Arthur Clinton Spurr (August 27, 1889 - March 1971
["Arthur C. Spurr," obituary, in: ''The New York Times.'' March 22, 1971]) was an American lawyer, manager, consulting engineer, business executive at the
Wheeling Traction Company[Linda Fluharty.]
Arthur Clinton Spurr
" in: ''West Virginians,'' The West Virginia Biographical Association, 1928. and President of the Monongahela Power Company. He is known as public utility executive and investment counselor,
[''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography.'' J. T. White, 1977. p. 233] and as recipient of the
Henry Laurence Gantt Medal The Henry Laurence Gantt Medal was established in 1929 by the American Management Association and the Management section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for "distinguished achievement in management and service to the community" in h ...
in 1949.
[Spurr, Arthur Clinton - West Virginia Department of Agriculture](_blank)
at ''agriculture.wv.gov.'' Accessed 04-07-2017.
Biography
Youth and early career
Spurr was born in 1889 in
Valley City, North Dakota
Valley City is a city in Barnes County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Barnes County. The population was 6,575 during the 2020 census, making it the 12th largest city in North Dakota. Valley City was founded in 1874.
Val ...
to Benjamin Frederick Moore, who was
archdeacon, and Isabell (Stewart) Spurr. After attending
Valley City High School
Valley City High School is a public high school located in Valley City, North Dakota. It is a part of the Valley City Public School District system. The school athletic teams are known as the Hi-Liners.
Athletics
Championships
* State Class 'A' ...
, he obtained his bachelor of laws degree from
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
in 1910, and his A.B. from
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
in 1913.
After his graduation in 1913 Spurr started his career in industry at the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
as a student employee on the staff of its third vice-president. In 1917 he served in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in the
21st Engineers as First Lieutenant at the Western Front, where he took part in the
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...
.
Further career
Back in the States in 1919 he was appointed traffic manager at the East Coast Fisheries Company in
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the town population was 6,936. It is the county seat of Knox County, Maine, Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination ...
. In 1920 he moved Pittsburgh, and worked as consulting engineer for the Philadelphia Company, a parent company of the
Pittsburgh Railways Company. From February 1, 1924, to October 1, 1925, he was research manager of the Pittsburgh Railways Company, after which he was appointed general manager of the Wheeling Traction Company in 1925.
In 1935 he was appointed president of the Monongahela Power Company, a regulated subsidiary of
Allegheny Energy
Allegheny Energy was an electric utility headquartered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It owned and operated electric generation facilities and delivered electric services to customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. Allegh ...
, where he served the next twenty years
until his retirement in 1955.
In between, in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Spurr had served as War Finance Committee chairman for West Virginia.
In recognition of his work, Spurr was awarded the Thomas W. Martin Rural Electrification in 1940,
and the
Henry Laurence Gantt Medal The Henry Laurence Gantt Medal was established in 1929 by the American Management Association and the Management section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for "distinguished achievement in management and service to the community" in h ...
in 1949 for "distinguished achievement in industrial management as a service to the community." In 1951
Marietta College
Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio. It offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across the arts, sciences, and engineering, as well as Physician Assistant, Psychology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a ...
awarded an Honorary Degrees, a Doctor of Laws.
Honorary Degrees Conferred by Marietta College
at marietta.edu, 2007. Accessed 04-07-2017.
References
External links
Spurr, Arthur Clinton - West Virginia Department of Agriculture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spurr, Arthur Clinton
1889 births
1971 deaths
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American businesspeople
Yale Law School alumni
Yale College alumni
People from North Dakota
Henry Laurence Gantt Medal recipients