James Ruesch Young (October 24, 1952 — February 15, 2014) was an American railroad executive who was the president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board for

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

from 2006 to his death in February 2014.

Early life and education

Young graduated from

Omaha South High School Omaha South High School is an information technology and visual/performing arts magnet school which educates students in grades 9–12. It is located in Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Built in the 1930s, it is one of the ...

and the

University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public university, public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Omaha, Nebraska), Omaha Presbyterian Theological ...

. On June 7, 2008, Young received a

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

of Commerce from

Bellevue University Bellevue University is a private university in Bellevue, Nebraska. It opened in 1966 as Bellevue College and from the outset has focused on providing adult education and educational outreach. As of 2011, 80% of its undergraduates were aged 25 ...

Career

He began working for Union Pacific in 1978. Through a series of promotions he worked his way up the chain of command to be elected president of the railroad in January 2004. In February 2005, he was elected to the board of directors for the railroad. On January 1, 2006, he succeeded Richard K. Davidson as CEO of Union Pacific Corporation, the parent company of Union Pacific Railroad. Young assumed the additional role of chairman of the board of directors as of February 1, 2007. He remained as chairman after stepping down as president and CEO.

Death

Young died on February 15, 2014, after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

References

Bellevue University alumni Union Pacific Railroad people 1952 births 2014 deaths 21st-century American railroad executives {{US-rail-bio-stub