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William Wallace Atterbury

William Wallace Atterbury (January 31, 1866 – September 20, 1935) was a brigadier general in the United States Army during World War I, who began his career with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1886 and rose through the ranks to become its tenth president (1925–1935). As director-general of transportation in France during the war, the New Albany, Indiana, native and Yale University graduate was instrumental in reorganizing railroad traffic for more efficient transportation of troops and supplies for the American Expeditionary Forces. He was also known as "The Railroad General". Under his leadership after the war, the Pennsylvania Railroad undertook a $250 million project to electrify major portions of its main line that ran between New York City and Washington, D.C. He also assisted in development of the company's first M1-class steam locomotive.

Atterbury, who was a recipient of the U.S. Army's Distinguished Service Medal, also received honors from France, England, Serbia, and Romania for his wartime military service. In addition, Atterbury was awarded honorary degrees from Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, and Temple University. Camp Atterbury, a former U.S. Army training camp west of Edinburgh, Indiana, and Atterbury Army Airfield (later named Bakalar Air Force Base and the present-day Columbus, Indiana, municipal airport) were named in his memory.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 31, 1866 (New Albany), Died September 20, 1935 (Philadelphia)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929

Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker

Notes: A New York Times article from 1929 identifies General Atterbury as the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor MVE-49518 16-in. 1/12/1929 Dedication of the Cascade Tunnel William Wallace Atterbury ; Ernestine Schumann-Heink Radio broadcast : Talk; contralto vocal solo, with piano speaker  
Victor CVE-49529 12-in. 1/12/1929 Dedication of the Cascade Tunnel William Wallace Atterbury Radio broadcast : Talk; announcement speaker  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Atterbury, William Wallace," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116504.

Atterbury, William Wallace. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116504.

"Atterbury, William Wallace." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116504

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