Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records - Office of the President, 1924-1955

Deposit of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Company, 1943, with subsequent additions, 1948-onward. Ownership transferred to Newberry Library by Burlington Northern Company, 1975.

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records, The Newberry Library, Chicago.

Martha Briggs, Alison Hinderliter, Lisa Janssen, Kelly Kress, Emma Martin, Andrew Olofsson, and Pamela Olson, 2014.

Ralph Budd (1879-1962) was the president of the CB&Q from 1932 to 1949. He had previously been the president of the Great Northern Railway beginning in 1919 at the age of 40, the youngest person to have ever held that position. He left the Great Northern to become CB&Q president in 1932, and in 1934, he made his mark for the CB&Q by inaugurating the electric-diesel streamlined fleet of trains known as the Zephyrs, beginning with what became known as the Pioneer Zephyr. In mid-1940, in order to prepare for the United State's likely entry into World War II, President Roosevelt revived the Council of National Defense and its Advisory Commission to the Council, which was known as the NDAC. Budd was appointed as Commissioner of Transportation, and reported directly to President Roosevelt; his job was to guarantee adequate transportation service. Budd resigned that position in 1942 to resume his job as President of the CB&Q. In his final years as head of the CB&Q, Budd made his mark by training many other railway executives (including his successor, H.C. Murphy), and spearheading promotional events for the Railroad, including the 90th anniversary, the Centennial, and the Railway Fair in Chicago.

President's office files reflect only materials created and collected by Ralph Budd, CB&Q president from 1932 to 1949. Materials include two folders of correspondence, a small amount of Administrative Files, mostly relating to celebrations of the CB&Q's 90th and 100th anniversaries, and materials about the publication of the Granger Country book. The greater part of the record group consists of materials collected by Budd in accordance with the Federal Emergency Transportation Act of 1933.

Forms part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records.

This finding aid describes additions to the original deposit of records inventoried in the Guide to the Burlington Archives in the Newberry Library, 1851-1901 (Chicago: Newberry Library, 1949). Certain materials have been deaccessioned and donated to the Burlington Route Historical Society; see curator for details.

Papers are organized in the following series:

Title Box Series A-1-1: Ralph Budd -Correspondence, 1939-1942 Box 1 Series A-1-2: Ralph Budd -Administrative Files, 1939-1955 Boxes 1-3; +1 Series A-1-3: Ralph Budd -Federal Coordinator of Transportation Files, 1924-1937 Boxes 4-20; +1

• Names
  • Budd, Ralph, 1879-1962
  • Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company.
  • Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945
• Subject
  • Chicago
  • Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
  • Railroads
  • Railroads -- Management