Railroads' War Board

The Railroads' War Board was a committee of US railroad executives, created voluntarily by the railroad industry in early 1917, in an attempt to improve railroad operations as the United States entered World War I.[1]

Following the declaration of war by the United States on April 6, 1917,[2] a large meeting of railroad executives was convened in Washington, D.C. to discuss supporting the war effort. The American Railway Association authorized creation of the war board.[3]^: 109 The board comprised five members, chaired by Fairfax Harrison, president of the Southern Railway. The additional members were:

Howard Elliott, chairman, Northern Pacific Railway
Hale Holden, president, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Julius Kruttschnitt, chairman, Southern Pacific Railway
Samuel Rea, president, Pennsylvania Railroad.

There were also two ex officio members who participated in board discussions and policies: Daniel Willard, President, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (liaison with the recently formed Council of National Defense); and Edgar E. Clark, Commissioner, Interstate Commerce Commission (which was itself closely studying the national railroad problems).[1]

The board had limited success and in late 1917 supported the decision by President Woodrow Wilson to nationalize the railroads to support the war effort.[3]^: 117 Wilson established the United States Railroad Administration, to nationalize the railroads, on December 26, 1917.[1]

References

Cunningham, William J. (1922). American Railroads: Government Control and Reconstruction Policies (PDF). Chicago: A.W. Shaw Co. pp. 23–34.
United States Congress (April 6, 1917). "A Joint Resolution of April 6, 1917, Public Resolution 65-1, 40 Stat. 1, Declaring that a State of War Exists Between the Imperial German Government and the Government and the People of the United States and Making Provision to Prosecute the Same". Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives.
Dixon, Frank H. (1922). Railroads and Government: Their Relations in the United States, 1910-1921 (PDF). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

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[Cunningham-1] Cunningham, William J. (1922). American Railroads: Government Control and Reconstruction Policies (PDF). Chicago: A.W. Shaw Co. pp. 23–34.

[2] United States Congress (April 6, 1917). "A Joint Resolution of April 6, 1917, Public Resolution 65-1, 40 Stat. 1, Declaring that a State of War Exists Between the Imperial German Government and the Government and the People of the United States and Making Provision to Prosecute the Same". Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives.

[Dixon-3] Dixon, Frank H. (1922). Railroads and Government: Their Relations in the United States, 1910-1921 (PDF). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.