Silas Henry Harrison Clark (October 17, 1836 – June 1, 1900) was an American railroad executive. Clark is best remembered as the President of the

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

and

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

s during the decade of the 1890s.

Biography

Early years

Silas H. H. Clark was born in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

in 1836 to Silas Condict Clark and Nancy Ianson Clark.

Career development

Clark first began to work in the railway industry as a

railroad conductor A conductor (North American English) or guard (Commonwealth English) is a train crew member responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve actual operation of the train/locomotive. The ''conductor'' title is most common in No ...

on the

New Jersey Central Railroad The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...

."Personal Mention," ''Railway Age'', vol. 29, no. 23 (June 8, 1900), p. 566. He moved to the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

in 1867 and rose through the ranks to eventually become its general manager, working on behalf of wealthy financier

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made hi ...

, who controlled the line. Clark retained this position until resigning in the summer of 1884. In November 1886, Clark was appointed 1st Vice President and General Manager of the

, a road also controlled by Gould. He would remain in that position until March 1893. He was also named the General Manager of the Union Pacific in December 1890, holding this dual post until February 1, 1893.

Railroad presidency

On April 27, 1892, Clark was named President of the Union Pacific, replacing the recently deceased Sidney Dillon. He resigned this position on March 27, 1893, to take the job as President of the Missouri Pacific. The Union Pacific found itself in financial trouble in 1893 and was placed under receivership. On October 13, 1893, Clark was named as one of the receivers of the road. Clark resigned his place as President of the Missouri Pacific to devote himself full time to the management of the Union Pacific.

Death and legacy

During the last few years of the 1890s, Clark's health began to fail. He died on June 1, 1900, at his residence in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. His body was transferred by rail to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

for interment.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, S. H. H. 1836 births 1900 deaths People from Morristown, New Jersey 19th-century American railroad executives Union Pacific Railroad people Gilded Age