William John Quinn (May 8, 1911 – October 24, 2015) was an American railroad executive. He was an attorney for the Soo Line before joining the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

in 1954, later serving as its President from 1957 to 1966. In 1966, he became president of the

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 ...

. He later returned to the Milwaukee Road, where he was chairman from 1970 until shortly after it went bankrupt in December 1977.

Early life and education

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Quinn earned an undergraduate degree from the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

in 1933 and then earned a law degree from the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent L ...

in 1935.

Career

After law school, Quinn worked in private law practice in Minnesota and as an assistant U.S. attorney. He then took a job with the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad as an in-house attorney. During World War II, Quinn was posted to work for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

as a counterespionage agent. After the war, he returned to the Soo Line. In 1954 the Milwaukee Road recruited Quinn to join the railroad as a general solicitor. By 1958 he had risen up to become the railroad's president. Quinn left the Milwaukee Road in 1966 to become president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. He returned to the Milwaukee Road in 1970 as chairman, shortly after the CB&Q merged into the

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a Mergers and acquisitions, merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996. Its historical lineage begins in the e ...

. Quinn was the last leader of the

and was involved in its notorious scheme of de-electrification in 1972, right before the

1973 oil crisis The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...

. This and the general collapse of the road in the 1960s led to the final bankruptcy of the famous Milwaukee Road. Quinn retired in 1978. He died in

Glenview, Illinois Glenview is an incorporated village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, approximately 15 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. Per the 2020 census, the population was 48,705. The current Village President is Michael Jenny. Geography ...

at the age of 104.

References

Milwaukee Road in the 70's: What really happened? from Trainweb
*[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/576363382.html?dids=576363382:576363382&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+26%2C+1960&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Wm.+Quinn%3A+A+Railroader+by+Accident&pqatl=google Biography of William John Quinn] 1911 births 2015 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians Illinois lawyers American people in rail transportation American railroad executives University of Minnesota Law School alumni Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad people 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1910s-stub