San Francisco County
Biographies
JAMES W.
CORBETT
James W.
Corbett, vice president in charge of operations, Southern Pacific Company, was
born June 25, 1895, in Gallup, New Mexico; the son of James F. and Mary (Lee)
Corbett.
While attending school, Mr. Corbett
entered railroad service in 1911 as a call boy for the Oregon-Washington
Railroad & Navigation Company (now part of the Union Pacific), and after
completing his education, was a telegraph operator of the same railroad from
May, 1912, to June, 1915. In June 1915, he joined Southern Pacific as a
telegrapher, in Oregon, and served as telegrapher and relief agent at various
stations on the company’s Portland and Shasta Divisions before going into the
army with which he served as a pilot in World War I.
Returning from the armed service he
went to Sacramento (California) Division in February, 1919, and was
successively a telegrapher, train dispatcher, division examiner, acting
supervisor of transportation, traveling supervisor for Southern Pacific Motor
Transport Company, and trainmaster. In the latter capacity he served at various
other points on the railroad until advanced to assistant superintendent of the
Portland (Oregon) Division in 1937. Then followed promotions
to assistant to the general manager, San Francisco, California, in July, 1939;
superintendent of Portland (Oregon) Division in July, 1941; assistant general
manager in April, 1942; general manager on March 1, 1944; and vice president,
in charge of operations, since July 16, 1948, San Francisco.
Mr. Corbett is a member of the
Pacific Railroad Club, The Family Club, Olympic Club, Arlington Club of
Portland, Oregon, San Francisco Commercial Club; American Legion; and Knights
of Columbus.
Mr. Corbett married Wanda K. Anson
on February 1, 1922, and they have two sons, William E. and Robert A. Their
home is at 323 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco 23, California.
Offices: 65 Market Street, San Francisco, California.
Transcribed By: Cecelia M. Setty.
Source: “Eminent Californians 1953”,
by Lee E. Johnson & C. W. Taylor. Page 59, C. W. Taylor
Publ., Palo Alto, California, 1953.
© 2013 Cecelia M. Setty.
San Francisco County Biographies