Seney Syndicate
During 1879 and 1880 the
Seney Syndicate linked together several short railroads in
Ohio,
Indiana, and
Illinois to form the
Lake Erie and Western Railroad.
The Seney Syndicate was headed by George I. Seney, a New York banker. Eastern members of the Syndicate included the successful speculators John T. Martin, Edward H. R. Lyman, Alexander M. White, and Walston H. Brown.
The westerns members appear to have been dominated by
Calvin S. Brice, a 35-year old
Lima, Ohio attorney who had been instrumental in the formation of the
Lake Erie and Western Railroad. Also from
Ohio were members
Charles Foster, then Governor of
Ohio; Dan P. Eells of
Cleveland; and General Samuel R. Thomas of
Columbus, Ohio.
The members of the Syndicate from
Illinois included Columbus R. Cummings and William B. Howard, both men with experience with the construction and the management of railroad properties.
In addition to controlling the
Lake Erie and Western Railroad, the Seney Syndicate controlled the 2500-mile
East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad, the
Peoria, Decatur and Evansville Railway and the
Ohio Central Railroad. The Ohio Central extended from
Toledo, Ohio to the Hocking Valley coal fields and it crossed the Lake Erie and Western at
Fostoria, Ohio.
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