Director General of Railroads was a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
federal government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
position in the
United States Railroad Administration
The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was the name of the nationalisation, nationalized railroad system of the United States between December 28, 1917, and March 1, 1920. It was the largest American experiment with nationalization, and ...
(USRA), whose organization was announced on February 9, 1918. It consisted of the Director General of Railroads and eight major divisions and seven regional offices.
History
President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
issued an order for
nationalization
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the railroads on December 26, 1917, and appointed the first Director General,
William Gibbs McAdoo
William Gibbs McAdoo Jr.McAdoo is variously differentiated from family members of the same name:
* Dr. William Gibbs McAdoo (1820–1894) – sometimes called "I" or "Senior"
* William Gibbs McAdoo (1863–1941) – sometimes called "II" or "Ju ...
, on December 28, 1917.
Walker D. Hines was appointed assistant.
The
Esch-Cummins Act (Railroad Transportation Act) of 1920 ended USRA control over the railroads on March 1 of that year. The subsequent USRA functions dealt with liquidation and final settlement of accounts.
After January 1, 1926, the position was held by the
Secretary of the Treasury
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
, to whom all residual functions were transferred upon the termination of USRA, July 1, 1939.
[USRA abolished By Reorganization Plan No. II of 1939, effective July 1, 1939.]
Litigation
*''Bailey v. Hines, Director General of Railroads'', 131 Va. 421, 109 S.E. 470.
*''Director General Of Railroads v. Kastenbaum'', .
*''Hines, Director General of Railroads v. Gravins'', 136 Va. 313, 112 S.E. 869, June 15, 1922.
See also
*
History of rail transport in the United States
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
References
External links
Records of the United States Railroad Administration (USRA)- National Archives
United States Railroad Administration
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