The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-27
MIR. HARAHAN'S CAREER
BEGAN LIFE AS A RAILROAD
 FIREMAN: l
He Has Been Called to Presidency of Big Railroad System at Salary of $5o,oo0
 Year.

TEe following from The Mobile Reg 4ster will be read with interest by local railroad men to whom Mir. Hara- han Is we'll known:
 James T.. Harahan. second vice. president and operating manager of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and who has been offered the presi- dency of the Southern Pacific Rail- road Company, vacated by Charles M. Hays. was born in Boston. of Irish parents, and his first experience In rail- roading was as fireman on the Bos- ton and Lowell Railroad before the war. He was known then as Jim Harahan. quiet. rather reserved man, ready and willing and polite. The war breaking out, he volunteered and served until 1864 in the humble post of private, but was promoted for faith full and meritorious service. He then obtained a switchmans position at Alexandria, Virginia, and was subse- quently employed in the shops of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, re- maining six months. He was for a time engine despatcher and engineer on the same road. In 1865 he located in Nashville as yardmaster of the Nash- ville and Decatur road. In 1886 he was conductor of a construction train, and
 
 Clarksville division of the Louisville and Nashville road. Then he went to the Short line as yardmaster, and from that was promoted to acting superin- tendent of the Shelbyville branch, at the same time performing the duties of conductor. He then toko service again With the Louisville and Nashville as yardmaster; was roadmaster of the Henderson division in 1878; superinten- dent of the Memphis division in \1S79 and superintendent of the Mobile and New Orleans division January 1, 1880. When Bradford Dunham became gen eral manager in 1883 he promoted Harahan to be general superintendent or all the Southern division, from Decatur to New Orleans. January 1885, he left the service of the com, pany to become general superintendent Of the Pittsburg division of the Balti- | more and Ohio Railroad. This post he held until April l. 1885, when he went pack to his old road, the Louisville and Nashville, to assume the duties of assistant general manager. In October Of the same year MT. Harahan was made general manager of the road, and | discharged the duties of that position until October. 1888. From that date | he was successively assistant general manager of the Lake Shore and Michi- gan Southern, general manager of the 1 Chesapeake and Ohio, and general manager of the Louisville, New Or leans and Texas Railway. November 1, 1890, MT. Harahan was elected second vice-president of the Illinois Central Railroad. This office has direct super intendence and supervision over the | operating and traffic departments, and the heads of those departments report to and receive instructions from MT. Harahan. The salary attached to 1t is s25.Oo0 a year. If he accepts the ap- pointment to the presidency of the Southern Pacific he will be the head of one of the largest and most important railway systems in the country and will earn and receive salary of $50,O GOO year.
 "The characteristics that distinguish this eminent railroad man are self reliance accuracy of information and physical energy. He was never a socia- ble man nor a seeker after applause, | yet every one likes him, from the l lowest man in the service up to the | highest, for .hs knows every man who has served under him or with him, and has ever maintained himself nn a good footing of friendly interest. High office 1 has not changed his bearing or taken from him the remembrance of his humble beginning. No doubt, even as president of the great Southern Pacific system, he will still be Jim" Hara- han to any one of the hard-fst men he has passed on the road of life. and who sincerely rejoice In his success knowing it to be fitting reward of | Ia bOr p