The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-28
EUGENE ZIMMERMAN
Attributes Success to Training as
Naval officer.

From the New York Commercial.
Largely to my training and general ex-
perence as an officer. in the United States
navy"
These were the words of Eugene zim-
norman, president of the Cincinnati. Ham
ilton and Dayton Pere Marquette railroad
system, a millionaire several times over
and an all-round good citizen of the
Queen City" of the west, when asked
the other day to what special cireum-
stances or to what principles he owned
his great success in life
Perhaps very few of all those who every
day read or hear of Eugene Zimmerman
have ever heard of him as a naval man
and real war hero. 1t is a long time since
this country was deluged with the blood
of her own slain in that awful civil strife.
And President Zimmerman's achieve
ments in quite another field since then
have been SO great as to swallow up,
seemingly the record of the modest boy
ish hero of those terrible days. Eugene
Zimmerman discontinued his studies at
the outbreak of the civil war, and, as the
result of his success in a competitive ex-
animation, was appointed a masters mate
in the United States navy. He participant
ed in the bombardment of Nieksburg, in
the expeditions on the Black Ouachita and
Yazoo rivers. in the capture of Arkansas
Post, Harrodsburg, louisiana TT Penn
berton, Ft. DeRusy, Haynes Bluff. the
Confederate raids WEB" and missouri
and in other enga gements For gallant SER
vices he was steadily promoted to be an
ensign, master, lieutenant and lieutenant
commander, and i'm 1863 he was placed in
command of the United States steamship
! "Onachita," which position he held until
the end of the war. 1t is probable that no
other youth of Is years was similarly hon
ored during the civil war.
| Mr. Zimmerman was born in Vicksburg,
Miss, in 1915, and apparently is still in the
very heyday of the prime of life. Tall
and well proportional, he walks straight
shoulderedly erect and With a brisk step
! that remind one of things military.
After the war Mr.. Zimmerman returned
/ to Ohio and for awhile was engaged in
J the lumber business. Although successful,
the business was somewhat uncongenial
/ to him, and he disposed of it and invest
! ed in petroleum. On the formation of the
Standard Oil company in 1874 he disposed
of his oil interests to it and came into his
own-railroading.
His first connection with railroad was
as chief engineer in the construction of
the Cincinnati and Green River and the
| Chesapeake and Nashville roads. In time
/ he became associated with the late Coils
| =. Huntington, for whom he constructed
the Chesapeake and Ohio bridge at Gin
cinnati In due time he exchanged the
calling of a practical constructor for that
of a railroad financier and manager, in
Vesting heavily in the securities of the
| Dayton. Fl. Wayne and Chicago, and the
! Chesapeake and Nashville, both of which
railroads he finally became president. For
years he has been a very prominent factor
! in the affairs of the Cincinnati, Hamilton
and Dayton railroad. As a member of the
| board of directors he was active in the
| reorganization of the system. He was
! elected vice president in 1892 and in 1904
I became president. His constant aim since
has been to enlarge the system by the ae-
cession of new lines. He finally secured
control of the Pere Marquette system, by
that deal increasing the total mileage to
S4i3 miles the purchase also securing con-
troll of the Chicago. Cincinnati and Louis
/ vile railroad.
In addition to his &C, II. and d. hold
I ings, Mr. Zimmerman has heavy inter-
ests in the Cincinnati. indianapolis and
4 Western. the Birmingham and Atlantic,
the Dayton and Union and the Northern
. Alabama Coal and IRON railroad COM
panies, in all of which he is a director. He
is also large stakeholder in the Standard
Oil company.
| He has never cared to appear in poll
tics He was once nominated for the leg
islature, but declined the honor. McKin-
ley appointed him, by reason of his naval
/ record. a visitor to the Annapolis Naval
academy. He is a member of the military
order of the Loyal Legion. His home has
been in Cincinnati nearly all his life.