E. Hunter Harrison
Encyclopedia
E. Hunter Harrison is a Tennessee
-born railroader who served as the president and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian National Railway
(CN) through the end of 2009.
in Memphis, Tennessee
in 1964. He furthered his learning in the railroad business by first being promoted to an operator for that company and, later, with Burlington Northern Railroad
(BN) as they bought Frisco's company in 1980. Before leaving BN, he became the company's vice-president for transportation and services design.
First promoted to the role of president of CN on December 13, 2002, he was later promoted to CN's CEO position on January 1, 2003. He had previously served as president of Illinois Central Railroad
from 1993 until that railroad's acquisition by CN in 1998; at that time, he was named CN's executive vice president and chief operating officer. Industry trade journal Railway Age
named Harrison its Railroader of the Year
for 2002.
On November 30, 2006, CN's Board of Directors voted to extend Harrison's contract as CEO for one year, setting the new employment contract expiration date as December 31, 2009. CN announced on April 29, 2009, the company's plan for succession in Harrison's position; he would be succeeded by Claude Mongeau effective January 1, 2010.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
-born railroader who served as the president and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
(CN) through the end of 2009.
Life
Born in Tennessee, he began as a carman-oiler at the St. Louis-San Francisco RailwaySt. Louis-San Francisco Railway
The St. Louis – San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. from 1876 to 1980.-History:...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
in 1964. He furthered his learning in the railroad business by first being promoted to an operator for that company and, later, with Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
(BN) as they bought Frisco's company in 1980. Before leaving BN, he became the company's vice-president for transportation and services design.
First promoted to the role of president of CN on December 13, 2002, he was later promoted to CN's CEO position on January 1, 2003. He had previously served as president of Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
from 1993 until that railroad's acquisition by CN in 1998; at that time, he was named CN's executive vice president and chief operating officer. Industry trade journal Railway Age
Railway Age
Railway Age is an American trade journal for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. The magazine's original title was the Western Railroad Gazette, and was renamed the Railroad Gazette in 1870...
named Harrison its Railroader of the Year
Railroader of the Year
Railroader of the Year is an annual award presented to a North American railroad industry worker by trade journal Railway Age. The award was first presented in 1964 by trade journal Modern Railroads and has continued through the magazine acquisition in 1992 to the present.Past recipients of this...
for 2002.
On November 30, 2006, CN's Board of Directors voted to extend Harrison's contract as CEO for one year, setting the new employment contract expiration date as December 31, 2009. CN announced on April 29, 2009, the company's plan for succession in Harrison's position; he would be succeeded by Claude Mongeau effective January 1, 2010.