Northern Pacific Railroad Co. Issued to and Signed by Sidney Dillon - 1887 or 1888 dated Autograph Railway Stock Certificate

Stock issued to and signed on back by Sidney Dillon.

Sidney Dillon (May 7, 1812 – June 9, 1892) was a prominent American railroad executive and one of the foremost builders of railroads in the nation. Born in Northampton, Fulton County, New York, he was the son of a farmer named Timothy. Dillon commenced his career in the railroad industry as a water boy for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, one of the earliest railroads in America, during its construction from Albany to Schenectady, New York. In 1840, he established his own construction firm and secured the contract for the Boston and Albany Railroad.

He played a significant role in the development of various railroads, with his most notable project being the Union Pacific Railroad, in which he became involved in 1865 through an equity exchange with the Crédit Mobilier of America corporation. The Crédit Mobilier of America was created by the Union Pacific to deceive U.S. taxpayers during the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad. This led to the Crédit Mobilier of America scandal, which revealed a scheme of over-invoicing and manipulation of stock and bond prices, allowing Union Pacific officials, including Dillon, to profit by artificially inflating the share prices of Crédit Mobilier's stock and bonds, submitting inflated invoices to the U.S. Government, and bribing congressmen with shares, cash, and other benefits.