George Washington Cass
Encyclopedia
George Washington Cass was an American
industrialist and president of the Northern Pacific Railway
.
, March 12, 1810, to George W. and Sophia (Lord) Cass. He married Louisa Dawson in 1842.
, while living with his uncle Lewis Cass
, governor, Michigan Territory.
U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York
, class of 1832.
, later designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark. Cass left the Army as a first lieutenant in 1836 and settled into private business in Brownsville, Pa.
From 1836 to 1855 Cass organized a steamboat line and a stagecoach line. Due to his efforts he was appointed president of Adams & Co., successor to Adams Express. He expanded the Boston
-based shipping company to points as far away as St. Louis, Missouri
, and Richmond, Virginia
.
From Adams, Cass went into railroading, becoming president of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, a future component of the Pennsylvania Railroad
in 1856, a post he held until 1881.
Cass joined the future Northern Pacific Railway
as a director in 1867, four years before the company laid its first rail near Carlton, Minnesota
. He was appointed president in 1872, and saw the company through the difficult years following the failure of Jay Cooke
and Company and the Panic of 1873
. He remained as president until 1875, when the company succumbed to its first bankruptcy. Cass was named its receiver and remained until Frederick Billings reorganized the company circa 1878.
He died March 21, 1888.
Cass County, North Dakota
was named after him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist and president of the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
.
Family
George Washington Cass was born near Dresden, OhioDresden, Ohio
Dresden is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, along the Muskingum River at the mouth of Wakatomika Creek. It was incorporated on March 9, 1835...
, March 12, 1810, to George W. and Sophia (Lord) Cass. He married Louisa Dawson in 1842.
Education
Attended Detroit Academy, 1824 to 1827, in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, while living with his uncle Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
, governor, Michigan Territory.
U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, class of 1832.
Career
Joined Army Corps of Engineers circa 1832, working on improvements to the Cumberland Road. Cass helped design the first cast iron bridge in the United States at Brownsville, PennsylvaniaBrownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, officially founded in 1785 located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River...
, later designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark. Cass left the Army as a first lieutenant in 1836 and settled into private business in Brownsville, Pa.
From 1836 to 1855 Cass organized a steamboat line and a stagecoach line. Due to his efforts he was appointed president of Adams & Co., successor to Adams Express. He expanded the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-based shipping company to points as far away as St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.
From Adams, Cass went into railroading, becoming president of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, a future component of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in 1856, a post he held until 1881.
Cass joined the future Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
as a director in 1867, four years before the company laid its first rail near Carlton, Minnesota
Carlton, Minnesota
Carlton is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Carlton County.Minnesota State Highways 45 and 210; and County Roads 1 and 3 are four of the main routes in the community....
. He was appointed president in 1872, and saw the company through the difficult years following the failure of Jay Cooke
Jay Cooke
Jay Cooke was an American financier. Cooke and his firm Jay Cooke & Company were most notable for their role in financing the Union's war effort during the American Civil War...
and Company and the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
. He remained as president until 1875, when the company succumbed to its first bankruptcy. Cass was named its receiver and remained until Frederick Billings reorganized the company circa 1878.
He died March 21, 1888.
Cass County, North Dakota
Cass County, North Dakota
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 123,138 people, 51,315 households, and 29,814 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 people per square mile . There were 53,790 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile...
was named after him.
Sources
- Thomas C. Cochran, Railroad Leaders, 1845-1890 (1953).
- Eugene V. Smalley, History of the Northern Pacific Railroad (1883), pp. 190-97.
- The New York Times, March 22, 1888.