Los Angeles County
Biographies
PAUL SHOUP
SHOUP, PAUL, Railroads, Los Angeles, California, was born in San Bernardino, California, in the year 1874, the son of T. V. and Sarah S. Shoup. He married Miss Rose Wilson, of San Francisco, in 1900, and has three children, Carl, Jack and Louise Shoup.
Mr. Shoup began the education which has helped him climb to a top place in the management of railroads, at Knoxville and later Oskaloosa, Iowa, his parents having moved to that State when he was three years old. He continued his education in the high schools of San Bernardino, Cal., having returned to the place of his birth in 1887.
As soon as Mr. Shoup had finished his schooling he went, in 1891, to work in a minor position in the mechanical department of the Santa Fe Railroad, at San Bernardino. He later mastered telegraphy believing it to be essential to railroad advancement and soon became one of the operators for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Then began a period of unusually hard work and of advancements, the rapidity of which later has had few parallels in the railroad world of America.
In quick succession he was ticket clerk, freight clerk, assistant agent, assistant commercial agent, advertising clerk, train service clerk, clerk of rates and divisions and theatrical clerk, in the passenger department of the Southern Pacific Company. In the year 1896 he went to San Francisco. His industry, so intelligently applied, and his familiarity with the administration of railroad affairs, commended him to the attention of the executive offices at San Francisco, and to the special attention of the Assistant General Passenger Agent, and he was chosen as chief clerk to that official.
Not long after this he received his first executive position, that of District Freight and Passenger Agent at San Jose. His record in that office caused him to be chosen Assistant General Freight Agent of the Oregon Short Line, a part of the Harriman System, and when he was thoroughly familiar with the administration of that office he was transferred to the important office of Assistant General Passenger Agent of the Southern Pacific Company, again locating at San Francisco.
His counsel now became so valuable that he was taken into the inner circle of the financial heads, and made assistant general manager of the Southern Pacific company, in charge of the electric lines of that company.
Meanwhile the two great systems of electric interurbans, which center about Los Angeles, were being built by Sherman & Clark and H. E. Huntington, until in mileage, capitalization and business the two exceeded all but two of the trans-continental railways in California. By successive purchase the Southern Pacific Company acquired all the various units, until in 1910, it was in possession of them all.
Paul Shoup was chosen Vice President and Managing Director of the combined interurbans of Southern California, now known under the single title of Pacific Electric Railway, the largest and finest system in the world, operating over one thousand miles of highly improved track, and employing thousands of men. All of this is under the direction of Paul Shoup, who gives his personal attention at all times to every man and detail of this gigantic system.
The Southern Pacific Company also owns electric lines at Fresno, Stockton, Sacramento, San Jose, Alameda, Oakland, and other cities of California, all of which are under his personal charge.
He is the active Vice President and Managing Director of the Pacific Electric Railway, Visalia Electric Railway, Stockton Electric Railway, Fresno Traction Company, San Jose Railroads and Peninsular Railway.
Since Mr. Shoup’s accession to his present office he and his associates have determined upon the extension of the Los Angeles system of interurbans until the whole country south of Tehachapi to San Diego, and from Redlands to the coast, is as intimately connected by electric service as are the various parts of a city. The sum of $100,000,000 has been voted for the construction of these extensions and to care for underlying bonds. A number of improvements are already under way.
The transformation of Southern California, by merging into one both city and country, will be the result.
Under the direction of Paul Shoup will come the construction and operation of these vast extension.
Transcribed 2-26-09
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 209,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2009 Marilyn R. Pankey.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES