Robert Stetson Macfarlane (January 15, 1899 – March 9, 1982) 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 ...

1951–1966. He was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, on January 15, 1899, the son of Walker K. and Blanche (Stetson) Macfarlane. He married Vivian Clemans on February 21, 1925; together they had Anne (Mrs. Raymond W. Jones Jr.), Mary (Mrs. Benjamin G. Griggs Jr.), Robert Jr., and Vivian (Sra. J. J. Martinez). He served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

from 1917 to 1919, leaving there as a lieutenant (junior grade). Macfarlane was educated at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

where he graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

with an L.L.B. degree in 1922. He worked at the law firm of Chadwick, McMicken, Ramsey, and Rupp from 1919 until his graduation in 1922, at which time he became chief deputy prosecuting attorney for

King County, Washington King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

, a position he held until 1925. The next five years were spent with the law firm of Schwellenbach, Merrick, and Macfarlane. In 1930 Macfarlane became a judge of the Superior Court for King County and remained in that position until 1934. He was named president of the

Alumni Association in 1931, and in 1933 he was honored with a distinguished service award from the

U.S. Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urging ...

After his service as a judge, Macfarlane became the assistant western counsel for

, where he worked his way up through promotions to become president of the railroad in 1951. During this time, he also served as a Colonel for the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Transportation Corps in 1951 and 1952. In 1966 he left the presidency to become Chairman of the Board for Northern Pacific. While he was working his way toward the railroad's presidency, Macfarlane also served as a director for the

Seattle School Board Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of N ...

from 1934 to 1950. Macfarlane also served as a director for

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

Pacific National Bank The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

in Seattle, First National Bank in St. Paul,

Colorado and Southern Railway The Colorado and Southern Railway was an American Class I railroad in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burli ...

, St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance, First Trust Company in St. Paul, American Smelting and Refining, Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance, and First Bank Stock Corporation in Minneapolis.

References

* 1899 births 1982 deaths Northern Pacific Railway people {{US-rail-bio-stub