Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-20
A POPULAR MAN.
The New President of the Southern
Express Company.

Express Company.
Savannah Morning News)
The election OF NJ. ]. OBrien 10 the
presidency of the Southern Express Com
pany, to succeed the late Henry b. Plant,
founder and president for thirty years.
was nothing more than was expected in
transportation circles. Mr.. O'Brien for a
number Of years had been vice-president
and general manager Of the company,
and was oae Of Mr.. Plants closest ad-
visers in all those frequent conferences
Wy which the owners Of great properties
are guided in shaping the destlnies OF
colossal industries Never was there
more picturesque instance of man grow
ing UP with a great enterprise which ne
in his daily toll was all the time helping
to build. Mr.. O'Brien. as young man,
became associated with the express COM
pany Of which he has just been made the
head.
Born in Baltimore in 1898, he first start
ed life as a clerk I'm a printing mouse. Not
long after he served for awhile as clerk
i'm a drugstore. But these lines OF Dusi-
ness was too lethargic. too somnolent for
the wide-awake, athletic young man. and
he determined TO start in an humble role
in the express business, which 10 MIN at
that time (and very correctly, tooJ seemed
TO be the business most vigorous OK
growth and most farreaching in the great
work OF building up the commerce or the
thriftiest republic of the world. HIS IN
domitable energy and stubborn resoll-
ton TO succeed soon caused the higher
officers of the Southern Express Com
pany to find him out, and the late Henry
b. Plant. who had been the pioneer in
netting the southern country with express
lines. ordered Mr.. OBrien from Memphis
to New Orleans to become cashier there.
This was Just prior to the civil war, and
when the clouds of civil strife eventually
lowered and the flush Of war was on
throughout the South, Mr.. O'Brien re-
sponded az a volunteer in the service or
the Confederate navy He served under
Commodore POindexter until his fleet was
destroyed TO prevent capture by the Fede-
raj navy. and then reported TO the Sec
rotary of the Navy Of the Confederacy at
Richmond for further duty.
Instead of being sent again upon the
high seas, he was at the request of Mr..
Memminger, Secretary Of the Confederate
Treasury. sent TO resume connection with
the express company, which at that try
ing period in the South's history was a
system Of vital arteries indeed, for it was
a season when quick transportation ia
cilities were Of greatest need.
When sherman had swept Atlanta al
most from the face of the earth in his
march to the sea. NJ. J. O'Brien was one
of those left there i'm the Southern Ex-
press Companys Office but he soon went
from there to Augusta to become conf
Dental clerk of the late Henry Il. Plant,
who was then president of this inn
portant part OF the SOuths scattered in
dustries.
Thus Mr.. O'Brien has been with the
Southern Express Company from the
time II rocked the cradle of the new
Souths infant commerce, and ever since
the trying ordeal of civil strife has been
close to the affairs of the presidents
office. He was chosen general superin-
tendent by MIR. Plant himself and then
became the active man of business, living
a most vigorous life, travelling all
through the southern country building up
the company's interests. establishing lines
over all the thousands of miles of rail-
way as rapidly as they wore built in the
onward march of southern development;
placing offices here and there; closing con-
tracts from various States-and, in fine,
creating the vast system for Mr.. Plant,
which, at the time of the latter's death,
covered well nigh 5000 miles of railway
in the South, and linking every important
town and village from Texas to Virginia
with complete system Of express trans
portatiOn.
In late years Mr.. O'Brien has been vice.
president and general manager Of the
Southern Express Company, and his
duties have been lighter because of the
admirable way in which ne had built the
foundation of the vast network of the
system and because of the Incompatible
loyalty Of the various officials he had
appointed 70 aid him in the work Mr..
O'Brien has received many tempting
offers from bank. railway, and steam
ship companies 10 accept conspicuous
places in their management, but has al
ways declined them. preferring TO remain
I'm his chosen line of work and with the
system with which he lived.