,
.

n o railroad a nywh ere is ma nned b y a fi n er group of of fi cer s and a

m ore lo yal group of employes or one wh ere th e fam i l y sp i r i t is
,

stro nger .

In a fewho urs the Illi n ois C en tral will en t er upo n its s eco n d
c en tu r y of s erv ic e to th e Am eri ca n P eopl e D eepl y co n scious of .

our h er itage from th e past an d of our obligatio n to th e fut ure we ,

ar e u n it ed i n a d e t ermi n atio n to k eep i n th e v a n guard of p r og r ess

and to s eek i n ev e ry w ay to justify th e right of th e Illi n ois C en tral

Railroad to b e ca ll ed th e
M AI N L I N E O F M 1 D AM ER 1 0 A -
.

TH E E N D

Ac tor nm M a m o r es si mn l
a fi e etan m s Ag e n da ! ”

l z 7 l
THIS N E W COM E N ADDRE S S , deal i ng wi th th e h i s tor y of

th e I ll i n oi s C e n tr a l Ra i l r oa d an d c omm em or a ti ng i ts

1 0 0t h Anni v er sar y ( 1 85 1 was de l i v er ed at a

N i
a t ona l N e wc oi n e n Di nn er of Th e N e wc o m en S i
oe e ty

o
f E n g l a nd, held at N ew Y or k, N . Y .
,
on

Fe hr uar y 8 , 1 95 1 . M R . J O H N S TON ,
th e g ue s t of h o n or ,

was i n tr oduc ed b y E UG E NE W . S T E T S ON , C h a i rm a n of
th e E x e c u ti v e C onnn i tte e, I l l i n oi s C e n tr a l Ra i l r oa d;

m em b er of th e N ew Y or k C oni nt i tte e , i n Am er i ca n

N e wc o m e n Th e di n n er wa s p r e si ded o v er b y th e S E
. NI OR

VI C E — P RE S I DE NT FO R N O RT H AM ER I CA , i n th i s i n ter

n a ti ona l S oc i e t
y w h os e h e a d uar te rs
q

ar e at L on don .
“
r
At F om $ 8 to $ 1 2 pe r Ac r e!
”

—
an d a ll th e b le ssings
of Ci o i li z a ti on
 Th e Il l i n ois Cen tral Rail r oad , with its n et work of st eel

in fo urt een S tat es of M i d Am erica ,

-
is an i n t eg ral an d

importa n t part of th e N atio n its elf Th erefo r e to

.
,

u n der stan d th e full m ea n i n g of the ob serv a n ce for which

we ar e h ere ass embl ed ,

we m ust en com p ass th e en ti r e

Vi ew of Am erican gro wth an d d evelopm en t , agr i cul tur

al ly i n d ust r ially
, ,
an d comm er cia l l y du r ing
,
th e l ast

h undred ye ra s .

WAY N E A J O H N S TON
.

Il se ]!
 In a few hours fr om n ow th e Illi n ois C en tral will en e t r

upo n its s eco n d c en tury of s erv ic e to th e Am erica n

P e opl e . D eep l y co n scious o f our h eritage fr om th e pa s t

and of our ob l igatio n to th e future we ar e unit ed in a

,

d et ermi n atio n to keep i n th e v ang uard o f p r og r e s s and

to s eek in ev e ry way to justi fy th e right o f th e Il l inois

Cen tral Rail r oa d to be cal l ed th e

M AI N L I NE OF M ID -
AM ER I CA .
”

WAY N E A J O H N S TON .
AM E R I CA N N E W COM E N ,
i n ter e s te d a l wa ys i n tr ansp r tao
‘

ti no h i stor y an d i n th e c on tr i b uti ons b y r ai rl o ad sys tem s

o
t o e c n om i c a n d m a ter i a l p r o g r ess , tahes s a ti s a ti n f c o in

th i s wh o ll y de l i g h tfu l an d i n tens el y h um an N ewoorn e n

m a nus c r i p t c
r e r ea ti n g th e ti m es an d efi or ts a n d a c c omp

l i s h m e n ts i on e e r s i n M i ti Am e r i c a
of p
-
, j us t z o o yea rs

a
g o ! Th os e m en an d th e i r s ucc e ss o rs m a de p os s i hl e a

de v e l op m e n t of n a tur a l r es our c es an d an i n dus tr i a l

g r o wth tha t today a r e hn l w ar hs i n our N a ti on s s tr e n g th

’
.

I t is a r e c i ta l tha t f or m s a b r i ll i an t c h ap te r i n

Tr a nsp or ta ti on H i s tor y i n Am er i c a !
TH E N E WCOM E N S O C I E TY OF E N G L AN D

IN N O R TH AM E R I C A

RO ADL Y , thi s Br i t i s h S oei ety h as

i ts p ur p os es :
as to i n cr eas e
an app r e ci a ti on o
f Am er i ca n —Br i ti s h tr a di ti o n s an d i dea ls
i n the Ar ts d S c i e n c es , ec ia l l y i n tha t b on d
s ym
‘

an p es
of
a thy for th e cul tur a l a n d s p i r i tua l f or ces w hi ch ar e c o mm on t o
p
t h e tw o c o un tr i e s ; a nd, s ec on dl y, to s erv e a s an o th er l i n h i n th e

i ntim ate ly fr i en dly r e l a ti ons ex i s ti ng hetw een G r ea t Br i ta i n a nd

th e Uh i te a S ta tes of Am er i ca .

Th e N ew c orn en S oc i e ty c en ter s i ts w or h i n th e h i s tor y o f

M a ter ia l C i oi l i z a ti on , th e h i s to r y of: I n dn s tr y, I n ven ti on , E h
f

i e er i n , Tr a ns or ta ti on , th e Uti l i ti es, C om m n n i oa ti on , M i n
g n g p
i ng , Ag r i cul tur e, Fi n a n c a, Ba nhi ng , E c on oni i cs , E da t a ti o n , a nd
th e L aw —
th ese a n d c o r r el a te d h i s t or i ca l fi el ds I n s h or t, th e
.

hachg r onnd o f th os e fa c t ors wh i c h ha v e c on tr i b uted or a r e c on

t r i b u ti ng t o th e p r og r ess of M a n hi n d .

Th e b e s t of B r i ti s h tr a di ti ons , Br i ti sh s ch ol ar shi p , a n d Br i ti sh
i dea ls s tan d hat h of th i s h on or a r y s oc i e ty, wh os e h ea dq uar ter s
a r e a t L o n don I ts n am e p er p e tua tes th e l i f e a n d w o r k of Th omas
.

N ewc o m e n ( 1 6 6 3 th e Br i ti s h p i on e er , wh o s e v a l ua b l e

c on tr i ha ti on s i n i m r ov em e n ts t o th e n e wl y i n v en ted S te a m
p
E ng i n e hr on g h t h i nt l as ti ng fam e i n th e fi el d o f th e M ec han i c
Ar ts Th e N e wc o m en E ng i nes , wh os e p e r i od o f use was fr om
.

1 7 1 2 t o 1 7 75 , p av ed a way for th e I n dustr ia l Rev o l uti on .

N e weorn en s i nventi v e g e n i us p r e c e de d b y m or e than 5 0 year s

’

th e b r i ll i a nt wo rk i n S team hy th e w or l d—fani o ns Ja m es W a tt .
 The r oads you tr a v e l s o hr i shl y

l e a d ou t o
f im
d ant i q ui ty,

an d you s tu dy th e p as t ch i efly heeaa se

o f i ts hear i ng on th e l i v i n g p r es e n t

an d i ts p r om i s e for th e futur e .

—L IE U T E NA NT G E NE RA L J A M E S G . H AR B O RD ,

L L . D .
,
U . s . AR M Y ( RE T .
)
( 1 8 66 -
1 94 7 )
L t
a e d m er i ca n W em her f C ou nc i l a t L ondon
o

Th e N ew c om e r; t
S oci e y of E ng la nd