The Cyclopædia of American Biography/Mohler, Adam L.
MOHLER, Adam L., railway official, b. in Reamstown, Pa , 6 May, 1849, son of George and Elmira (Ruth) Mohler. Through his father he is of Swiss extraction, the first of the name to come to this country, having emigrated from Switzerland in 1730 and settled in Ephrata, Pa. He spent his boyhood days in healthy activity on his father's farm, laying up a store of energy and health for future years. His educational advantages were meager, being confined to those afforded by the common schools of Sterling, Ill., whence his father had removed in the hope of bettering his fortune in the West. In 1867 he entered the railroad service, in which he was destined to have such a remarkable career, becoming, in 1868, assistant to the station agent of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, at the small town of Galt, Ill. From the beginning his rise was steady and uninterrupted until he became the chief executive of one of the most important railroad systems of the country. He was soon promoted to the position of station agent at Galt, and remained there several years, his varied duties as a country station-master giving him an intelligent grasp of many phases of railroad management The year 1882 saw the real beginning of Mr. Mohler's rise to prominence in railroading, when he was made general freight agent of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway. After several intermediate promotions he became assistant general manager of the Great Northern Railway, and in 1888 was made general manager of that road, an office which he retained for two years. During 1889-93 he served as general manager of the Montana Central Railway, resigning this position to become general manager of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway. In 1897 he entered a new field of activity as president and general manager of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, a position which he filled from 1 July, 1897, to 1 April, 1904. He was also president of the Portland and Asiatic Steamship Company, and of the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company. He became vice-president and general manager of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1904, serving in that capacity for four years. On 13 Oct., 1911, he became president and general manager of the Union Pacific System, comprising the Union Pacific and Oregon Short Line Railways. Mr. Mohler is a member of the Omaha Club, the Technical Club, and the Bear River Club of Utah. He married, in Cedar Rapids, Ia., 7 Feb., 1877, Jennie, daughter of Capt W. W. Smith, of Cedar Rapids, Ia. Of their two children, one, Anna Marie Mohler, survives.