Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of General Manager.

The office of General Manager was created on December 8, 1871, as the top line officer in the Transportation (Operating) Dept. At first, his jurisdiction was limited to the properties of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company proper, but with the introduction of the Grand Divisional arrangement on March 1, 1873, The General Manager's jurisdiction was enlarged to include the former Philadelphia & Erie and United New Jersey Railroad & Canal Company properties. As other lines were acquired, they were also placed under the General Manager, who was thus responsible for the operation of the entire Lines East (of Pittsburgh and Erie) organization. With the adoption of the Regional organization, unifying the former Lines East and Lines West, the General Manager was made a regional office on March 1, 1920.

The General Manager supervised the General Superintendents (the line officers at the Grand Divisional level), as well as a staff that included the heads of the Motive Power and Maintenance of Way Depts. and the Superintendents of Transportation. This staff also included the heads of the Freight and Passenger Traffic Depts. (until 1881), the Engineering Dept. (until 1893), the Purchasing Dept. (until 1909), and the Real Estate Dept. (supervised jointly with the President until 1909).

The incumbents of the Office of General Manager have been: A. J. Cassatt (1871-1874); Frank Thomson (1874-1882); Charles E. Pugh (1882-1893); Sutherland M. Prevost (1894-1897); J. B. Hutchinson (1897-1902); W. W. Atterbury (1903-1909); W. H. Myers (1909-1911); S. C. Long (1911-1917); Elisha Lee (1917-1918); and R. L. O'Donnel (1918-1920). During the USRA period (1918-1920), real authority was exercised by Elisha Lee as Federal Manager.

The General Manager reported to President J. Edgar Thomson until 1874, and thereafter to the Vice President charged with oversight of the Transportation Dept. (V.P.-Operations after 1912), who was invariably the former General Manager.

From the description of Records, 1875-1920. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122397203