Ernest S. Marsh (January 10, 1903 – October 9, 1975) was president of the

Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...

system from 1957 through 1966. He was instrumental in forming the railway's holding company,

Santa Fe Industries Santa Fe Industries was the diversified parent company, headquartered in Chicago, of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Formed in 1968, its non-railroad operations included construction, real estate, and energy units. In the early 1980 ...

, and served on the board of directors for the Regional Transportation Authority in Illinois.

Family and education

Ernest Marsh was born in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...

, on January 10, 1903. In 1912, his father died, which led him to the workforce to help support his family. His formal education did not last through high school, with him taking employment rather than graduating.

Career

Marsh first joined the Santa Fe as a file clerk in 1918 based in Clovis, New Mexico. In a 1973 interview, he revealed that he had lied about his birthdate on his application because the minimum work age at the time was 16; his birthdate in the employee records was not corrected for another 21 years. He served in several clerk positions on the railway until becoming chief clerk at the railway's president's office in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1942. He was then promoted in 1944 to be an assistant to the president in 1944 and executive assistant to the president in 1945. In 1948 Marsh became the Santa Fe's financial vice president. Marsh ascended to the presidency of the Santa Fe on May 1, 1957, succeeding Fred G. Gurley, who had served in that position since 1944. At the same time,

John Shedd Reed John Shedd Reed (1917 in Chicago, Illinois – March 16, 2008 in Lake Forest, Illinois) was president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and then its parent Santa Fe Industries from 1967 until 1986. The rail transport industry jour ...

was named as the president's executive assistant. Marsh was named chief executive officer on May 1, 1958, and chairman of the executive committee on May 1, 1959. Marsh was not averse to spending money to help the railway's success, nor did he spurn new technology, even going so far as to suggest the use of nuclear bombs to help excavate the railway's

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

. On January 1, 1967, Marsh took another promotion, this time to become chairman of the board of directors for the railway. John Shedd Reed then succeeded Marsh as president. Marsh finally retired from the Santa Fe on January 31, 1973, but remained as a member of the board of directors until his death. Chicago Mayor

Richard J. Daley Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1955 and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee from 1953 until his death. He has been cal ...

appointed Marsh to a two-year term on the board of directors for the Regional Transportation Authority in June 1974. Ernest Marsh died at home following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on October 9, 1975.

Legacy

* Engine No. 4 of the Disneyland Railroad is named ''Ernest S. Marsh''. It began service there on July 25, 1959. It was originally built in 1925 and restored to operating condition for use on the Disneyland Railroad. * METX 100, an EMD F40PH locomotive owned and operated by

Metra Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...

is also named the ''Ernest Marsh''. It entered service with Metra in 1977 and was the first F40PH to be delivered into their fleet. It has served Metra's routes out of Chicago Union Station. It currently serves the Rock Island District that leads to

LaSalle Street Station LaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail terminal at 414 South LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. First used as a rail terminal in 1852, it was a major intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968, and for the Chicago, R ...

. Marsh was on the board of directors with the Regional Transportation Authority which oversees the operations of Metra. File:DRR 4 Ernest S.Marsh.jpg, Disneyland Railroad locomotive #4, ''Ernest S. Marsh'' in 2016 File:METX 100 (4925220211).jpg, METX 100 leads a commuter train past another train out of Chicago Union Station in 2010

References

* 20th-century American railroad executives Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway presidents 1903 births 1975 deaths {{US-rail-bio-stub