Harry Ashby DeButts (October 13, 1895 – August 27, 1983) was a president of
Southern Railway in the
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 ...
. He was succeeded by
D. William Brosnan
D. William Brosnan (1903-1985) was a president of Southern Railway in the USA, a railroad that later merged with Norfolk and Western Railway to form Norfolk Southern Railway.
Born in 1903 in Albany, Georgia, he was the son of the town's fire ...
in 1962.
deButts graduated from the
Virginia Military Institute
la, Consilio et Animis (on seal)
, mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
, established =
, type = Public senior military college
, accreditation = SACS
, endowment = $696.8 mill ...
in 1916 and joined Southern Railway that year. He served in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
in World War I and then returned to Southern Railway, where he spent the remainder of his career. He became President of the company in 1952 and Chairman of Board on February 1, 1962, before retiring in November of that year. He died in
Upperville, Virginia.
's DeButts Yard, located in
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, was named in his honor.
See also
*
List of railroad executives
This is a list of railroad executives, defined as those who are presidents and chief executive officers of railroad and railway systems worldwide.
A
* Abbot, Edwin H. (1834–1927), WC −1890
* Adams, Charles Francis, Jr. (1835–1915), ...
References
1895 births
1983 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
Southern Railway (U.S.)
People from Upperville, Virginia
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