Background
Jeffers was born on January 2, 1876, in North Platte, Nebraska, one of nine children of William and Elizabeth Gannon Jeffers. His father, who had emigrated from County Mayo, Ireland, was a laborer on the Union Pacific Railroad.
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William Martin Jeffers
Edit ProfileEducation
Jeffers left school at the age of fourteen.
Career
At the age of fourteen Jeffers went to work for the Union Pacific. With the exception of one year as an administrator with the federal government during World War II, he remained with that company until his death. Starting as a callboy, he rose by steps to clerk, telegrapher, and train dispatcher.
In 1900 Jeffers received his first significant administrative position: chief dispatcher. He became trainmaster of the Green River, Wyoming, division of the Union Pacific; in 1905, two years later, assistant superintendent; and superintendent of the division in 1909. Jeffers was promoted to increasingly more responsible positions: superintendent of the Nebraska district (1915), general superintendent (1915), and vice-president and general manager (1917).
In 1928 he was appointed vice-president in charge of operations, an office that gave him authority over the entire system. When he was named executive vice-president, a specially created position, it became evident that the board of directors was grooming Jeffers for the presidency of the railroad. He held that office from 1937 to 1946, when he resigned to become vice-chairman of the board of directors, a position he retained until 1953. Jeffers had a limited social life, most of his time being devoted to the Union Pacific and to his family. He was completely dedicated to railroading in general and to the Union Pacific in particular.
Jeffers served the Union Pacific so long and so intensely that he seemed to regard it as his personal railroad. This may be borne out by his refusal, while president, to be content with quite satisfactory vice-presidents who had been mentioned as possible successors. All were quietly dismissed, for he apparently could not accept the idea of handing over authority and power. As president, Jeffers constantly prowled the line, seeking ways to improve it. He initiated low-cost passenger service by eliminating frills but adding refinements. The luxury passenger service was not ignored, however, for Jeffers introduced crack streamliners. He inaugurated a massive expansion program and, in the process, made the Union Pacific one of the biggest money-makers among United States railroads. Anticipating the United States entry into World War II, Jeffers ordered surveys to determine the equipment that would be required. In the three years before Pearl Harbor, the Union Pacific spent $278 million for 2, 270 new cars, 136 locomotives, and laid 1, 680 miles of heavier rail. A centralized track control over 400 miles of single track was developed and put into operation.
In 1942, at the suggestion of W. Averell Harriman, Donald Nelson, head of the War Production Board, chose Jeffers to be rubber director. It became his job to bring order to the chaotic synthetic rubber industry and in that capacity Jeffers showed the same direct action and disregard for officialdom that had characterized his railroad career. He began by ordering gasoline rationing. He fought with the powerful senators from cotton-growing states and the Senate Agricultural Committee, who favored the use of cotton rather than rayon in tire fabric. Jeffers overcame the opposition and can be said to have started the rise of the rayon industry. Jeffers died at Pasadena, California on March 6, 1953.
Achievements
Works
Membership
Jeffers served as President of the Union Pacific (1937-1946).
Personality
A bluff, strong man, Jeffers usually worked at least fourteen hours a day. He knew the 10, 000 miles of Union Pacific line intimately and, according to legend, he also knew the first names of most of the 10, 000 employees. He did not manage from the office, but might appear anywhere along the line; he also had the reputation of being a strict disciplinarian.
Connections
In 1900, Jeffers married Lena A. Schatz, the daughter of a Union Pacific telegrapher; they adopted a daughter.
