Samuel Morse Felton Sr. (July 17, 1809 – January 24, 1889) was a civil engineer and railroad executive.

Early life

Samuel Morse Felton was born on July 17, 1809, in

West Newbury, Massachusetts West Newbury is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Originally inhabited by Agawam people, A ...

. At the age of 14, he went into the grocery business and prepared for college. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1833.

Career

Felton was the Superintendent and engineer of the

Fitchburg Railroad The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900. The main l ...

1843-1851 and president of the

Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) was an American railroad, headquartered in Philadelphia, that operated in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland from 1836 to 1902. It was part of an 1838 merger of four state-chartered railr ...

(PW&B) from 1851–1865, during the pivotal

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

era. In 1865, he suffered a stroke that left him with paralysis and compelled him to resign his role as President of the PW&B. A few months after resigning from PW&B, he became the President of the

Pennsylvania Steel Company The Pennsylvania Steel Company was the name of two Pennsylvania steel companies. The original company was established in late 1865 by: J. Edgar Thomson, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Samuel Morse Felton Sr., recently retired president ...

. While at Pennsylvania Steel, Felton also served on the boards of directors of several railroads, including his former Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, the

Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company was a mining and transportation company headquartered in Mauch Chunk, now known as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The company operated from 1818 until its dissolution in 1964 and played an early and influential role in ...

, the

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 ...

, and the

Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad The Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad was founded in 1849 as the Northern Railroad running from Ogdensburg to Rouses Point, New York. The railroad was leased by rival Central Vermont Railroad for several decades, ending in 1896. It was pu ...

. In 1869 he was appointed by 18th President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

(1822-1885, served 1869-1877), as a Commissioner to inspect the trans-continental and Pacific Railroads.Samuel Morse Felton Family Papers, 1841-1930
He was also appointed by Governor John Albion Andrew as a member of the Hoosac Tunnel Commission. He was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1854.

Personal life

Felton married Eleanor Stetson in 1839, and together they had three daughters. She died in 1847. In 1850, he married Maria Low Lippitt. Together, they had one daughter and three sons. One of his sons,

Samuel Morse Felton Jr. Samuel Morse Felton Jr. (February 3, 1853 – March 11, 1930) was an American railroad executive. Early life Samuel Morse Felton Jr. was born on February 3, 1853, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Felton was the son of Samuel Morse Felton Sr. (180 ...

(1853-1930), was also involved like his father with engineering and railroading with several different lines and supervised railroad operations in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

on the Western Front in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(1914/1917-1918). Felton was the brother of

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

president

Cornelius Conway Felton Cornelius Conway Felton (November 6, 1807 – February 26, 1862) was an American educator. He was regent of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as professor of Greek literature and president of Harvard University. Early life Felton was born in ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, and attorney John B. Felton. He died on January 24, 1889, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

References

External links

Samuel Morse Felton Family Papers, 1841-1930
Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Samuel Morse Felton (Sr) Collection
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School 1809 births 1889 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives American steel industry businesspeople People from West Newbury, Massachusetts Harvard University alumni Members of the American Philosophical Society {{US-rail-bio-stub