Charles Donnelly (November 9, 1869 – September 4, 1939) was president of

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

1920–1939.

Biography

He was born in

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...

, on November 9, 1869, the son of Thomas F. and Catherine Corwin. He married Berthania McMichael on November 6, 1894. He was educated at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, graduating with an LL.B. in 1896, after which he began his law practice in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1903 Donnelly became division counsel for the

, having an office in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

. He held this position until 1908 when he was promoted to assistant general counsel based in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

; further promotions led to his presidency of the railroad beginning in 1920. He remained in this position until his death in 1939.

References

1869 births 1939 deaths Northern Pacific Railway people Georgetown University Law Center alumni People from Helena, Montana People from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin {{US-rail-bio-stub