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William Whyte (CPR executive)
Encyclopedia
Sir William Whyte was a Canadian
railway executive.
Born in Charlestown
, Scotland
, the son of William Whyte and Christina Methven, Whyte attended public school in Charlestown before becoming a junior clerk in the office of the factor of Lord Elgin's estate. In 1862, he became a station agent on the West of Fife Railway until he emigrated to Canada in 1863. He soon joined the Grand Trunk Railway
as a breakman and stayed with the Railway for the next twenty years finally reaching the position of superintendent.
In 1882, he resigned from the Grand Trunk Railway to become general superintendent of the Credit Valley Railway, which in 1883 became a portion of the Ontario
and Quebec
division of the Canadian Pacific Railway
. He was then made general superintendent of that division, which included all lines west of Smith Falls, Ontario, and in May 1885, the eastern division, extending from Smith Falls to Quebec, was added to his jurisdiction. In 1886 he was made general superintendent of the western division, with headquarters at Winnipeg
, and in 1896 was advanced to the position of general manager of all lines and branches from Lake Superior
to the Pacific coast. In 1901, he became an assistant to the president and was made second vice president in 1904. In 1910, he became vice president until his resignation in 1911.
He was created a Knight Bachelor
in 1911.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
railway executive.
Born in Charlestown
Charlestown, Fife
Charlestown, Fife is a town in Scotland on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, adjoining Limekilns and Rosyth. Like Rosyth, Charlestown was home to a sizable shipbreaking industry in the mid twentieth centuryCharlestown is home to the The Scottish Lime Centre Trust which was established in 1994...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the son of William Whyte and Christina Methven, Whyte attended public school in Charlestown before becoming a junior clerk in the office of the factor of Lord Elgin's estate. In 1862, he became a station agent on the West of Fife Railway until he emigrated to Canada in 1863. He soon joined the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
as a breakman and stayed with the Railway for the next twenty years finally reaching the position of superintendent.
In 1882, he resigned from the Grand Trunk Railway to become general superintendent of the Credit Valley Railway, which in 1883 became a portion of the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
division of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. He was then made general superintendent of that division, which included all lines west of Smith Falls, Ontario, and in May 1885, the eastern division, extending from Smith Falls to Quebec, was added to his jurisdiction. In 1886 he was made general superintendent of the western division, with headquarters at Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, and in 1896 was advanced to the position of general manager of all lines and branches from Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
to the Pacific coast. In 1901, he became an assistant to the president and was made second vice president in 1904. In 1910, he became vice president until his resignation in 1911.
He was created a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1911.