Edward H. Harriman
| E. H. Harriman | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Edward Henry Harriman February 20, 1848 Hempstead, New York, US |
| Died | September 9, 1909 (aged 61) Orange County, New York, US |
| Resting place | St. John's Church Cemetery, Arden, New York |
| Occupation | Railroad executive |
| Known for | Harriman Alaska Expedition |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Williamson Averell |
| Children |
Mary Harriman Rumsey Henry Neilson Harriman Cornelia Harriman Gerry Carol A. Harriman William Averell Harriman Edward Roland Noel Harriman |
| Relatives | Herbert M. Harriman (cousin) |
Edward Henry "Ned" Harriman (February 20, 1848 – September 9, 1909) was an American railroad executive.
Harriman was born on February 20, 1848 in Hempstead, New York, the son of Orlando Harriman, Sr., an Episcopal clergyman, and Cornelia Neilson. He had a brother, Orlando Harriman, Jr. His great-grandfather, William Harriman, emigrated from England in 1795 and engaged successfully in trading and commercial pursuits.
As a young boy, Harriman spent a summer working at the Greenwood Iron Furnace in the area owned by the Robert Parker Parrott family that would become Harriman State Park. He quit school at age 14 to take a job as an errand boy on Wall Street in New York City. His uncle Oliver Harriman had earlier established a career there. By age 22, he was a member of the .
Harriman's father-in-law was president of the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad Company, which aroused Harriman's interest in upstate New York transportation. In 1881, Harriman acquired the small, broken-down Lake Ontario Southern Railroad. He renamed it the Sodus Bay & Southern, reorganized it, and sold it to the Pennsylvania Railroad at a considerable profit. This was the start of his career as a rebuilder of bankrupt railroads.
Harriman was nearly 50 years old when in 1897 he became a director of the Union Pacific Railroad. By May 1898, he was chairman of the executive committee, and from that time until his death his word was law on the Union Pacific system. In 1903, he assumed the office of president of the company. From 1901 to 1909, Harriman was also the President of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The vision of a unified UP/SP railroad was planted with Harriman. (The UP and SP were reunited on September 11, 1996, a month after the Surface Transportation Board had approved their merger.)
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