Archibald Alexander Talmage (April 25, 1834 – June 28, 1887) was a 19th-century vice-president and general manager of the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

. Born in

Warren County, New Jersey Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. According to the 2020 census, the county was the state's 19th-most populous county,Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

descent, his father was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister. He worked in a country store in

Goshen, New York Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 14,571 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report Goshen, Orange County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/goshentownorangecountyne ...

, for several years beginning when he was fifteen. At the age of eighteen, Talmage was appointed clerk in the freight department of the

New York and Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...

, where he remained for a year. He worked for a hardware wholesale firm on Dey Street in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

afterward. During the winter of 1854, Talmage moved to

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he found employment as a clerk in the freight department of the Michigan Southern Railroad.

Railroad career

He advanced to become supervisor of freight exchanged at the lake terminus of the railway at

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. M ...

. He was transferred to

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, where he stayed until August 1858. He worked as trainmaster there and was in charge of all employees at the Toledo terminus. Talmage was a passenger train conductor in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, for the Terre Haute and

Alton Railroad The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad , was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 an ...

during the next portion of his career. In April 1864, he was appointed assistant superintendent of the

Ohio and Mississippi Railroad The Ohio and Mississippi Railway (earlier the Ohio and Mississippi Rail Road), abbreviated O&M, was a railroad operating between Cincinnati, Ohio, and East St. Louis, Illinois, from 1857 to 1893. The railroad started in 1854 and paralleled the ...

before resigning to take a position on military roads. In 1868, Talmage was appointed manager of the Indianapolis and St. Louis Railroad. By 1871, he was general superintendent of the

Atlantic and Pacific Railroad The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was an American railroad that owned or operated two individual segments of track. One connected St. Louis, Missouri, with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connected Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Needles in Southe ...

, where he remained for twelve years. On March 1, 1874, he became the fourth vice-president and general transportation manager of the consolidated

and

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...

. Soon afterward, the Wabash was removed from the Missouri Pacific and its jurisdiction assumed by a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

court. Talmage was named general manager of the Wabash on July 10, 1884. His record in this position was successful. The railroad grew and generated a profit. He became vice-president and general manager of the Wabash Western Railroad which had its headquarters in New York City.

Private life and death

Talmage was married twice and had eight children. A son, C.H. Talmage , became a resident engineer for the Wabash Railroad. Talmage's death was hastened by a railroad strike in the southwestern United States fifteen months before his death in 1887. He died on his way to a yachting cruise on

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. He was aboard his private car, Bergen Point, on the Wabash, when he experienced a fainting spell about thirty miles from

Peru, Indiana Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,073 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous community in Miami County. Peru is loc ...

. His body was transported to St. Louis and then to

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

in Saint Louis. From there, it was taken to his residence at 3651 Washington Avenue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talmage, A A 19th-century American railroad executives 1834 births 1887 deaths People from Warren County, New Jersey People from Goshen, New York