People

Charles C Quackenbush

Charles C. Quackenbush (born May 12, 1866, Aurora, Illinois) was a railroad and electric railway professional active in Kane County during the late nineteenth century. By 1898 he held the positions of superintendent and cashier of the Carpentersville, Elgin & Aurora Electric Railway, placing him at the center of one of the region's earliest electric transit ventures. He was the son of John Quackenbush, a Civil War veteran and longtime employee of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. (Source: *Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois* (1898))

Known Activities

Quackenbush was raised and educated in Aurora, attending the city's public schools and high school. Following his schooling he entered the car department of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, where he worked for approximately eight to nine years before resigning in 1891. (Source: Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898))

After leaving the Burlington, he transitioned into the emerging electric railway industry. By the time of publication of The Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois in 1898, he was serving as both superintendent and cashier of the Carpentersville, Elgin & Aurora Electric Railway, a line connecting the communities of Carpentersville, Elgin, and Aurora. His dual administrative and operational role suggests he held a position of considerable responsibility within what was then a young enterprise. At that time he resided at No. 310 South Lincoln Avenue, Aurora. (Source: Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898))

Family Background

His father, John Quackenbush, was a native of Onondaga County, New York, who settled in Illinois and became closely associated with railroad work. John Quackenbush served in the American Civil War, enlisting initially with the first call for three-months men, then re-enlisting as a private in Company H, Twenty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was eventually promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. He served through Sherman's March to the Sea and took part in the grand review at Washington at the war's conclusion. Afterward, John Quackenbush found employment with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and later relocated to Chicago. (Source: Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898))

Charles's mother, Sarah Riley Quackenbush, was a native of New Jersey. (Source: Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898))

Timeline

Year	Event
May 12, 1866	Born in Aurora, Illinois
c. 1880s	Educated in Aurora public schools and high school
c. 1882–1891	Employed in the car department, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
1891	Resigned from the Burlington Railroad
by 1898	Serving as superintendent and cashier, Carpentersville, Elgin & Aurora Electric Railway

## Sources

The Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898). Available via Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/biographicalreco00sjcl#offset-1322437