Alfred E. Perlman

Alfred E. Perlman
Alfred E. Perlman, screen capture from the movie posted on the Internet Archive, from the Prelinger Archives
Born	(1902-11-22)November 22, 1902 Saint Paul, Minnesota
Died	April 30, 1983(1983-04-30) (aged 80) San Francisco, California
Occupation	Railroad executive
Years active	1948–1976
Known for	Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, New York Central Railroad, Penn Central Railroad, Western Pacific Railroad
Spouse(s)	Adele Sylvia Emrich
Children	Michael Louis; Lee Alfred; Constance

Alfred Edward Perlman (November 22, 1902—April 30, 1983) was a railroad executive, having served as president of the Penn Central Transportation Company, and its predecessor, the New York Central Railroad.

Perlman graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in 1923. He graduated from the Harvard Business School with a master's degree in railway transportation in 1931. He was awarded honorary degrees from Clarkson University and Depauw University.

According to a November, 1960 write-up in Modern Railroads Perlman never wanted to be anything but a railroader from the age of eight. While earning his degree at MIT, he worked summers on several railroads. Upon graduation, he joined the Northern Pacific Railway as a draftsman. After a year "He decided that the way to get to the top was to start at the bottom, and he worked eight months as a track laborer." In 1925, he was promoted to inspector of icing facilities on the Northern Pacific, with headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. A year later, he was named assistant superintendent, Bridges and Buildings, with headquarters on the railway's Yellowstone Division at Glendive, Montana. He was next promoted to roadmaster, serving at several points on the NP system. In 1930, the NP sent Perlman to Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. Upon his return, he was appointed roadmaster at Staples, Minnesota. In 1934, he was named as an assistant on the staff of the Northern Pacific's Vice-President (Operations) Howard E. Stevens (Stevens himself was a trained civil engineer).

In 1934, during the depths of the Great Depression, Perlman was "borrowed" by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation as a consultant about financially ailing railroads, including the Denver and Rio Grande Western.