William B. Waddell (Pony Express founder)
Encyclopedia
William Bradford Waddell (1807–1872) is often credited along with Alexander Majors
and William Hepburn Russell
as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express
. He is described as “phlegmatic, stoical, inclined to sulk if displeased, a cautious penny-pincher, and unable to reach a decision without ponderous deliberation."
, and others in creating the Lexington First Addition Company, the Lexington Fire and marine Insurance Company and the Lexington Female Collegiate Institute. He was also able to build a brick store and a hemp warehouse.
Waddell's first experience with the freighting business came through his partnership with Russell in 1853, they created Waddell & Russell, a wholesale trading firm. Later that year, they hauled military supplies by wagon train to Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Union, New Mexico. The firm failed to obtain a contract the following year.
was formed on November 19, 1859, with the hope of receiving a mail contract. Under charter from the Kansas legislature, the Pony Express
(as the C.O.C. & P.P.E Company came to be know) began operations on April 3, 1860. Waddell supervised the business activities of the office and headquarters of the firm in Lexington, Missouri, and later Leavenworth, Kansas. The Pony Express would prove to be a failure, losing upwards of $1,000 a day. By October 1861, the Express was out of business due to the completion of the telegraph lines and the unwillingness of the national government to provide further funding.
were personally felt when one of his sons was killed defending a slave. Additionally, his home was raided multiple times and he was forced to sign an oath of allegiance to the United States. Due to debts he had incurred and taxes, he was required to sell his land. He died April 1, 1872 at age 65 in the home of his daughter. He is buried in Lexington, Missouri
.
Alexander Majors
thumb|right|240px|Alexander MajorsAlexander Majors got his start in overland freight on the Santa Fe Trail in 1848. On his first trip, he set a new time record of 92 days for the 1564 mile round trip....
and William Hepburn Russell
William Hepburn Russell
William Hepburn Russell is often credited along with Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. His public life is one of numerous business ventures, some successful and some failed...
as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
. He is described as “phlegmatic, stoical, inclined to sulk if displeased, a cautious penny-pincher, and unable to reach a decision without ponderous deliberation."
Early life
Waddell was born on October 17, 1807 in Fauquier County, Virginia to parents of Scottish descent. Following the remarriage of his father in 1811, he and his family moved to Mason County, Kentucky a hotbed of immigration activity. In 1824, at the age of 17, he ventured from home to first work in the lead mines at Galena, Illinois, and then to St. Louis, Missouri, clerked for a time in the Berhoud & McCreery dry goods store. He returned to Kentucky soon after. On January 1, 1829 he married Susan Byram and settled down to farm. Finding farming not to his liking, he moved and opened a successful dry goods store in Mayslick, Kentucky.Early Business Ventures
In 1835, Waddell again moved his family, this time to Lexington, Missouri, where he opened another dry goods store on the waterfront near Jack's Ferry. In 1837, he joined William Hepburn RussellWilliam Hepburn Russell
William Hepburn Russell is often credited along with Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. His public life is one of numerous business ventures, some successful and some failed...
, and others in creating the Lexington First Addition Company, the Lexington Fire and marine Insurance Company and the Lexington Female Collegiate Institute. He was also able to build a brick store and a hemp warehouse.
Waddell's first experience with the freighting business came through his partnership with Russell in 1853, they created Waddell & Russell, a wholesale trading firm. Later that year, they hauled military supplies by wagon train to Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Union, New Mexico. The firm failed to obtain a contract the following year.
The Pony Express
An agreement was made between Waddell, Russells, and Alexander Majors on December 28, 1854 and signed on January 1, 1855. Later, the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express CompanyCentral Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company
The Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company was the parent company of the Pony Express.It was formed by William Russell, Alexander Majors and William Waddell, as a freighting company supplying goods to the western United States...
was formed on November 19, 1859, with the hope of receiving a mail contract. Under charter from the Kansas legislature, the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
(as the C.O.C. & P.P.E Company came to be know) began operations on April 3, 1860. Waddell supervised the business activities of the office and headquarters of the firm in Lexington, Missouri, and later Leavenworth, Kansas. The Pony Express would prove to be a failure, losing upwards of $1,000 a day. By October 1861, the Express was out of business due to the completion of the telegraph lines and the unwillingness of the national government to provide further funding.
Later years
Following the failure of the Express in 1861 and the financing scandal created by Russell, Waddell retired to his home in Lexington and never entered business again. However, his life was not peaceful. The effects of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
were personally felt when one of his sons was killed defending a slave. Additionally, his home was raided multiple times and he was forced to sign an oath of allegiance to the United States. Due to debts he had incurred and taxes, he was required to sell his land. He died April 1, 1872 at age 65 in the home of his daughter. He is buried in Lexington, Missouri
Lexington, Missouri
Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies about 40 miles east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
.
See also
- Pony ExpressPony ExpressThe Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
- Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express CompanyCentral Overland California and Pikes Peak Express CompanyThe Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company was the parent company of the Pony Express.It was formed by William Russell, Alexander Majors and William Waddell, as a freighting company supplying goods to the western United States...
- Russell, Majors and WaddellRussell, Majors and WaddellRussell, Majors and Waddell was a business partnership, based in Lexington, Missouri, between William Hepburn Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell. It operated various transportation and communications services in the American West in the 1850s and early 1860s, including stagecoach...
- William Hepburn RussellWilliam Hepburn RussellWilliam Hepburn Russell is often credited along with Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. His public life is one of numerous business ventures, some successful and some failed...
- Alexander MajorsAlexander Majorsthumb|right|240px|Alexander MajorsAlexander Majors got his start in overland freight on the Santa Fe Trail in 1848. On his first trip, he set a new time record of 92 days for the 1564 mile round trip....