William Cornelius Van Horne (1843 - 1915)

Born 3 Feb 1843 in Chelsea, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 11 Sep 1915 at age 72 in Montréal, Québec, Canada

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Biography

William Van Horne is Notable.

William Van Horne was a railway builder and official, capitalist, and an artist as well as an art collector. He is best known as the principal builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway.^[1]

Born in 1843 in Illinois, he was the eldest son of Cornelius Van Horne and his second wife Mary Richards. He was recorded in the 1850 United States Census living with his parents and four siblings in New Lenox, Will, Illinois, where his father was an attorney.^[2] His railway career began at the age of 14 after the death of his father. He worked for the Illinois Central Railroad until 1864, then joined the Chicago and Alton Railway.

In 1867 he married Lucy Hurd. They had three children: Lucy, William and Richard.^[3]

By 1880 he was general superintendent of the Milwaukee Road and two years later was appointed general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1888 he became its president. Under his leadership, the company expanded to include a telegraph service, an express business, Pacific steamships, and hotels. He was awarded a knighthood in 1894.^[4]

He died in Montreal in 1915 and was buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Joliet, Illinois.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Theodore D.Regehr, “VAN HORNE, Sir WILLIAM CORNELIUS,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 14, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 1, 2016, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/van_horne_william_cornelius_14E.html.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M85W-8BX : 12 April 2016), Wm Van Horne in household of Cornelius C Van Horne, New Lenox, Will, Illinois, United States; citing family 29, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "William Cornelius Van Horne," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Cornelius_Van_Horne&oldid=891468637 (accessed May 28, 2019).
4. ↑ The Canadian Encyclopedia
5. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 28 May 2019), memorial page for Sir William Cornelius Van Horne (3 Feb 1843–11 Sep 1915), Find A Grave Memorial no. 46830791, citing Oakwood Cemetery, Joliet, Will County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by Robert Stanley Orrell (contributor 46944474) .

• Red River North Heritage, Community » Early Businesses » Farming » William Van Horne and the Van Horne Farm, https://redrivernorthheritage.com/william-van-horne-and-the-van-horne-farm/ , aaccessed 19 Oct 2022.