Thomas Alexander Scott

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Thomas Alexander Scott

Thomas Alexander Scott (December 28, 1823–May 21, 1881) was the president of what was in its time the largest corporation in the world, the Pennsylvania Railroad, during the middle of the 19th century. In connection with his railroad interests, he also took a leading role in crafting what eventually became the Compromise of 1877 which marked the end of Reconstruction following the Civil War.

Scott was born in Fort Loudoun, Pennsylvania. He joined the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1850 as a station agent, and by 1858 was general superintendent. It was during this time that a young Andrew Carnegie began working for the Pennsylvania Railroad under the supervision of Scott. Their association continued through the Civil War and for some time after until Carnegie turned his full attention to iron and steel. In 1860, Scott became the first Vice President of the Pennsylvania Railroad and worked his way to Presidency of the company in 1874. The Pennsylvania Railroad expanded from a state line to a transportation empire in the 1860's and 70's.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Pennsylvania governor Andrew Curtin called on Scott for his extensive knowledge of the rail and transportation systems of the state. In August 1861, President Lincoln appointed Scott as Assistant Secretary of War. Scott took on the task of equipping a substantial military force. He took over the supervision of government railroads and other transportation lines, and made the movement of supplies and troops more efficient and effective in the war effort on behalf of the Union. In one instance, he engineered the movement of 25,000 troops in 24 hours, turning the tide of battle once more to a Union victory.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the southern states wanted their infrastructure restored and the railroads competed to acquire and construct lines in the south. Federal assistance was desired by both interest groups, but the Credit Mobilier scandal had made this difficult. Scott made a proposal which came to be called the "Scott Plan" by which largely Democratic southern politicians would give their votes in Congress and state legislatures for government subsidies for various infrastructure improvements, including in particular, an enterprise headed by Scott, the Texas and Pacific Railway. Scott employed the expertise of Grenville Dodge in buying the support of newspaper editors as well as various politicians in order to build public support for the subsidies. The Scott Plan became the basis for the Compromise of 1877 which included an end to the Federal occupation of the South and the concommitant abandonment of African Americans in that region.