Oliver Ames Jr.
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Oliver Ames Jr. (November 5, 1807 – March 9, 1877) was president of Union Pacific Railroad when the railroad met the Central Pacific Railroad in Utah for the completion of the First transcontinental railroad in North America.
Biography
Born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, he was a son of Oliver Ames Sr. and Susannah (Angier) Ames, and a brother of Oakes Ames.[1][2] Young Oliver attended public schools for a few years, then Franklin Academy in North Andover. He briefly entered the law field, but left to help in the family shovel business.[3]
By 1844, Oliver and his brother Oakes Ames entered into partnership with their father, operating under the company name of Oliver Ames & Sons.[4][3] It was a good time to be in the shovel business, as the nation was experiencing a dramatic expansion of canals, railroads, and other major infrastructure, all of which were built by men swinging shovels.
Oliver Ames Jr. served as president of
Oliver Ames Jr. served in the
Personal life
Starting around 1826, Oliver became involved in the temperance movement; he was said to be the first man in Easton to sign a temperance pledge.[3]
Ames married Sarah Lothrop on June 11, 1833.[4] Sarah was daughter of Howard Lothrop of Easton, Massachusetts. They had two children: Frederick Lothrop Ames and Helen Angier.
Like the rest of his family, Oliver Jr. was a devoted Unitarian, and attended Unitarian churches in Easton and North Easton.[3] In 1875, Ames hired his nephew, John Ames Mitchell, to design the Unity Church of North Easton, at a cost of $100,000, (~$2.53 million in 2023)[8] and on his death he left a bequest to keep the church in repair.[3]
Death and legacy
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Ames died at North Easton on March 9, 1877.[4] He left $50,000 in his will for the construction of a library.[9] The will stipulated that it was to be a private institution, not owned by the town, but operated in trust for the public.[9] The request was carried out by his children, Frederick Lothrop Ames and Helen Angier Ames. They hired Henry Hobson Richardson to design the Ames Free Library.[9] The final cost of the building came to at least $80,000.[9] Medallions in the library honor Ames with his likeness.[9]
The contributions of Ames and his brother Oakes in the building of the Union Pacific are commemorated in the
See also
- Ames Shovel Shop
- List of railroad executives
- North Easton Historic District
- Oliver Ames (nephew and Massachusetts Governor)
- Ames Free Library
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Oliver Ames Jr. -
Oliver Ames Jr.
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Footnotes
- ^ Spencer Marks (2005), The Ames Family of North Easton, MA Archived 2015-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 29, 2005.
- ^ Union Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific: Significant Individuals Archived 2012-09-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 29, 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f g Beers (1912), p. 28.
- ^ a b c White (1910), p. 201-202.
- ^ a b Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ PBS; The American Experience, People & Events: Oakes Ames (1804-1873). Retrieved December 29, 2005.
- ^ Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). . Encyclopedia Americana.
- ^ "John Ames Mitchell". Evelin Ames. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Ochsner (1984), p. 28.
References
- Beers (1912). Representative men and old families of southeastern Massachusetts (Vol I ed.). J.H. Beers & Co. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl (1984). H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262650151.
- White, J.T. (1910). The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. United States: J.T. White Company. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
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