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

by Valerie Knowles

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

	Preface	9
	Acknowledgements	11
	Prologue	13
Chapter 1	Growing Up in Frontier Illinois	17
Chapter 2	Early Career	37
Chapter 3	Rapid Advancement	55
Chapter 4	New Challenges and Hobbies	83
Chapter 5	New Horizons	95
Chapter 6	Toward the Last Spike	117
Chapter 7	Cutting Costs	147
Chapter 8	The Final Push	175
Chapter 9	All That Grant Was to the U.S.A.	209
Chapter 10	Van Horne at the Helm	239
Chapter 11	Art for Art's Sake	283
Chapter 12	Family Matters	299
Chapter 13	Cuba Beckons	325
Chapter 14	Building the Cuba Railroad	339
Chapter 15	Chasing the Money	367
Chapter 16	Dodging the Grim Reaper	397
	Afterword	429
	Bibliography	433
	Notes	443
	Index	495

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.

Editorial Reviews

Valerie Knowles has done an excellent job in describing the man and telling his story. The book is easy to read and, as in all good history books, includes a broad range of references. It is certainly well worth the read and is a must for anyone who wants to learn more about Van Horne.

Branchline - Bruce Ballantyne

This biography is a significant contribution to the history of Canadian transportation.

Winnipeg Free Press - Graeme Voyer

Knowles has constructed an admirable biography of the railway titan ... providing a different perspective of the much-told story of the CPR, and also a portrait of Canada at the turn of the last century and the larger-than-life pioneers of Canadian transportation.

McGill News Alumni Quarterly - Andrew Mullins

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.

From the Publisher

This book is a must for any student of Canadian railway history.

Rail Canadien

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

The Beaver - R.B. Fleming

Knowles has . . . provided railroad enthusiasts with a thoroughgoing analysis, and her work is likely to appeal to many business and transportation historians as well.85.4 2011

Business History Review

While much has been written about the CPR's construction and early years of operation, there has been comparatively little recorded about the man who was such a key figure in its early history.This exhaustive volume by Valerie Knowles fills that void nicely. Vol. 72#3, May-June 2011

The Michigan Railfan

In this volume, Valerie Knowles delivers a gripping account of this larger-than-life figure.

NMRA Magazine

"Given the subject's significance... I think Indiana University Press has an opportunity... to fill an inexcusable void in both railroad and Canadian history." —Herbert H. Harwood, Jr., The New York, Westchester & Boston Railway: J. P. Morgan's Magnificent Mistake, (IUP, 2008)

Herbert H. Harwood

"For the most part, Van Horne was a remarkable person and for Canada a real hero that helped pull Canada together and settle the west. Valerie Knowles has done an excellent job in describing the man and telling his story. The book is easy to read and, as in all good history books, includes a broad range of references. It is certainly well worth the read and is a must for anyone who wants to learn more about Van Horne." —Bruce Ballantyne, Branchline, June 2005, reviewing a previous edition or volume

— Bruce Ballantyne

Branchline