Ingalls, Melville Ezra, 1842-1914.

Melville Ingalls was a Massachusetts lawyer interested in corporate law pertaining to railroads. He came to Cincinnati in 1870 to investigate finances of Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad. He became president of Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway in 1880. In 1889 Ingalls' railroad and Cornelius Vanderbilt II's Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad merged to form the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway (known as the Big Four Route) with Ingalls serving as president.

From the description of Melville E. Ingalls Correspondence, 1871-1906. (Ohio Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 55045100