Newport News and Mississippi Valley Co. with printed signature of C. P. Huntington - 1887 dated Autographed Railroad Stock Certificate

Fractional Stock with printed signature of C. P. Huntington as president. Rare! One of the "Big Four".

Collis Potter Huntington, born on October 22, 1821, was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the prominent figures in western railroading, alongside Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker. Huntington played a crucial role in investing in Theodore Judah’s vision for the Central Pacific Railroad, which became the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. Beyond the Central Pacific, Huntington spearheaded the development of other significant interstate lines, including the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O). He was specifically recruited to help complete the C&O, which was completed in 1873. This railroad fulfilled a long-cherished dream of Virginians, establishing a rail link from the James River at Richmond to the Ohio River Valley. The new railroad facilities near the river in West Virginia led to the expansion of the former small town of Guyandotte, transforming it into a part of a new city named Huntington in his honor.

Turning his attention to the eastern end of the line at Richmond, Huntington oversaw the C&O’s Peninsula Extension in 1881–82. This expansion opened a pathway for West Virginia bituminous coal to reach new coal piers on the harbor of Hampton Roads, facilitating export shipping. Huntington is also credited with the development of Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and the incorporation of Newport News, Virginia, as a new independent city. After his passing, his nephew Henry E. Huntington and his stepson Archer M. Huntington continued his work at Newport News. All three are regarded as founding fathers of the community, and local features bear their names in honor of them.

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