Henry Farnam
Encyclopedia
Henry Farnam was an American
philanthropist
and railroad president. He was born in Scipio, New York
, and grew up working on his father's farm. By his teenage years, he had begun studying mathematics
on his own and in 1820 he gained employment initially as a camp cook on the Erie Canal
. Under the wing of Benjamin Wright
, America's most famous Civil Engineer at the time and a man who encouraged many young men to study Civil Engineering, Henry Farnam learned Surveying and was soon employed as a Surveyor on the Erie Canal
. In 1825 he began working for the New Haven and Northampton Canal, becoming construction superintendent in 1827.
He moved to New Haven, Connecticut
, in 1839 and was instrumental in building the railroad that replaced the canal there in 1848.
In 1850 he moved to Illinois
where he partnered with Joseph E. Sheffield to build the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
. In 1854 he became that railroad's president, an office he held until his retirement in 1863.
In 1868 he moved back to New Haven
where he remained until his death in 1883.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and railroad president. He was born in Scipio, New York
Scipio, New York
Scipio is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2010 census. The town name was provided by a clerk with an interest in the classics....
, and grew up working on his father's farm. By his teenage years, he had begun studying mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
on his own and in 1820 he gained employment initially as a camp cook on the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. Under the wing of Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright was an American civil engineer who served as Chief Engineer of both the Erie Canal and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In 1969 he was declared the "Father of American Civil Engineering" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.Wright was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut to Ebenezer...
, America's most famous Civil Engineer at the time and a man who encouraged many young men to study Civil Engineering, Henry Farnam learned Surveying and was soon employed as a Surveyor on the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. In 1825 he began working for the New Haven and Northampton Canal, becoming construction superintendent in 1827.
He moved to New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, in 1839 and was instrumental in building the railroad that replaced the canal there in 1848.
In 1850 he moved to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
where he partnered with Joseph E. Sheffield to build the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
. In 1854 he became that railroad's president, an office he held until his retirement in 1863.
In 1868 he moved back to New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
where he remained until his death in 1883.