Thomas J. Potter was vice-president and general manager of the Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

. Charles Francis Adams, Jr.

Charles Francis Adams, Jr.

Charles Francis Adams II was a member of the prominent Adams family, and son of Charles Francis Adams, Sr. He served as a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War...

requested that he accept this job in 1887.

Railroad career

He began his career with the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad

Burlington and Missouri River Railroad

The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was an American railroad company incorporated in Iowa in 1852, with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. It was developed to build a railroad across the state of Iowa and began operations in 1856...

 and was offered a better position in 1873 with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...

. With the latter firm he rose from assistant superintendent, to general manager, and then vice-president. Potter served successively as vice president of the St. Louis and Keokuk Railroad, the Chicago, Burlington and Kansas City Railroad, the Chicago and Iowa Railroad, the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad

Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad

The Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was the first railroad to cross Missouri starting in Hannibal in the northeast and going to St. Joseph, Missouri, in the northwest...

, and the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad.

Death

He died an untimely death at the age of 48. His remains were transported west on the Pennsylvania Railroad

Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

 after he died at Welcker's Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, in 1888.