Robert Pitcairn

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Robert Pitcairn (born 1836) was a Scottish-American railroad executive who headed the Pittsburgh Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 19th century.

Pitcairn was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland. He accompanied his parents to the United States and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His first job was as a messenger boy for the Eastern Telegraph Company where he worked alongside future steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. When Carnegie left to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad, he got Pitcairn a job as a ticket agent.

Both men worked their way up the corporate ranks rapidly. When Andrew Carnegie left the railroad to start Carnegie Steel, Pitcairn replaced Carnegie as head of the Pennsy's Pittsburgh operations. He was also a friend and financial backer of George Westinghouse.

Pitcairn ordered construction of a rail yard along Turtle Creek near Pittsburgh that would become the largest rail yard in the world. The borough of Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, located adjacent to the yard, was named in his honor.

Pitcairn became somewhat infamous as a member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. The club, composed of wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists, owned the South Fork Dam which collapsed on May 31, 1889 causing the Johnstown Flood.

[edit] External links

• Pitcairn's testimony at the PRR's Johnstown Flood inquiry
• Scotland's mark on America - Scots in banking, finance, insurance and railroads