Johnson County KS Archives Biographies.....Fagan, W. W. 1841 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 March 19, 2009, 5:26 am Author: Ed Blair (1915) W. W. Fagan, Olathe, Kan., is one of the veteran railroad men of this country. His career is so closely interwoven with the early construction and operation of Kansas railroads that the story of his life and experience is no small part of the railroad history of eastern Kansas. He is a native of Guilford, Dearborn county, Indiana, born March 20, 1841, and is a son of John and Jane (Ward) Fagan. The father was a native of Lancaster, Pa., and the mother of Paterson, N. J. The father was a wagon maker in early life, back in Pennsylvania, but came to Indiana in 1838, following his trade until 1850, when he became a locomotive engineer on the Indianapolis & Cincinnati railroad, which is now part of the Big Four system. In 1872 he came to Kansas, entered the employ of the Santa Fe as locomotive engineer and pulled the first construction train out of Atchison in the construction of the Atchison & Topeka railroad. After running a locomotive for a number of years on the Santa Fe he became roundhouse foreman at Atchison and served in that capacity for ten or twelve years and retired about two years before his death, in 1911. His wife died in 1908. W. W. Fagan, whose name introduces this review, was one of a family of four children and is the only one of the family now surviving. He spent his boyhood days in Lawrenceburg and Guilford, Ind., and began his railroad career when a boy of ten years as a newsboy on the Indianapolis & Cincinnati railroad, and began firing on that road in 1857 when a little past fifteen, and about a year later was promoted to engineer and at the unusual age of sixteen ran an engine on the Indianapolis & Cincinnati railroad and remained in that capacity until 1867 when he became train dispatcher and road-master and conductor. Mr. Fagan has in his possession an interesting relic of his early railroading career. In 1864 he and the superintendent differed over some minor matter about the engine and Mr. Fagan resigned and asked for a letter of recommendation which he received, a copy of which follows: "Indianapolis & Cincinnati Railroad, Superintendent's Office, Cincinnati, December 27, 1864. The bearer, William Fagan, has been in the employ of this company as locomotive engineer for the past seven years. He is a good engineer. Robert Meek, Supt." Mr. Fagan went to another company and got employment as an engineer but after making one run received a telegram from his former superintendent to come back and take his old run and that he would raise his pay $5 per month. He returned to his former employer and remained with him until he was promoted. In 1869 he came to Topeka, Kan., and on June 6 entered the employ of the Santa Fe as conductor on a construction train from Topeka, southwest. This was the first construction train on the Santa Fe and when Mr. Fagan entered the employ of that company the Santa Fe railroad had four miles of tracks west of Topeka and their equipment and rolling stock consisted of ten flat cars, one hand car, one coach and a locomotive. He remained in that position until the fifteenth day of November when he was appointed superintendent and had charge of track maintenance and operation and remained in that capacity until May, 1874. At that time he became associated with C. K. Holliday, a Mr. Chapman and others and they organized the Kansas Midland Railroad Company and started the construction of a railroad from Topeka to Kansas City. Mr. Fagan was superintendent and Chapman was everything else, as Mr. Fagan expresses it. The road was constructed from Topeka to Lawrence in 1874 and the following year completed to Kansas City. Mr. Fagan resigned the superintendency of that road November 20, 1875, and became superintendent of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad from Cameron, Mo., to Kansas City, and later from Brookfield, Kansas City and St. Joseph to Atchison. On the first day of January, 1880, he took charge of the Central branch of the Union Pacific, now Missouri Pacific, in the capacity of superintendent. When he took the road it only went as far west as Greenleaf and during his administration it was extended to Downs, and the two branches on west to Lenora and Stockton. Mr. Fagan says this railroad was constructed by fourteen different companies. It seems that each company had a few miles of track which were later consolidated into one company. During the years 1885-6-7 he had charge of the Omaha division of the Missouri Pacific, and was engaged in the construction of that for three years. In 1887 he became general superintendent of the Kansas City, Ft. Scott and Memphis railroad, now the Frisco system, and took charge of the maintenance, operation and machinery, which included everything but the financial department; nearly all of the Birmingham division was constructed while he was superintendent of that road. On July 30, 1895, he resigned on account of failing health and in 1897-8 he acted as agent for the receiver of the Kansas City National Bank. In 1902 Messrs. Keith & Perry prevailed upon him to go to Lufkin, Tex., and take charge of the construction of the Eastern Texas railroad from Lufkin to Ken-nard, and he was the first general superintendent of that railroad and later became its president. He remained there two years. In 1906-7 he had charge of the construction of the Girardeau, St. Louis & Texas railway, which is now a part of the Frisco system. For the last five years Mr. Fagan has been connected with the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company as material inspector. In recent years he is not inclined to take on as much railroad grief as he was accustomed to handle in the earlier days when his constitution could stand the strain. From 1869 to 1895 he did not lose over ten days of application to business. He had made his home in Johnson county since 1903. Mr. Fagan was united in marriage July 1, 1860, to Miss Amanda Simonton and they have one child, Cosette, now the wife of S. E. Ferguson, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. Mr. Fagan has never belonged to any lodges except the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and he withdrew from that in 1871 when he became a railroad official, as he thought it might not be consistent or advisable to be a member of that order and serve in the capacity of an official. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF Johnson County Kansas BY ED BLAIR AUTHOR OF Kansas Zephyrs, Sunflower Sittings and Other Poems and Sketches IN ONE VOLUME ILLUSTRATED STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY LAWRENCE, KANSAS 1915 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/johnson/bios/fagan297nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ksfiles/ File size: 7.0 Kb