Robert Stetson Macfarlane (January 15, 1899 – March 9, 1982) was president of

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

1951–1966. He was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, on January 15, 1899, the son of Walker K. and Blanche (Stetson) Macfarlane. He married Vivian Clemans on February 21, 1925; together they had Anne (Mrs. Raymond W. Jones Jr.), Mary (Mrs. Benjamin G. Griggs Jr.), Robert Jr., and Vivian (Sra. J. J. Martinez). He served in the U.S. Navy from 1917 to 1919, leaving there as a lieutenant (junior grade). Macfarlane was educated at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

where he graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

with an L.L.B. degree in 1922. He worked at the law firm of Chadwick, McMicken, Ramsey, and Rupp from 1919 until his graduation in 1922, at which time he became chief deputy prosecuting attorney for

King County, Washington King County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of counties in Washington, most populo ...

, a position he held until 1925. The next five years were spent with the law firm of Schwellenbach, Merrick, and Macfarlane. In 1930 Macfarlane became a judge of the Superior Court for King County and remained in that position until 1934. He was named president of the

Alumni Association in 1931, and in 1933 he was honored with a distinguished service award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce After his service as a judge, Macfarlane became the assistant western counsel for

, where he worked his way up through promotions to become president of the railroad in 1951. During this time, he also served as a Colonel for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps in 1951 and 1952. In 1966 he left the presidency to become chairman of the board for Northern Pacific. While he was working his way toward the railroad's presidency, Macfarlane also served as a director for the Seattle School Board from 1934 to 1950. Macfarlane also served as a director for

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

, Pacific National Bank in Seattle, First National Bank in St. Paul,

Colorado and Southern Railway The Colorado and Southern Railway was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was ...

, St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance, First Trust Company in St. Paul, American Smelting and Refining, Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance, and First Bank Stock Corporation in Minneapolis.

References

* 1899 births 1982 deaths Northern Pacific Railway people {{US-rail-bio-stub