William Cornelius Van Horne

Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, is most famous for overseeing the construction of the first Canadian transcontinental railway, a project that was completed in 1885, in under half the projected time. He succeeded Lord Mount Stephen as president of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1888. He was responsible for launching the sea transport division of the CPR, which inaugurated regular service between Vancouver and Hong Kong in 1891. He also presided over the expansion of the CPR into the luxury hotel business in the 1890s. He was also a prominent member of the syndicate that created the Cuba Railroad Company in 1900. He lived at the Van Horne Mansion in Montreal's Golden Square Mile.

3 February 1843

Born on the same birth day (3 February): Caroline von Wolzogen • Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton • E. P. Thompson • Fran Tarkenton • Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz • Ilana Sod • Jacques Soustelle • Linda Eder • Scoot Henderson • Shawn Phillips • Shlomo Goren • Tyler Huntley • Vũ Đức Đam

Born in the same month (February 1843): Aaron Montgomery Ward • Adelina Patti • Frederic W. H. Myers • Henry M. Leland • Inoue Kowashi