St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-08
A PRINCE AMONG RAILROAD MEN.
Asketch of George b. Roberts, President
of the Pennsylvania.


know of to-day in public life who so shrinks
from notoriety as does the president of the
powerful Pennsylvania railroad system George
B. Roberts, though the least known person
ally of any of the great railroad magnates, is
one OF the most powerful. He controls thou
sands of miles of rolling stock, an army Of
employees and millions of dollars. His po-
sition in point of power and responsibility is
second to that of no railroad man in the
world
You would think therefore that when Mr..
Roberts takes a walk through busy Wall
street and its environs he would attract some
attention. but yesterday when he passed down
the tight little street, where so many fortunes
have been made and lost, he attracted no
more attention than the laggard messenger
boy with snail like pace delivering letter.
No one even turned to look after the quiet
figure that passed, with eyes glancing neither
to the right nor to the left.
President Roberts does not look the re-
markable man that he really Is. He is nov
about sixty years of age and is tall but sparel,
built, with soft blue eyes and reticent bu,
kindly manners. AS quiet in dress as in
manners Mr.. Roberts is not one who would
attract attention on the streets. One would
scarcely think in looking at the man that he
was the ruler in a way of loo, 900 men, who
directs the operation of 10000 miles of rails
over which more than 5000 engines haul
100000 cars. The character Of the man who
directs this vast machine ought to be inter-
esting the more so because so little is known
of him.
In order to fully understand the success Of
this man it is necessary to refer briefly to his
life. Of Welsh extraction, he is Pennsyl.
vanian by birth and in fact was born in the
house in which he now lives on the line Of
the Pennsylvania at Bala, in Montgomery
county. 1t was after leaving school in Troy
and when he was barely eighteen years old
that young Roberts took up railroading as
business and becamea road man on the noun
tain division of the Pennsylvania then in
course of construction.
This was in 1851, or forty odd years ago.
He has been a railroad man ever since and
is still in harness, thus in the matter Of
seniority of service ranking all of his con-
temporaries.
President Roberts has always been steady,
hard worker. For the first year of his work
&c "a ioiAA sOuilS 1aObOi 70 Iei0 q lOuSA
enough time of it in the backwoods of Penn.
sylvania, but in 1852 he got his first substan,
tial push upwards and was made assistant
engineer of the Philadelphia and Erie rail-
road. Then for ten years he was employed
in laying out lines of road tributary to the
Pennsylvania, many of which he completed
after he had been made chief engineer.
Eleven years after entering the service Of
the Pennsylvania he was made assistant to
the president, then Edgar Thompson. His
abilities as an engineer won him high favor
and in 1869 he was made fourth viee-presi-
dent. 4 little later he was made second vice
president and in 1874, when Thomas Scott
became president, he saw that his friend
Roberts became first president in which
position he had charge of all the accounts
of the Pennsylvania and all its engineering
achievements were under his supervision.
Rarely have there been instances of such
steady, sure progress won by quiet, unobtru-
sive merit and when in 1880, after Col SCOTS
death, George B. Roberts was made the presi-
dent of the Pennsylvania, his election met
with wide approval. The monied men of the
system were satisfied as were its employees
and the public found no reason to complain.
Such has been the business career of this
successful man aud it is suggestive, to say
the least.
His home life at his pretty home at Bala is
characteristic of the man in that it is quiet
and unostentatious- life of a quiet country
gentleman rather than that of railroad king
and successful man of affairs, and altogether
unlike that of Chauncey NJ. Depew whose life
&c OIL in ha r-Io ic oil 70
all men.
President Roberts lives in the house in
which he was born. Ithas been much added to,
however, and though the old walls still stand
Mr.. Roberts has added much to the old man.
sion improving it in many ways. His home
is not far from his Office, being but five miles
away on the SchuylkiIl Valley division, and
O'Clock in the morning finds him going
Philadelphiaward just as surely as 4 80 in the
afternoon finds him on his way home.
When he is at his Office his ways are demo-
cratic in the extreme. He sits at an old
fashioned fat topped desk. He has no regi-
ment of lackeys about and no gorgeous wait
ing rooms. The desk of his assistant is near
his own and messengers are within easy call.
His Office is plain, a few engravings along the
Pennsylvania being the main attempt at
adornment.
Of course the duties of the president are
diverse as those of heads of great corpora
tons always are. President Roberts popu-
larity with the stockholders of his road is the
best proof possible that he is in no way lax in
the performance of the duties that depend
upon him.
President Roberts time is fully divided be-
tween his Office and his home. He cares for
nothing else and at his home he is seen at
advantage. His one relaxation is open air
exercise. His library at his home at Bala Isl
good one, its collection of books bearing on en-
cheering being especially fine. Here he likes
now and then to enjoy discussion on ap-
piled science with some friend. Society he
cares nothing for and he is never seen at any
of the swell social functions in Philadelphia.
He is rarely seen at the theatre and he is not
an after dinner speaker. Even the fashion,
able diversions of country life do not allure
him. He knows nothing and cares nothing
about blooded horses. His friend William
Singerly has not been able to get him to go in
for fancy farming. His wife and children, his
home, his business, these are the things he
cares for and as for fads, such as are more or
less popular with rich men, he cares nothing
for them. He does not hold his position at
the head of the Pennsylvania railroad by rea-
sen of his position as heavy stakeholder.
1t is to the confidence of the thousands OF the
scattered stockholders of the road that Mr..
Roberts owes his position.
Though personally unknown to the many
thousands of employees of the Pennsylvania
road he is most popular among them by rea-