San Francisco
County
Biographies
ARMAND
THEODORE MERCIER
Armand
Theodore Mercier, President Southern Pacific Company, was born in New Orleans,
Louisiana, December 11, 1881, the son of Doctor C. S. and Irene (Yennie) Mercier. He received his early education in the
public schools of New Orleans, Rugby Academy, a military preparatory school,
graduating in 1903 from Tulane University with degree of Civil Engineer. He
received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Tulane University in 1945.
His
entire business career has been devoted to the railroad profession with
Southern Pacific Company. Starting as transit-man and roadmaster’s
clerk at Los Angeles, California in 1904 and shortly thereafter gang foreman. In
1906 was made assistant engineer and took an active part in the mighty project
undertaken by Southern Pacific, at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt
that saved the Imperial Valley in California and Yuma, Arizona, from the
Colorado River flood waters. Early in 1907 he was named general foreman and
engineer in charge of steel bridge construction, with headquarters in Los
Angeles and later the same year in charge of terminal construction at San Pedro
and Los Angeles. Assuming positions of increasing responsibility Mr. Mercier
was successively assistant division engineer, Los Angeles division 1908;
assistant district engineer southern district 1911; division engineer San
Joaquin division 1912; division engineer Los Angeles division 1913; assistant
superintendent Shasta division 1917 and superintendent Portland division 1918,
appointed vice president and general manager of the San Diego and Arizona
Railway, a Southern Pacific subsidiary, in 1921 and president and general
manager in 1927. He was named vice president and general manager of Pacific
Electric Railway at Los Angeles in 1929, another subsidiary of the Southern Pacific,
at that time the largest interurban electric railway system in the world.
Returning to the parent Southern Pacific Company in 1933 as general manager he
was elected vice president in the executive department in 1938 and president
December 11, 1941 as well as a director and member of the company’s executive
committee, which positions he still occupies.
Mr.
Mercier is a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity and Newcomen
Society; The Family and Pacific Union Clubs, San Francisco; Menlo Country Club,
Redwood City; and California Club, Los Angeles.
On Feb.
12, 1907, he married Miss Helen Ferris. Their three children were Sidney
(deceased); Mrs. Helen Polhamus; Theodora (Mrs.
William H. Paulman).
Family
residence is 509 Caleridge Avenue, Palo Alto,
California.
Offices: 65 Market Street, San Francisco 5, California.
Transcribed By: Cecelia M. Setty.
Source: “Eminent Californians 1953”,
by Lee E. Johnson & C. W. Taylor. Page 419, C. W. Taylor
Publ., Palo Alto, California, 1953.
© 2014 Cecelia M. Setty.
San Francisco County Biographies