The National Railroad Hall of Fame sponsored a presentation on inductee Jervis Langdon, Jr., on Saturday, June 27th, as part of the Hall of Fame’s 2009 Induction Weekend activities.  The lecture took place at 1:30 p.m. in the Alumni Room at Old Main on the campus of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and was open to the public.

Langdon biographer H. Roger Grant, Professor of History at Clemson University, presented the lecture.  Recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on transportation history and American railroads, Grant has written or edited 24 books including Visionary Railroader: Jervis Langdon, Jr., and the Transportation Revolution.  In 2003, he was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters by his undergraduate alma mater, Simpson College, and was twice recognized by Clemson with awards for excellence in research. 

Jervis Langdon, Jr., emerged as a nationally prominent railroad official in the early 1960s, receiving acclaim for his executive skills and imaginative thinking.  In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Langdon served as a tax and commerce lawyer, lobbyist, president of three major railroads, bankruptcy trustee, and industry consultant and commentator.  According to Grant, “He was a visionary railroader at a time when there were few others.”