Sublime

And like many of his fellow midwesterners, he railed at the imperialistic financial reign of the Northeast over other regions. In October 1912, Hill purchased two major financial institutions, the First National Bank and the Second National Bank, both of Saint Paul, and in 1913 he merged them under the name of the former. He poured nearly $4

The epic battle of American railroad history began in 1901 and centered on control of the strategic Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (the “Q”). Once Hill and Morgan had consolidated the NP with the GN under Hill’s effective tutelage, it made more sense than ever to forge a connecting link between the Twin Cities–Duluth termini of the two

Interestingly, Hill resembled his contemporary John D. Rockefeller in that he usually did well only by investing in his main area of focus; his many side forays into other projects quite often failed. The one truly notable exception, as we shall see, was his investment in iron ore.

Much more important, his philosophy of railroading—with its emphasis on infrastructure and the primacy of freight—would live on, not only in these lines but in most others as well.

Year by year, Hill and his railroad organizations assembled an elaborate system of agricultural research and promotion.

the demise of Northern Securities meant a severe backpedaling in the extent to which Hill’s three lines could now be managed in a shared community of interest—they could not be truly or meaningfully unified at all.

Hill alienated colleagues as often as he inspired them. Arrogant, self-righteous, sometimes too ambitious, and frequently a blatant bully, Hill lashed out at managers and workers alike who failed to meet his taxing demands of production and loyalty.

Yet another factor in the GN’s success in weathering the financial storm was Hill’s ability to open new markets and add new tonnages to his trains.