John Snow

The interview was filmed on February 11, 2026, at the Ipswitch Inn in Ipswitch, Massachusetts.  L to R:  Brooks Bentz, Chair, NRRHF Rail Industry Advisory Group; John Snow, former US Treasury Secretary, Former CEO, Chair, and President of CSX Corporation

"I think I was lucky to find railroads at a time that public policy was so critical...and I had experience dealing with public policy questions."

It's hard to imagine a background more suited to tackling railroad deregulation law and policy than John Snow's.  From an early age, he became fascinated by the relationship between law and economics.  The son of a tax attorney and high school English Department chair, Snow recalls growing up in an "intellectual environment".

 

He describes "wonderful conversation" at the dinner table about "how the world works", from law, economics, and history to politics and philosophy.  

"When I talked to my father about law, I came to realize that the underlying subject we were talking about was economics," he observed.

It's not surprising, then, that Snow pursued both a juris doctor and a PhD in Economics.  He joined a DC law firm, where he practiced administrative law before moving to the US Department of Transportation as counsel for legislative affairs and later, policy.

Snow described government service as "transformative" for him, as it gave him great court experience before the regulatory agencies making arguments, as opposed to the law firms where he simply "carried brief cases."

Snow understood completely and in depth just how the regulatory environment had put railroads out of touch with market forces, the basic laws of supply and demand.

He was given the leadership role on deregulation at USDOT under President Gerald Ford.  Against the backdrop of the Penn Central collapse, Snow worked to persuade lawmakers that railroads could not survive in the regulatory environment.

Upon leaving government service in 1977, Snow's extensive expertise led him to the railroad industry as VP of Government Affairs for the Chessie System.  Chessie merged with Seaboard Coast Line Industries in 1980 to form CSX Corporation, and in 1986, Snow was named Chair, CEO, and President.  This role put him front and center in one of the most impactful events in U.S. rail history, the battle with Norfolk Southern to acquire Conrail.

Tune in to the link below as Snow describes his life experience at the center of events that transformed the rail industry.