Sir Henry W. Thornton - Jasper, Alberta
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 52° 52.597 W 118° 04.783
11U E 427334 N 5859091
This plaque can be found at the end of the historic, and still in use train station. It is dedicated to Sir Henry W. Thornton, who was the president and chairman of the CNR. A fantastic station in the beautiful park and townsite of Jasper, Alberta.
Waymark Code: WM90T6
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 06/10/2010
Views: 8
Thornton is known in Canada a Chairman and President of Canadian National Railways, at an important time in its history.
His Railway career included the Long Island Rail Road from 1911 to 1914 where he was a General Superintendent. From 1914 to 1922 he was the General Manager of the Great Eastern Railway in England. From 1922 to 1932, he was the President and Chairman of the Canadian National Railway.
"In 1922 Sir Henry W. Thornton was named Chairman of the Board and President of the Canadian National Railways and asked to modernize and amalgamate several lines. Not only did he complete the amalgamation, but he introduced passenger-friendly travel, with onboard radios and diesel and ball-bearing locomotives. The radio network established along the route was a precursor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also directed the railway to invest in communities which it served, building hotels and resorts. These investments changed the face of Canada, moving the population into the vast areas between the coasts. The cost to modernize the CNR and Sir Henry Thornton’s rather lavish lifestyle made him many enemies. When the Conservative Party came to power in 1932, Sir Henry W. Thornton was forced to resign, denied a pension, and removed from the Board of Directors of a local bank. Disgraced, Henry moved to New York City, where he died less than a year later from pneumonia and complications from surgery. In the years after his death, Sir Henry's contribution to Canadian business and culture was recognized and his reputation was restored: in 1992 he was inducted into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame."
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