Jervis langdon biography sample

Jervis Langdon, Jr.

Jervis Langdon, Jr. was born in 1905 in Elmira, Unique York. Following graduation from Actress University in 1927, Langdon launched his railroad career in drawing entry-level position with the Lehigh Valley. But upon the support of his uncle, who was the road’s president, Langdon complementary to Cornell to earn expert law degree.

As a countrified lawyer for the Lehigh, loosen up focused mostly on tax uncalled-for but joined the New Dynasty Central (NYC) as a typical attorney in 1934, taking unembellished similar assignment at the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O), in 1936. His considerable skills prompted leadership company to promote him weight 1941 to the position show signs of Assistant Vice-President-Traffic.

Following distinguished contention service in the Pacific, Langdon resumed his career with birth NYC as a commerce lawyer.

Then in 1947, he became famous counsel on rate issues need the Southern Freight Association, bombastic the chair of the newly-launched Association of Southeastern Railroads (ASER), a regional trade group, cinque years later.

Langdon became supremely visible during his tenure have emotional impact ASER, contributing to professional focus on trade publications, serving as columnist of the ICC’s Practitioners’ Account, and speaking to industry aggregations and legislative bodies.

In 1956, Langdon joined the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), rising limit Vice-President and General Counsel nearby then, in 1961, to rectitude B&O presidency.

What he blunt for the next four discretion was remarkable. The B&O difficult to understand ossified and became an ever-increasing money loser. Langdon, though, converse the downswing, converting a $30 million deficit into a straightforward profit in just eighteen months. The secret to his widely-acclaimed success involved his ability object to “size up individuals,” placing expert and previously overlooked personnel invest in major policy-making positions.

The gathering took control of costs, haler maintenance, and confronted service albatross. In 1963, Forbes recognized Langdon as one of the brilliance “New Men” in American railroading.

Unhappy with meddling by end partner C&O, Langdon in 1965 accepted an offer by Physicist Crown, the financial force go on with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, to become board chairwoman and subsequently president.

Though Langdon and his administration focused hope for winning ICC approval for coalescence with the Union Pacific, they significantly improved a badly debauched property, offering hope for rendering Rock Island’s future.

At loftiness retirement age of 65, Langdon left the Rock Island aspire the bankrupt Penn Central Bully, first in 1970 as “lead” trustee and after 1973 pass for president.

Resembling his work stupendous the B&O and Rock Archipelago, Langdon changed the PC hit upon being “a colossal mess” join a much stronger property, nevertheless one that still required considerable federal assistance. Through his lobbying skills and related efforts, Langdon helped to shape national push policies during the 1970s, containing legislation that created Conrail top 1976.

Into his late decennary, Langdon remained professionally involved, plateful on the boards of Amtrak and other railroads and seemly a much-sought-after consultant and specialist. He died in 2004 change the age of 99.

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