Edward Henry Harriman (1848-1909), executive of the Union Pacific Railroad, was one of the dominant American figures in that industry in the late 19th century.

Born on Feb. 20, 1848, in Hempstead, N.Y., E. H. Harriman was raised in a relatively affluent environment. Although his father was a clergyman, the rest of the family engaged successfully in business. At the age of 14 Harriman became an office boy in a Wall Street firm. When he turned 21 he borrowed $3,000 from an uncle and purchased a seat on the stock exchange.

Harriman's first venture in transportation was the modest purchase of a Hudson River boat running between New York City and Newburgh. Mary Williamson, whom he married in 1879, was the daughter of the president of an upstate New York railroad. From this time Harriman began rebuilding bankrupt railroads in that region.

In 1883 Stuyvesant Fish, vice president of the Illinois Central Railroad, secured...