Daniel Willard

Daniel Willard

Daniel Willard (born January 28, 1861 North Hartland , Vermont , † July 6, 1942 ) was an American railroad manager. He ran the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for 31 years . He was known for his understanding of the demands and concerns of employees and trade unions. He had the ability to combine innovation and constancy. During his time with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, among other things, he introduced air-conditioned cars and diesel locomotives.

Life

Daniel Willard attended Massachusetts Agricultural College for a year after school before joining Central Vermont as a railroad worker in 1879 . He later became a stoker with the Connecticut and Passumpsic River Railroad , where he later also became a train driver. From 1883 he was a train driver for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad in Elhart (Indiana) . In 1884 he went to Soo Line , where he rose from brakeman to department head by 1898. At the Soo Line he met the then managing director Frederick Douglas Underwood , he followed him in 1899 to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, where he became deputy managing director. In 1901 he went with Underwood to the Erie Railroad . From 1904 to 1910 he was Vice President at CB&Q . On January 15, 1910, he became president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In March 1917 he became chairman of the National Defense Advisory Commission . In this role he tried to prepare the railroad network for the necessary transport requirements for the USA to enter the war. This ultimately led to the takeover of the American railways by the state-owned United States Railroad Association in the period from 1917 to 1920 . In addition to serving as president, he was also chairman of the American Railway Association, the Railroad War Board, and the War Industry Board. In 1931 he wanted to resign as president, but he was persuaded by the board of directors to continue. As part of austerity measures to cope with the global economic crisis, he gave up 20% of his income, compared to 10% for the rest of the management. On November 1, 1932, Daniel Willard was on the cover of Time Magazine . On June 1, 1941, he finally resigned as president and became chairman of the supervisory board. He died on July 6, 1942 and is buried in the Federated Church cemetery in Hartland, Vermont.

After him, the place "Chicago Junction" in Ohio was renamed Willard .

literature

• David M. Vrooman: Daniel Willard and Progressive Management on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad . Ohio State University Press, Columbus OH 1991. ISBN 0814205526 ( digitized version on the publisher's pages in full access)

Web links

• Brief portrait at hartlandhistory.org (English)