John A. Poor
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John Alfred Poor (January 8, 1808 – September 6, 1871) was an American lawyer, editor, and entrepreneur best remembered for his association with the
Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...
and his role in developing the railroad system in
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. He was the older brother of
Henry Varnum Poor Henry Varnum Poor (December 8, 1812 – January 4, 1905) was an American financial analyst and founder of H.V. and H.W. Poor Co, which later evolved into the financial research and analysis bellwether, Standard & Poor's. Biography Born in East ...
of
Standard & Poor's S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor's and informally known as S&P) is an American credit rating agency (CRA) and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities. S&P is co ...
, who was his partner in some business ventures. John Poor was an articulate man standing 6 feet, two inches (1.9 m) tall and weighing over 250 pounds (110 kg). He learned the geography and commerce of northern New England during travels as a young man; and developed an early appreciation for the potential of railroads. His commanding presence was enhanced by early speaking experience as a teacher and attorney. He had a unique ability to assemble the necessary resources to build early railroads, although he left the routine work of operations to others.


Early life

John Poor was born in East Andover, Massachusetts (now Andover, Maine), to Dr. Silvanus Poor and Mary (Merrill) Poor. He became a school teacher at
Bethel, Maine Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,504 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Bethel and West Bethel. The town is home to Gould Academy, a private preparatory school, and is near the Sund ...
, before undertaking the study of law. He was admitted to the Maine Bar in 1834 and established a law practice in
Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...
, with his brother Henry Varnum Poor. John was inspired by his first viewing of a
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
on the
Boston and Worcester Railroad The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The mainline is currently used by CSX for freight a ...
in 1834.


Railroads

Poor promoted the concept of a railroad from
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
to
Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...
. Montreal would gain access to an ice-free seaport while the
Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
was frozen; and Portland would gain commercial opportunities from the transfer of Canadian exports in its harbor. Portland writer, critic, and investor,
John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...
wrote of the necessity "to drive Boston out of the business and secure monopoly." Poor's vision was realized when Portland became the winter seaport of the transcontinental
Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...
. The Montreal Board of Trade weighed the benefits of rail connection to Portland or
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Portland was 100 miles closer to Montreal and Portland was a half day closer to European ports; but Portland's population of 16,000 could hardly offer the financial support for railroad construction promised by Boston businessmen. As Boston representatives presented their case, John Poor made a legendary 300-mile (500-km) trip through the White Mountains during a February
blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...
. Poor left Portland shortly after midnight February 5, 1845, but the wind driven snow made it very difficult to follow the road. His
sleigh A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners ...
covered 7.5 miles (12.5 km) to
Falmouth, Maine Falmouth ( ) is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 12,444 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. A northern suburb of Portland, Falmouth borders Casco Bay a ...
, in three hours. After breakfast at Leach's Tavern, he traveled 40 miles (65 km), and had
frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when someone is exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occ ...
on his nose and one ear by the time he reached
South Paris, Maine South Paris is a census-designated place (CDP) located within the town of Paris in Oxford County, Maine, United States. South Paris is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area.The population was 2,237 ...
, at nightfall. He traveled to his home town of Andover on February 6, after obtaining help from residents of
Rumford, Maine Rumford is a New England town, town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Rumford is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 5,858 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Ru ...
to break a path through
snowdrift A snowdrift is a deposit of snow sculpted by wind into a mound during a snowstorm. Snowdrifts resemble sand dunes and are formed in a similar manner, namely, by wind moving light snow and depositing it when the wind has virtually stopped, usu ...
s higher than a horse's back. He then traveled another 40 miles (65 km) to reach
Colebrook, New Hampshire Colebrook is a town in Coös County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,084 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 2,301 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauAmerican FactFinder 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23 ...
, at midnight. Colebrook residents helped Poor carry his sleigh and lead the horses through
Dixville Notch Dixville may refer to: * Dixville, New Hampshire, United States; a township * Dixville, Quebec, Canada; a municipality * Dixville, Liberia; a township See also * Dix (disambiguation) DIX or Dix may refer to: Computing * Danish Internet Exc ...
where howling winds formed a 20-foot snowdrift. Poor rested in
Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...
, Quebec before venturing forth through unbroken snow 18 inches (46 cm) deep in temperatures of -18 °F (-27 °C) and crossed the
ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
-covered Saint Lawrence river at dawn on February 9. After resting 3 hours in his Montreal hotel room, Poor addressed the Montreal Board of Trade as they considered a resolution in support of the railway to Boston. Poor convinced the Canadians to delay support of the railway to Boston, and subsequent debate resulted in approval of the
St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad , known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short-line railway operating between Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the Ca ...
to Portland. Poor had frostbitten feet and developed
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
upon his return to Portland that spring. In 1846, Poor turned his attention to building locomotives for Portland's railway. After discussions with
Norris Locomotive Works The Norris Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, that produced nearly one thousand railroad engines between 1832 and 1866. It was the dominant American locomotive producer during most of that period a ...
Poor organized, and became first president of, the
Portland Company The Portland Company was established 10 November 1846 by John A. Poor and Norris Locomotive Works engineer Septimus Norris as a locomotive foundry to build railroad equipment for the adjacent Portland terminus of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Ra ...
on August 8, 1846. Portland Company's locomotive erecting shops opened for business in October 1847. In 1849, John Poor purchased the ''
American Railroad Journal ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine' ...
'', and his brother Henry Varnum Poor became manager and editor.
Standard & Poor's S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor's and informally known as S&P) is an American credit rating agency (CRA) and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities. S&P is co ...
traces its history back to this publication. John Poor began promoting a railway from Portland to
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, in 1850. He became a director of the
European and North American Railway The European and North American Railway (E&NA) is the name for three historic Canada, Canadian and United States, American Rail transport, railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine. The idea of the E&NA as a single system was conceiv ...
in 1867. The railway was completed a month after his death in 1871. He was president of the York and Cumberland Railroad in 1851, and president of the
Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad (P&K) is a historic U.S. railroad which operated in Maine. The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad Co. received a charter on April 5, 1845, and built a line between Bangor, Maine and Waterville, Maine. At Watervil ...
in 1852. He died at his home in Portland, Maine, on September 6, 1871. He was president of the
Portland, Rutland, Oswego and Chicago Railroad The Portland, Rutland, Oswego and Chicago Railroad was a plan for a railroad between Portland, Maine and Chicago, Illinois, proposed as the first step of a transcontinental railroad. The plans were made by John A. Poor of Portland in the 1860s, b ...
at the time. His ambitious vision for Portland's rail connection with Chicago was never realized, but his European and North American Railway became the eastern end of the transcontinental
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
.


Legacy

The City of Portland passed the following resolutions in 1871 in respect to the memory of John A. Poor: :"Resolved, that among the many laborious, energetic and far-seeing business men of Portland, to whom we are indebted for the consideration we now enjoy, both at home and abroad, the Honorable John A. Poor, who called away on Tuesday morning last, stood foremost - head and shoulders above the rest. :"As not merely a business man, but as a statesman, large-hearted, sagacious, indefatigable and self sacrificing, it was not for the present, but for the future, that he underwent such labor for nearly thirty years, as resulted in sudden death at the age of sixty-three, when the grandest of all his magnificent undertaking wanted but a few days of completion. :"Resolved, That to his labor, knowledge and foresight, we are indebted for the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railway, now the Grand Trunk, whereby our valuation has nearly quadrupled since 1842, the season of our greatest depression and discouragement; :"For the opening of Commercial Street now lined on both sides with large business houses and resulting in the Marginal Way, one hundred feet in width, around our whole city, front and back, and over three miles in length, giving us an uninterrupted water front, worth million to us, in connection with our unrivaled harbor; :"For the opening of our Portland Works, where engines and cars of the best workmanship have been built, year after year in large numbers not only for the railroads of Maine, but for other and very distant regions, during the last twenty years; :"For the establishment of our Gas Works, after they had come to a full stop; And for much that has been done first and last for the flourishing Rochester Road, now on its way to New York; :"For the original movement, which resulted in the hydrographic survey of our state by that able and conscientious engineer, Walter Wells, whereby our whole country has been brought acquainted with the astonishing accumulation of water power within our territory for manufacturing purposes. :"Resolved, That to John A. Poor we are indebted for the project of out
European and North American Railway The European and North American Railway (E&NA) is the name for three historic Canada, Canadian and United States, American Rail transport, railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine. The idea of the E&NA as a single system was conceiv ...
, now nearly completed - as part of the Trans-continental and Inter-oceanic railway through Portland, Rutland, Oswego, and Chicago - which, had he lived, would soon be in successful operation, a great highway for the nations, opening the West, by a direct line, the nearest, safest and cheapest transportation, for five hundred million bushels of wheat which Baring Brothers have already provided a market for, and for whatever else the overflowing West may desire to be rid of; enriching the farmers and connecting the Old World with the New, China, Japan, and the East with all Europe, through our territory, leaving us to take toll both ways, and bringing the commercial world acquainted with our magnificent harbor, and our unequaled facilities for a large business; all the other enterprises mentioned, though successful, being but preliminary and subordinate to this, now so near its consummation. :"Resolved, That while we desire to bear sad testimony to the world of the departed, we cannot withhold our sympathy from his wife and child, thought we are aware that, for a season, their loss will be but aggravated by such evidence, because we believe that after a time it may be among the greatest of their earthly consolations." The
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...
SS ''John A. Poor'' was named for him.The People Behind the Names
Project Liberty Ship website, accessed April 15, 2010


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poor, John Alfred 1808 births 1871 deaths People from Bangor, Maine Businesspeople from Portland, Maine People from Oxford County, Maine 19th-century American railroad executives American railway entrepreneurs