Stock Certificate of The Cuba Company Issued To James J. Hill and Signed as president by Sir William C. Van Horne
1900, New Jersey. Stock certificate for one share of The Cuba Company. Issued to James J. Hill though not signed by him on the accompanying stock power document. Signed on the front as President by Sir William C. Van Horne. A fine association of Hill and Van Horne on a certificate issued by this historically important company.
HILL, JAMES J. (1838-1916). Railroad executive; Financier. Hill is often referred to as an empire builder because of his great contributions to the development of the Northwest United States. His development and leadership of the Great Northern Railroad stands today as one of the monumental achievements in railroad and financial history. Hill teamed up with J. Pierpont Morgan in thwarting the attempts of E. H. Harriman to monopolize much of the railroading in the Northwest through the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and the Northern Pacific. Following a prolonged struggle for controlling interests of these lines and the resulting precipitation of the stock market panic of 1901, the battle ended in stalemate.
\WILLIAM C. VAN HORNE (1843 - 1915); Railroad executive. From a successful early career in railroad, Van Horne developed the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad system into a major competitor of James J. Hill's Great Northern. Hill was so impressed with Van Horne's skills that he recommended the latter as a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway, a position which Van Horne accepted. "The story of the building of the Canadian Pacific is mainly a history of his achievements in overcoming stupendous difficulties . . ." (DAB). A long period of success and growth followed and Van Horne resigned in 1899, only to begin a series of South American and Cuban ventures of which this Cuba Company was one.
