William Wallace Atterbury

William Wallace Atterbury
c. 1913
Member of the Republican National Committee from Pennsylvania
In office May 12, 1928 – October 10, 1930
Preceded by	George Pepper
Succeeded by	Jay Cooke
Personal details
Born	January 31, 1866 New Albany, Indiana
Died	September 20, 1935 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Matilda Hoffman of Fort Wayne, Ind. (November 13, 1895 – her death in 1910) Arminia (Rosengarten) MacLeod (June 10, 1915 – his death)
Children	three McLeod children he adopted William W. Atterbury, Jr.
Alma mater	Sheffield Scientific School (1886)

William Wallace Atterbury (January 31, 1866 – September 20, 1935)^[1][2] was an American Brigadier General during World War I. He was instrumental in reorganizing railroad traffic during the war for more efficient transportation of troops and supplies for the American Expeditionary Forces. After the war, he became the tenth president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) (1925–1935). He was a leader in pushing to electrify portions of the PRR.

Biography

Atterbury was born in New Albany, Indiana. He attended Yale University, Class of 1886, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He was a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1920 Republican National Convention.

He started as an apprentice in the Pennsylvania Railroad shops at Altoona for five cents/hour.^[2][3]

In 1925, he succeeded Samuel Rea as president of the PRR, a position he held until he retired in 1935.

Atterbury was also active in Republican State politics. In 1928,^[4] he was elected the state's Republican National Committeeman, though he resigned from the post two years later in opposition to Gifford Pinchot's gubernatorial candidacy.^[5]

Awards and decorations

For his work he was awarded: Distinguished Service Medal, Commander of the Legion of Honor (France); Companion of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath (England); Commander of the Royal Order of the White Eagle (Serbia), and Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Romania).^[6]

Atterbury on the cover of Time Magazine in 1933.

A plaque commemorating the career of William Wallace Atterbury, hanging in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, a former Pennsylvania Railroad Station.

Legacy

Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Indiana, is named for him, as was, for a time, Atterbury Army Airfield.

See also

• List of railroad executives

References

1. "Noted rail head, native of city" (PDF). New Albany Tribune. September 21, 1935. Retrieved 2011-06-26. cited at New Albany Floyd County Public Library.
2. "William Wallace Atterbury". Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1944. Gale Document Number: GALE|BT2310018570. Retrieved June 26, 2011 – via Fairfax County Public Library.(subscription required) Gale Biography In Context.
3. "Business: Atterbury for Rea". Time (magazine). September 28, 1925. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
4. "Pepper Refuses Place As Contest Chairman". The Baltimore Sun. June 1, 1928. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
5. "Atterbury Bolts Pinchot Candidacy". The New York Times. October 10, 1930. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
6. Indianamilitary.org

Further reading

• Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum. "About William Wallace Atterbury". Retrieved January 5, 2016.
• Davis, Patricia Talbot (1994). The Railroad General: William Wallace Atterbury. Atlanta, GA: Metro Printing. ISBN 978-0964032903. OCLC 35828835.
• Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Politicians in Railroading in Indiana". Political Graveyard.com. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
• Middleton, William D., George M. Smerk, and Roberta L. Diehl, eds. Encyclopedia of North American Railroads. (Indiana University Press, 2007). pp 156–57
• White, John H. Jr. (Spring 1986). "America's most noteworthy railroaders". Railroad History. 154: 9–15. ISSN 0090-7847. OCLC 1785797.

External links