E. H. Harriman: Railroad Czar

Edwin H. Harriman, railroad czar, was a nineteenth century turnaround specialist. He bought his first railroad at age 33, a foundering company that he reorganized and sold for a tidy profit. At the turn of the century he became Director of the Union Pacific, a property in receivership and near collapse. He resuscitated it and then acquired Central Pacific, which brought Southern Pacific with it.