Description:

Jay Gould 3x Signed Legal Document Re: 1889 Formation of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis

A 10pp legal document signed a total of three times by railroad magnate Jay Gould (1836-1892): the first time as "Jay Gould" above the name of his company, the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, on page 4; the second time as "Jay Gould" above the word "president" on page 4; and the last time as "Jay Gould" in his role as the president of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company on page 5. The document, Registry No. 57 705-A, B, which is partly printed, partly typed, and partly handwritten, spans a period from October 1 through December 30, 1889. Counter-signed by numerous other officials, including executive officers of other railroad companies, notary publics, etc. Several embossed and gold-foil seals throughout, and docketed throughout. Expected wear including toning, weathering, and edge grime. Some paper folds and corresponding splits have been repaired with old tape. Isolated stains. Else good to very good. 8.125" x 12.875."

The document entitled, "Agreement for Re-organization of St. Louis Terminals," was drawn up between Jay Gould and a group of eight national railroad and railway companies: the Missouri Pacific Railway Company; the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company; the Wabash Railroad Company; the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Railroad Company; the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad Company; the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company; the Ohio and Mississippi Railway Company; and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company.

The eight railroad concerns involved in this agreement all maintained routes terminating in either East St. Louis, Illinois or directly across the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri. The agreement stipulated that Gould would take certain steps to ensure that depots he controlled in these hubs, East St. Louis and St. Louis, could be used by the aforementioned railroad lines "in furtherance of said plan for securing an efficient and economical system of handling freight and passenger traffic at the places named upon the terms and conditions hereinafter stated…" The terms of this agreement would result in the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. The monopolistic control of the East St. Louis/St. Louis railroad terminals created a bottleneck in traffic and distribution, which the federal government attempted to bust after Gould's death three years later.

These eight railroad companies provided service for most of the Midwest and Southeast of the United States. For example, the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, purchased by Jay Gould in 1879, provided transport from Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas as far south as the Mexican border and the Gulf of Mexico; while the Wabash Railroad Company connected destinations in Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Missouri.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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