The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-22
MARKHAM HAS HAD
 REMARKABLE RISE Started AS Section Hand in
 1881 NOW HEADS BIG SYSTEM His Election To Presidency of Illinois Central Is. Considered Unusually Happy Choice--Born in
 Tennessee
ny CYLDE W. ENNIS

| l910 and dictator Of an empire or
 rails!
 That is what. in this generation, has
 been done by Charles H. Markham, who
 was yesterday elected to fill the post of president of the Illinois Central rail-
 road made vacant by the retirement or
 President J. T. Harahan
 The greatest interest was felt here
 in inc meeting of the Illinois Central directors held in New York yesterdaJ- | The formal resignation Of Presioeh. lIarahan was read before them when the selection of MT. Markham was made. The election to the presidency of the greatest railroad probably In the | cou+b was done with as little formal itv as attends the very smallest de- tails of railroading. MT. Harahan was rendered an expression of thanks Tor | his veteran services and after having
 served through three stormy years as
 the head of that company, will give up
 inc reigns to a much younger man on January 12.
 The most essential characteristic or Mr. Markham to Judge Robert LoVett, representing the interest of Mrs Ed ward Henry Hartman. Is that he was br.d in the west and received his rail- road training under Lovetts eyes ana I in the services of the Hartman em- pirc of railroads. That equips him 10 | handle most any job on the Illinois Central while it is known to Judge | Lovett how remarkable has been the rise of MT. Markham.
 ha | of MT Markham the future important building of the Illinois Central into this city will be done, makes his ele- vation to the presidency all the more important in Birmingham.
 He was born in Franklin. Tenn, May l p, 1861, and when only few years of age his parents removed to New | Mexico. He has one brother who Is vice president of the Missouri Pacific railroad with headquarters in St. Louis. Charles Markham secured his first job at the age of 20 as section hand win the Santa Fe railroad at Dem
 ming New Mexico. He worked In various capacities until 1887, when he was made agent for the Southern Pa
 cifc at Demming. From February to July of 1887 he was agent at Lores-
 burg, N M., serving both as a traffic man and in the transportation de- partments. From July. 1890, to Febru- | hary 1S97 he was agent at Benson, Ariz. In 1890 the new president of he Illinois Central was promoted to the post of agent at Reno. Nev. In 1897 he was made district freight and Il, h bofs,, l11
 cific at Fresno, Cal. And they relate of
 him that in that capacity he could in- fuence more shipments than any young fellow in the service. He remained in that positoin for several years when
 he was picked out and sent to Port land as general freight agent of tho Oregon Short Line, all of these inter- ests being of the Hartman system. On September l, 1901. he was appointed assistant freight traffic manager of the Southern Pacific railroad with head
 quarters in San Francisco. He re-
 mained there only three months when he was made vice president of the
 Houston Central railroad. That was De- cember 2S 1901. He served there un- til April l. 1902, when he was made general manager of the Southern Pa
 cifc company with Jurisdiction over all departments. He served In that position until November, 1904, when he was made vice president of the Southern Pacific. Within few months he was made general manager of the Guffey Petroleum company with head
 quarters in Beaumont, Tex. He served
 there until made president of that com- pany with offices in Pittsburg. He was chosen president of the Illinois Central railroad from this last posi-
 ton.
 Mr Markham owes, it Is believed, his
 present promotion to his eminent equip
 ment for the work and his friendship with Judge Lovett In service with the Southern Pacific he was thrown
 more or less with Judge Lovett, general
 counsel, and the two struck up a warm l friendship. The first chance Judge
 Lovett was given to induce MT. Mark
 ham to return to harness was offered
 the young Tennessean. He accepted. 1 The position being filled by MT.
 Markham is considered fortunate for Birmingham as he has always been
 builder and believes in going ahead with building. He served under the | late Mir Hartman when he did most
 of his phenomenal construction on his
 western lines and this training will , no doubt result In greater work on
 the Illinois Central. In addition to
 this Mr. Markham is southern bred and
 perhaps is inclined to retain the old
 love for the south which will interest
 him in the development of the southern
 states.
 l 1iere is perhaps no man that could khave been, selected for this position
 who is better equipped for the work
 from every angle than MT. Markh am.
 He has seen service in the construc- I tion, traffic, transportation and oper-
 atjnR departments of many great rail-
 roads and this surely qualities him
 for the presidency of such an import ant line.
 He is known slightly in Blrming-
 han, by some of the railroad men who
 formerly worked out west, who say
 of him that he is a genial man, with
 m abundance of tact and powerful
 mentality. He is married and his fam ! ily resides in Pittsburg.
 s.