WILLIAM BARSTOW STRONG
Name: William Barstow Strong
Born: 16 May 1837 Brownington, Vermont
Died: 3 August 1914 Los Angeles, California
William Barstow Strong (May 16, 1837 - August 3, 1914) served as president of
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from 1881 to 1889. He is often
referred to as either William B. Strong or W. B. Strong.
He was born in Brownington, Vermont on May 16, 1837. Strong graduated from
Bell's Business College in Chicago, Illinois, in 1855, and soon launched his
career in railroading. His first railroad job was as a station agent for the
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, a position that was introduced to him by his
older brother James.
He married Abbie J. Moore, October 2, 1859, in Beloit, Wisconsin. They had three
children, a girl and two boys.
He worked his way through several railroad jobs successively for the Chicago,
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, McGregor Western Railway, Chicago and North
Western Railway, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), and as
superintendent of the Michigan Central Railroad in the 1870s. In this position,
Strong was succeeded by Henry Brockholst Ledyard in 1876. He returned to the
CB&Q after working on the Michigan Central and then joined the management team
of the Santa Fe as General Manager, and was promoted to Vice President within a
month.
On July 12, 1881, he succeeded T. Jefferson Coolidge as president of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). Under his tenure, the ATSF
expanded to about 7,000 miles (11,265 km) of right-of-way, which at the time
made the ATSF the largest railroad in North America. He held the presidency
until his retirement in 1889.
The city of Barstow, California, where the ATSF maintained extensive shop and
equipment construction and repair facilities, and the town of Strong City,
Kansas, are both named in his honor.
Name: William Barstow Strong
Born: 16 May 1837 Brownington, Vermont
Died: 3 August 1914 Los Angeles, California
William Barstow Strong (May 16, 1837 - August 3, 1914) served as president of
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from 1881 to 1889. He is often
referred to as either William B. Strong or W. B. Strong.
He was born in Brownington, Vermont on May 16, 1837. Strong graduated from
Bell's Business College in Chicago, Illinois, in 1855, and soon launched his
career in railroading. His first railroad job was as a station agent for the
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, a position that was introduced to him by his
older brother James.
He married Abbie J. Moore, October 2, 1859, in Beloit, Wisconsin. They had three
children, a girl and two boys.
He worked his way through several railroad jobs successively for the Chicago,
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, McGregor Western Railway, Chicago and North
Western Railway, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), and as
superintendent of the Michigan Central Railroad in the 1870s. In this position,
Strong was succeeded by Henry Brockholst Ledyard in 1876. He returned to the
CB&Q after working on the Michigan Central and then joined the management team
of the Santa Fe as General Manager, and was promoted to Vice President within a
month.
On July 12, 1881, he succeeded T. Jefferson Coolidge as president of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). Under his tenure, the ATSF
expanded to about 7,000 miles (11,265 km) of right-of-way, which at the time
made the ATSF the largest railroad in North America. He held the presidency
until his retirement in 1889.
The city of Barstow, California, where the ATSF maintained extensive shop and
equipment construction and repair facilities, and the town of Strong City,
Kansas, are both named in his honor.