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William Cornelius Van Horne
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Railwayman.
Born in Will County, Illinois on 3 February 1843, he entered railroading in 1857 as a telegraph operator for the Illinois Central Railway. In January 1882, he was appointed General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway and established an office at Winnipeg, living there until moving to the CPR head office at Montreal in November.
In February 1882, he fired CPR Chief Engineer Thomas Lafayette Rosser and they had a heated confrontation with pistols drawn at the Manitoba Club. Nevertheless, under Van Horne’s direction, the transcontinental line was completed on time, and he would serve as President of the line from 1888 to 1899. In 1899 he established the Van Horne Farm.
He died at Montreal, Quebec on 11 September 1915. He is commemorated by Van Horne Street in Winnipeg and Van Horne Avenue in Brandon. A railway car that he used during construction of the railway is on display at Fort la Reine Museum.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Van Horne Farm / Searle Farm (RM of St. Clements)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Fort la Reine Museum (Saskatchewan Avenue East, Portage la Prairie)
“C.P.R. changes,” Winnipeg Daily Sun, 14 February 1882, page 10.
“Financier succumbs to illness,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 September 1915, page 1.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and James Arnett.
Page revised: 1 September 2023
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