Description
This collection consists of the
personal and business papers of American railroad executive Thomas Lord Kimball (1831-1899) and is primarily focused on his
activities with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Background
Railroad executive Thomas Lord Kimball (1831-1899) was born in Buxton, Maine. He
taught school during the late 1840s and early 1850s before becoming interested in
the express business. Kimball married Mary Porter Rogers in 1854 or 1855 and had
four children, including the architect Thomas Rogers Kimball (1862-1934). In 1857
Kimball and his family moved to Ohio, and in 1859 Kimball began working for an
amateur newspaper and wrote a series of articles on the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company. In 1860 he became an agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad, for which he
spent over a decade as southwestern passenger agent, assistant general passenger
agent, and general Western passenger agent. In 1871 Kimball's associate Thomas A.
Scott was made president of the Union Pacific Railway Company and appointed Kimball
as general passenger and ticket agent. That same year Kimball moved to Omaha, where
he would spend most of the rest of his life. In 1880 Sidney Dillon appointed Kimball
as assistant general manager of the Union Pacific, for which company he would also
serve as general traffic manager, assistant to the first vice-president, and third
vice-president, a position he was appointed to in 1889, in addition to being
president of the Union Depot Company. Kimball left the Union Pacific in 1897 and
died in 1899.
Extent
Approximately 1,639 items + additional 470 newspaper clippings in 13 boxes.
Restrictions
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities.
The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the
researcher.
Availability
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.