Robert R. Young*
Class of 1947
- Chairman New York Central Railroad
At one time I lost everything, but I didn't let that get me down. I came back with great success.
Robert Young was born in Hemphill County, Texas, in 1897. His mother died when he was 10, and soon thereafter he was sent to Culver Military Academy in Indiana. He graduated at the head of his class in 1914 and entered the University of Virginia.
Young left school before the end of his sophomore year to work as a powder cutter at the E. I. DuPont gunpowder plant in New Jersey, and he worked his way up to the treasurer's office. In 1922, he joined General Motors as assistant treasurer. He predicted the 1929 stock market crash and netted a fortune selling his GM stocks short of their earlier value.
In 1931, Young formed a brokerage partnership through which he gained a controlling interest in the C&O Railway. In the 1950s, Young gained control of the New York Central Railroad.