William Cornelius Van Horne
William Cornelius Van Horne (born February 3, 1843 in Frankfort , Illinois , † September 11, 1915 in Montreal ) was an American , later Canadian , railroad pioneer and entrepreneur.
When Van Horne was eight years old, his family moved to nearby Joliet . He began working for railroad companies in 1857 , first in various functions for the Michigan Central Railway , then for the Chicago and Alton Railway , of which he was General Manager from 1878 to 1879. In 1882 he was appointed chief manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and in 1884 received the post of vice president. He became known for his organizational skills in building the transcontinental railroad across Canada . From 1888 to 1899 he was President of the CPR.
The autodidact was known for his intellectual curiosity and dynamism. He was also familiar with many technical aspects of rail operations; this also included driving a steam locomotive . After becoming a wealthy man, he became a shareholder in various railway companies such as B. the Cuba Railroad Company .
Van Horne saw the railroad as part of a complex communications and transportation system and convinced the directors and shareholders of CPR to set up a telegraph service and an express freight delivery service to complement the railroad. He was responsible for creating the cargo ship division of the CPR and established a regular service between Vancouver and Hong Kong in 1891 . Finally, he was responsible for the expansion of CPR into the tourism sector and participated in the design of two luxury hotels of the Canadian Pacific Hotels group , namely the Château Frontenac in Québec and the Château Lake Louise on the shores of Lake Louise in Alberta .
From 1895 to 1915 he was director of McGill University in Montreal . Van Horne was one of the first Canadians to collect French Impressionist art . He had a large summer residence built on Minister's Island near St. Andrews in New Brunswick . The property on the Bay of Fundy is only accessible by road during low tide .
After his death, a funeral procession brought his remains to Joliet, Illinois , where he is buried in Oakwood Cemetery .
Web links
- William Cornelius Van Horne . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Van Horne, William Cornelius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American, later Canadian, railroad pioneer and entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 3, 1843 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | near Frankfort , Illinois |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 11, 1915 |
| Place of death | Montreal |