Rosemary Laughlin

Background

Rosemary Laughlin was born on June 20, 1941, in Omaha, Nevada, United States. She was the daughter of a railroad clerk Anton and a teacher Adele Munch.

Education

Laughlin attended Duchesne College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963. In 1964 she got a master of Arts degree at the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in 1968.

Career

In her book The Great Iron Link: The Building of the Central Pacific Railroad, Rosemary Laughlin profiles the five men who are considered responsible for making the dream of a railroad stretching from one American coast to the other reality. The planning and surveying for the project was performed by Theodore Judah, while Charlie Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Collis Huntington, and Leland Stanford provided the financial backing. “Their personal contributions help the reader to understand the complexity of this great achievement,” observed a reviewer in Voice of Youth Advocates. In addition to these men, Laughlin covers the contributions of the countless Chinese emigrants who performed the backbreaking work. As well, the author also discusses the less-than-heroic actions of the owners after the railroad was built, including eliminating competition, driving up prices, and bribing politicians to look the other way. The book contains a “clearly written and lively text” as well as contemporary black-and-white photographs of the men and the railroad, according to George Gleason of School Library Journal.

Achievements

• Rosemary Laughlin is an outstanding author. Her books are highly appreciated by readers and critics.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Great Iron Link

    (Recounts the building of the Central Pacific Railroad and...)

    1996
  • John D. Rockefeller: Oil Baron and Philanthropist 2001
  • The Ludlow Massacre of 1913-14 2006

Connections

Rosemary Laughlin married university professor Patrick Laughlin. The couple has three sons.

Father:

Anton Munch

Mother:

Adele Munch

Spouse:

Patrick Laughlin

References

• Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol. 194
  2010