Inventor Name
Raoul, William Greene
Repository
Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Robert W. Woodruff Library
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322
404-727-6887
http://marbl.library.emory.edu/
Physical Description
.5 linear ft. (1 box and 10 BV)
Summary
William Greene Raoul, railroad executive, inventor, and businessman, was born 4 July 1843, in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, married Mary Wadley. 1868, and died 17 January 1913, in Atlanta, Georgia. Raoul was a member of New Orleans' Washington Artillery during the American Civil War and was made a captain (1864) in charge of railway car construction. His continued connection with railroads after the war included being operator of the Southern Car Works in Independence, La. (1866-1870); superintendent of Southwestern Railroad (1876); general superintendent of the Montgomery and Eufala Railroad (1879); and roadmaster (1870), vice president (1880), and president (1883-1887) of the Central of Georgia Railway Company (Savannah, Ga.); and president of the Mexican National Railroad (1887-1904), the Atlantic and Birmingham Railway (1902-1905), and Southwestern Railroad (1901-1913). Inventor of the airbrake, he also developed the Albermarle Park in Asheville, N.C., and established a foundation for the eradication of tuberculosis in Georgia. The collection consists of papers of W.G. Raoul from 1878-1913. The papers include scrapbooks, letter books, and loose papers. The three scrapbooks contain news clippings on a wide variety of topics, but mainly concerned with railroad affairs. The seven letter books contain copies of 963 letters written by W. G. Raoul between March 26, 1878 and August 19, 1897. The collection also contains 115 letters; printed documents such as leases, re-organization plans, and reports to stockholders; and news clippings.