William C. Van Horne was one of North America"s most accomplished men. Born in Illinois in 1843, he became a prominent railroading figure in the United States before being lured north to Canada to become general manager of the fledgling Canadian Pacific Railway. The railroading general pushed through construction of the CPR"s transcontinental line and then went on to become the company"s president. A man of prodigious energy and many talents, he also became Canada"s foremost art collector and one of this country"s leading financiers. Van Horne capped his career by opening up Cuba"s interior with a railway.