The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-27
DANIEL WILLARD
RAILROAD LEADER
North Hartland Boys Rise to Fame
Began Work at 10 as Track Walk
er on 9. v. Road

try, none have had a more interest
ing career than Daniel willard. presi-
dent Of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
generally admitted to be one of the
greatest railroad men in the country
today.
| With no superior education, no I'M
usual gifts, no physical advantages, no
| influential friends and no money to
| back him. this powerful railroad mag
nate has risen to his present eminence
from the lowly position of track walk
er, thereby demonstrating again the |
| heights to which the ambitious Ameri- |
can may rise If he is willing to pay the |
price.
! The story of Mr. Willard s rise is |
only another of the many records of
American achievement. but particular |
ly interesting because il shows that he
has not gone skyroc keting to the top
/ at phenomenal rate that other men
might never hope to equal. He has
: had to work and win his way up step
by step.
Born January %, 1861. at North
: Hartland, Vt, Daniel Willard g early
life was spent on a farm, where he had
to do more than the usual number of
chores. When the work was not too
5 heavy he attended the village school
, with the neighbors sons, and although
not considered a phenomenal scholar
by any means, he completed his elemen-
tary education before most boys Of his
y age.
At II he graduated from high school
'. at Windsor, Vt, and desired TO go TO
: Dartmouth college, but could not raise
= tho ,rauax- ~ oou, rIafa c,,nh
course. so instead attended two terms
!, at the Massachusetts Agricultural col
: legc where tuition was free.
n At IS Daniel Willard found his first
. railway iob--as track walker for the
central Vermont railroad, at 90 cents
a a day In those days his ambition was
# to be locomotive engineer-never did
,e he dream of being president of great
n railroad system in the years to come
e The first step to achieve his ambition
was attained four months later, when
at he landed job as fireman on the old
Or Passumpsic road in New England.
a. At 20 Willard was made engineer
rk and had apparently attained his am
v bition. He came mighty close to set
IS. thing into a comfortable rut with which
tn SO many young men are easily satisfied
Id branch out.
" At % he iourneyed west and sue
to ceeded in securing a Job as engineer
on the Lake Shore & Michigan South
lal ern. The pay was 800 monthly, Blu
on such colossal success was too good t,
Is last, for at the end of seven month
er' the road was compelled to retrench, an,
Engineer Willard was dropped.
Nc Al
~ months in search of work, young vii
~ lard succeeded in securing a positio
n' with the $500 line. which at tina
one engine. He was made brakema
of first, then mechanical foreman, an
10 gradually advanced until imam of a
he work. was his real job. He was o
mo call q hours every day instead Q
ere eight-the engineers day. He did e,
70 erything there was to be done aroun
ion the road, and when its length had bee
airs extended to 500 miles Willard wa
lso gwen the title OF general foreman
ate Of some 200 miles of track.
At 26, when various parts of tt
rer system were brought together under or
uld large organization, Willard was mao
ted engineer of 4 passenger train runniT
ma out of Minneapolis. Soon his s.
ere periors, recognizing his potential abb
The ity, made him trainmaster, and lat
sing he became assistant superintendent
pa but apparently it was impossible to
con- higher for some time TO come, as Il
IDLY men above him we're vounq in yea,
rted handi ii bic own ;oh NO devoted owe
% minute to studying the railroad bu
l. 4 ,n~1 md
.ila .. oretical side. He earned the approx
~, ton and admiration of General Ma
go ager F. D. Underwood.
ding = :" ,rL ap ~ iiialu -. 49, 80
re an - ~ oHusi "ooo' NJ II
ed general manager of the Baltimc
aro., & Ohio railroad The combinati
,om- was exceptionally effective, and \
yere Willard 5 ability soon asserted its
sted TO SUCH an extent that he became Q
the of the road s most valuable assets.
At 40-when Mr. Underwood Y
elected president of the Erie-Dan
Willard went along with him as -
sistant to the president, positi
9th which he made of great value and !
portance to the road He lost no ii
in creating his properl' place He z
The came first vice president OF the II
ting anu oe1oie iohS doueu the '
D 20 eral manager.
' all AT 43 Daniel Willard found that
,stal ability had been recognized by Jan
$780, ). Hill, the "Grand Ola Man
ruck American railroading, who offered |
food prineely income to operate the
tents cago, Burlington & Quincy, with
o be title of president in charge
air operations position in which
Willard soon demonstrated that the
are Judgment had not been misplaced.
At IS Mr.. Willard was given
! 900 greatest chance of his career when