Melville Ezra Ingalls (1842–1914), commonly abbreviated M. E. Ingalls, was a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

state legislator who went on to become president of the

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States. It operated in affiliation with the New York Central system. I ...

(the Big Four Railroad).

Career

Ingalls was born on September 6, 1842 in Harrison, Maine, where he worked on the family farm until he began teaching at the age of 16. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1863, Ingalls began practicing law in Gray, ME before moving to Boston, Massachusetts, where he became an expert in corporate law, specializing in transportation lines. In 1871, he was retained as counsel to the Cincinnati and Lafayette Railroad and would eventually become its president. After multiple consolidations under his watch, the company became known as the

Big Four Railroad The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States. It operated in affiliation with the New York Central system. I ...

Positions held

* President of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad until 1900 * President of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis until 1905, Chairman of the Board until 1910 * President of the Kentucky Central Railroad (January, 1881 - October, 1883) * President of the Cincinnati Northern * President of the Merchants' National Bank in Cincinnati, OH * Co-founder and President of the

Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is an art museum in the Eden Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of ov ...

* President of the

National Civic Federation The National Civic Federation (NCF) was an American economic organization founded in 1900 which brought together chosen representatives of big business and organized labor, as well as consumer advocates in an attempt to ameliorate labor disputes. I ...

in 1905 * President of the Queen City Club in Cincinnati, OH On July 11, 1914, Ingalls died at his summer home in

Hot Springs, Virginia Hot Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bath County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 738. It is located about southwest of Warm Springs on U.S. Route 220. Hot Springs has several historic resorts, f ...

, from heart disease after undergoing treatment for an ulcerated tooth. He was buried in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

. Ingalls also organized the Joint Traffic Association, which was shut down by the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

United States v. Joint Traffic Association 171 U.S. 505 (1898)
/ref> and co-founded the Cincinnati Technical School. He is the grandfather of

David Sinton Ingalls David Sinton Ingalls (January 28, 1899 – April 26, 1985) was the US Navy's only flying ace of World War I, with six credited victories; thus he was the first ace in U. S. Navy history. Early life Ingalls was born on January 28, 1899, in Clev ...

. He financed the construction of the

Ingalls Building The Ingalls Building, built in 1903 in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the world's first reinforced concrete skyscraper. The 16-story building was designed by the Cincinnati architectural firm Elzner & Anderson and was named for its primary financial investo ...

in Cincinnati, which was the world's first reinforced concrete skyscraper in 1903. The town of

Ingalls, Indiana Ingalls is a town in Green Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,223 at the 2020 census. History Ingalls was platted in 1893. It ...

is named in his honor.

References

1842 births 1914 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives 20th-century American railroad executives Harvard Law School alumni Farmers from Maine People from Cumberland County, Maine {{US-rail-bio-stub People from Hot Springs, Virginia People associated with the Cincinnati Art Museum

Career

Positions held

See also

References