Lucius E. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Lucius E. Johnson was a president of the Norfolk and Western Railway
from 1904 until his death in 1921, with the exception of 5 months in 1918 (during World War I
) when he served as Chairman of its Board. He lived in Roanoke, Virginia
.
Johnson succeeded the legendary Frederick J. Kimball
, who had opened the Pocahontas coalfields to land the N&W railroad owned.
In 1906, as N&W president, Johnson had the dubious distinction of being brought to the Standard Oil
building at 26 Broadway
in New York City by Andrew Carnegie
to meet with one of Carnegie's old friends, millionaire financier Henry Huttleston Rogers
. N&W corporate records only state that the meeting lasted only a few minutes. However, Johnson was apparently the first of the leaders of the big railroads who finally learned the mysterious source of William N. Page
's deep pockets, which had been building a new railroad across southern West Virginia
and Virginia
to compete for the coal
traffic destined for Hampton Roads
.
The N&W would come to envy and covet the Virginian Railway
and its more modern and gentler gradient pathway for eastbound coal for over 50 years before finally acquiring it through merger in 1959.
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
from 1904 until his death in 1921, with the exception of 5 months in 1918 (during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
) when he served as Chairman of its Board. He lived in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
.
Johnson succeeded the legendary Frederick J. Kimball
Frederick J. Kimball
Frederick James Kimball was a civil engineer. He was an early president of the Norfolk and Western Railway and helped develop the Pocahontas coalfields in Virginia and West Virginia....
, who had opened the Pocahontas coalfields to land the N&W railroad owned.
In 1906, as N&W president, Johnson had the dubious distinction of being brought to the Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
building at 26 Broadway
26 Broadway
26 Broadway is a 31-story, 159 m, 520 ft New York City Designated Landmark at the southern tip of Manhattan at Bowling Green...
in New York City by Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
to meet with one of Carnegie's old friends, millionaire financier Henry Huttleston Rogers
Henry H. Rogers
Henry Huttleston Rogers was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the oil refinery business, becoming a leader at Standard Oil....
. N&W corporate records only state that the meeting lasted only a few minutes. However, Johnson was apparently the first of the leaders of the big railroads who finally learned the mysterious source of William N. Page
William N. Page
William Nelson Page was an American civil engineer, entrepreneur, industrialist and capitalist. He was active in the Virginias following the U.S. Civil War...
's deep pockets, which had been building a new railroad across southern West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to compete for the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
traffic destined for Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
.
The N&W would come to envy and covet the Virginian Railway
Virginian Railway
The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads....
and its more modern and gentler gradient pathway for eastbound coal for over 50 years before finally acquiring it through merger in 1959.