From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne

  Winner of the 2005 Ottawa Book Award for Non-fiction , the 2005 University of British Columbia Award for Best Canadian Biography, and the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Award for Best Railway Book of the Year.



William Van Horne was one of North America’s most accomplished men. Born in Illinois in 1843, he became a prominent railway figure in the United States before coming to Canada in 1881 to become general manager of the fledgling Canadian Pacific Railway. Van Horne pushed through construction of the CPR’s transcontinental line and went on to become company president. He also became one of Canada’s foremost financiers and art collectors, capping his career by opening Cuba’s interior with a railway.

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From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne

  Winner of the 2005 Ottawa Book Award for Non-fiction , the 2005 University of British Columbia Award for Best Canadian Biography, and the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Award for Best Railway Book of the Year.



William Van Horne was one of North America’s most accomplished men. Born in Illinois in 1843, he became a prominent railway figure in the United States before coming to Canada in 1881 to become general manager of the fledgling Canadian Pacific Railway. Van Horne pushed through construction of the CPR’s transcontinental line and went on to become company president. He also became one of Canada’s foremost financiers and art collectors, capping his career by opening Cuba’s interior with a railway.

17.49 In Stock
From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne

From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne

by Valerie Knowles
From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne

From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne

by Valerie Knowles

eBook

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Overview

  Winner of the 2005 Ottawa Book Award for Non-fiction , the 2005 University of British Columbia Award for Best Canadian Biography, and the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Award for Best Railway Book of the Year.



William Van Horne was one of North America’s most accomplished men. Born in Illinois in 1843, he became a prominent railway figure in the United States before coming to Canada in 1881 to become general manager of the fledgling Canadian Pacific Railway. Van Horne pushed through construction of the CPR’s transcontinental line and went on to become company president. He also became one of Canada’s foremost financiers and art collectors, capping his career by opening Cuba’s interior with a railway.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781459714601
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Publication date: 03/01/2004
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 504
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

Valerie Knowles is an Ottawa writer who has taught history and worked as an archivist. In addition to writing for newspapers, magazines, and federal government departments, she has published several non-fiction works, including Strangers at Our Gates: Canadian Immigration and Immigration Policy, 1540-1997. This is her third book for Dundurn Press.


Valerie Knowles is a journalist and writer who has published eleven non-fiction works. From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne won the University of British Columbia Medal for Canadian Biography for 2004 and the City of Ottawa Non-Fiction Book Award for 2005. She lives in Ottawa.

Table of Contents

Preface9
Acknowledgements11
Prologue13
Chapter 1Growing Up in Frontier Illinois17
Chapter 2Early Career37
Chapter 3Rapid Advancement55
Chapter 4New Challenges and Hobbies83
Chapter 5New Horizons95
Chapter 6Toward the Last Spike117
Chapter 7Cutting Costs147
Chapter 8The Final Push175
Chapter 9All That Grant Was to the U.S.A.209
Chapter 10Van Horne at the Helm239
Chapter 11Art for Art's Sake283
Chapter 12Family Matters299
Chapter 13Cuba Beckons325
Chapter 14Building the Cuba Railroad339
Chapter 15Chasing the Money367
Chapter 16Dodging the Grim Reaper397
Afterword429
Bibliography433
Notes443
Index495

What People are Saying About This

The New York, Westchester & Boston Railway: J. P. Morgan's Magnificent Mistake, (IUP, 2008) - Herbert H. Harwood

Given the subject's significance . . . I think Indiana University Press has an opportunity . . . to fill an inexcusable void in both railroad and Canadian history.

From the Publisher

"... her biography will remain a good reference book for all aspects of Van Horne's life and career for a long time to come."

"From Telegrapher to Titan is more than a biography; it is a first-rate work of business history, covering in detail the development of railways in 19th-century North America." -Graeme Voyer, Winnipeg Free Press, May 2, 2004.

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