Date Published:
April 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Sir William Cornelius Van Horne

Van Horne, Sir William Cornelius (1843-1915), president and chairman of the board of directors of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1888-1910), was born in Illinois, United States, on February 3, 1843, the son of Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne. He became a telegraph operator on the Illinois Central Railway in 1857, and served in various capacities on American railways until 1882. He was then appointed general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway; and it was under him that the work of construction was pushed to completion. In 1884 he was elected vice-president of the company, and in 1888 its president. In 1899 he exchanged this position for that of president of the board of directors. He retired from active connection with the company in 1910, and he died at Montreal on September 11, 1915. In 1867 he married Lucy Adeline, daughter of Erastus Hurd, Galesburg, Illinois. He was created a K.C.M.G. in 1894. See W. Vaughan, The life and work of Sir William Van Horne (New York and Toronto, 1920).

Source  : W. Stewart Wallace, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. VI, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, p. 230.