Samuel Sloan (railroad executive)

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For other people named Samuel Sloan, see Samuel Sloan (disambiguation).
Samuel Sloan
Early 20th century Crosshatch Portrait.
Born(1817-12-25)December 25, 1817
Lisburn, County Down, Ireland
DiedSeptember 22, 1907(1907-09-22) (aged 89)
Garrison, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Importer, Senator, Railroad Executive
Spouse
Margaret Elmendorf
​
(after 1844)​
Children11
Parent(s)William Sloan and Elizabeth Simpson
RelativesJames C. Auchincloss (grandson)
S. Sloan Colt (grandson)

Samuel Sloan (December 25, 1817 – September 22, 1907)[1] was an American politician, businessman and executive. He is most known for his tenure as the president of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) for 32 years.

Early life[edit]

Samuel Sloan was born in Lisburn, County Down, Ireland to William and Elizabeth Sloan and moved to New York when he was one year old. He attended the Columbia College Preparatory school until he was 14, at the time of his father's death.[2] After withdrawing, he became employed at an importing house in New York, eventually becoming the head of the firm.

Career[edit]

Sloan was elected as a Supervisor in Kings County (Brooklyn) in 1852, and was president of the Long Island College Hospital. He became a director of the Hudson River Railroad in 1855, left the importing business in 1857 and was elected to the New York State Senate, where he served for two years.[2][3]

He became a director of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1864, and became its president in 1867.[4][5] Prior to accepting the DL&W Presidency, Sloan had declined an offer to become President of the New York and Harlem Railroad.[3] He extended the DL&W rail lines, and the company achieved great success, in part due to the traffic generated for transport of anthracite coal mined in the railway's expanded territory.[6] Passenger traffic also increased, particularly between New York City and the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, a popular resort area.

Sloan resigned from the DL&W presidency in 1899, but continued as chairman of the board. He served on the boards of banks, utilities and other companies.[2]

Personal life[edit]

On April 8, 1844, Sloan married Margaret Elmendorf in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and moved to Brooklyn, New York. Margaret was a daughter of Peter Zabriskie Elmendorf and Maria La Grange (née Van Vechten) Elmendorf. They had eleven children, including:[7]

  • Peter Elmendorf Sloan (1845–1916), who graduated from West Point in 1865.[8]
  • Maria LaGrange Sloan (1847–1929), who married Edgar Stirling Auchincloss (1847–1892), parents of U.S. Representative James C. Auchincloss.[9]
  • Margaret Elmendorf Sloan (1854–1906),[10] who married the Rev. Joseph Rankin Duryee (1853–1935) in 1883.[11]
  • William Simpson Sloan (1859–1896),[12][13] who married Julia Rapallo (1862–1935).[14]
  • Elizabeth LaGrange Sloan (1862–1960),[15] who married Joseph Walker Jr. (1858–1927), senior partner and president of the investment banking firm of Joseph Walker & Sons, in 1887.[16]
  • Samuel Sloan Jr. (1864–1939),[17] a banker with Farmers' Loan and Trust Company who married Katherine Colt and inherited Oulagisket.[18]
  • Mary Adelaide Sloan (1868–1954),[19] who married Richard Collins Colt (1863–1938),[20] parents of banker S. Sloan Colt.[21]

Sloan died in Garrison, New York, in 1907 at the age of 89,[1] having been the president of seventeen corporations during his lifetime.[2]

Statue of Sam Sloan, and his ferry station in Hoboken

Legacy[edit]

Samuel Sloan is the eponym of the city of Sloan, Iowa and the village of Sloan, New York.[22]

Upon his daughter Margaret's 1883 marriage, he built "Wyndune" in Garrison as a wedding present for them near his own Garrison estate known as Oulagisket (later renamed Lisburne Grange by his son). Similarly, upon his daughter Elizabeth's 1887 marriage, he built "Walker House" in Garrison for them.

Statue[edit]

A statue memorializing Sloan was placed in Hoboken, New Jersey, originally facing the ferries in 1899.[23] Some people criticized the statue's orientation, and the Mayor of Hoboken remarked that Sloan was "turning his back on the great city of Hoboken." On August 3, 1908, during the reconstruction of Hoboken Terminal, the statue was set facing both the town and the railroad and ferry stations.

The inscription reads:

SAM SLOAN

1817–1907
FOR THIRTY-TWO YEARS PRESIDENT
OF THE DELAWARE, LACKAWANA &
WESTERN RAILROAD COMPANY
1867–1899

PRESENTED BY JOHN HENRY STARIN

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "SAMUEL SLOAN DIES IN NINETIETH YEAR; Pioneer Railroad Man and Financier Succumbs to Old Age in His Country Home. BEGAN ON THE CENTRAL Was for Thirty Years President of the Lackawanna, Which Owes Its Investment Pre-eminence to Him. SAMUEL SLOAN DIES IN NINETIETH YEAR". The New York Times. September 23, 1907. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Palmer, Richard (April 2008). "A Biographical Sketch of Sam Sloan". Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  3. ^ a b Berry, Earl D. (March 6, 1898). "Samuel Sloan" (PDF). The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Rich and Famous Persons named Sam Sloan". www.anusha.com. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  5. ^ "Newton, NJ - Sussex Railroad". www.newtonnj.net. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  6. ^ "Lackawanna Railroad: Map, Photos, History & More". American-Rails.com. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  7. ^ Duryee, Joseph R. (2013) [first published 1927]. The Story of Samuel and Margaret Sloan. Tokyo: Ishi Press International. ISBN 978-0923891381.
  8. ^ Cullum, George Washington (1920). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.: From Its Establishment, in 1802, to 1890; with the Early History of the United States Military Academy. Houghton, Mifflin. p. 115. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  9. ^ "MRS. AUCHINCLOSS DIES AT AGE OF 82; Daughter of Samuel Sloan, President of Lackawanna for 26 Years. FUND AT YALE IN HER NAME Established by Sons to Aid Professors--Mrs. Auchincloss Was of Colonial Ancestry". The New York Times. December 16, 1929. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  10. ^ "DEATH LIST OF A DAY". The New York Times. April 20, 1906. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. ^ TIMES, Special to Tm NEW YORK (August 10, 1935). "REV. JOSEPH R. DURYEE, RETIRED PASTOR, DIES; Rutgers Trustee and Official of Reformed Church of America --Ordained in 1879". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  12. ^ "OBITUARY RECORD.; William Simpson Sloan". The New York Times. May 12, 1896. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Funeral of William S. Sloan". The New York Times. May 14, 1896. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Obituary 1 -- No Title". The New York Times. April 24, 1935. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  15. ^ "MRS. JOSEPH WALKER". The New York Times. December 10, 1960. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  16. ^ "JOSEPH WALKER, BROKER, DIES AT 68; Head of Stock Exchange Firm Founded by His Father 72 Years Ago. ON MANY RAILROAD BOARDS Also Olrector in Financial InstitutionsgPresldent of Joliet & Chicago After a Fight". The New York Times. April 16, 1927. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  17. ^ "SAMUEL SLOAN, 75 A RETIRED BANKER; Ex-Senior Vice President of the City Bank Farmers Trust Co. Dies After Long Illness ON MANY DIRECTORATES Served Board of Lackawanna Road, Which His Father Had Headed--Active in Charity". The New York Times. November 27, 1939. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  18. ^ "MRS. SAMUEL SLOAN, WIDOW OF BANKER, 83". The New York Times. July 19, 1951. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  19. ^ Times, Special to The New York (September 4, 1954). "MRS. R.C. COLT, WON DAHLIA PRIZES, 86; Her Entries Captured Many Top Awards in Competitions --Banker's Mother Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  20. ^ "RICHARD C. COLT, 74, A RETIRED EXPORTER; Succumbs Here After Six Weeks' Illness--Yale Graduate in '85". The New York Times. November 12, 1938. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  21. ^ Freeman, William M. (May 3, 1975). "S. Sloan Colt of Port Authority And Bankers Trust Dead at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  22. ^ Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 125.
  23. ^ "To shift sloan statue" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-04-28.
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate
2nd District
1858 – 1859 		Succeeded by
Business positions
Preceded by
 President of Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
1867 – 1899 		Succeeded by
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