William Barstow Strong (1837–1914) served as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from 1881 to 1889. He is often referred to as either William B. Strong or W. B. Strong.

Strong graduated from Bell's Business College in Chicago, Illinois, in 1855, and soon launched his career in railroading. His first railroad job was as a station agent for the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. He worked his way through several railroad jobs, and served as superintendent of the Michigan Central Railroad in the 1870s. In this position, Strong was succeeded by Henry Brockholst Ledyard in 1876.

In 1881, he succeeded T. Jefferson Coolidge as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). Under his tenure, the ATSF expanded to about 7,000 miles (11,265 km) of right-of-way, which at the time made the ATSF the largest railroad in North America. He held the presidency until his retirement in 1889.

The city of Barstow, California, where the ATSF maintained extensive shop and equipment construction and repair facilities, and the town of Strong City, Kansas, are both named in his honor.

Other uses of the name William Barstow Strong

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William Barstow Strong was the name of an observation car owned by the ATSF and operated in business trains in the latter part of the 20th century.

William B. Strong was included in a list of names that traveled aboard NASA's Stardust spacecraft which visited the comet Wild 2 in 2004.

References

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• Retrieved June 2, 2005.
• Legends of America.com (2005), Barstow, California - Crossroads of opportunity. Retrieved June 2, 2005.
• NASA (July 16, 2001), Stardust Project - Microchip Names (S). Retrieved June 2, 2005.
• Pearson Education (2005), William Barstow Strong. Retrieved June 2, 2005.
• Strong City, Kansas. Retrieved June 2, 2005.

External links

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• ATSF #89 - William Barstow Strong — photos and technical details of the observation car named in Strong's honor.

1837 births | 1914 deaths | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway presidents | People from Vermont