(June 6, 1809-Dec. 9, 1900). Union Station executive William N. Jackson worked as a youth in his family’s small foundry at Elk Forge, Maryland. He later moved to Cincinnati to be a skilled ironworker. Shortly thereafter, around 1834, he came to Indianapolis to start his own ironworks.
Not successful in this venture, he obtained a job in the Terre Haute office of the . He left this position in 1840 to become assistant to the U.S. postmaster in Indianapolis and, 11 years later, moved to Madison to become secretary of the during the presidency of . With the building of in Indianapolis (1853), he once again took up residence in the capital and assumed the role of secretary-treasurer of the Union Station Company.
Jackson had strong managerial skills, fiscal knowledge, and sensitivity to the needs of the traveling public. He eased the inconveniences of rail travel by expediting ticket purchases and arranging passenger transfers to other rail lines. Over a period of almost 50 years, “Uncle Billy” Jackson transformed both the initial and the second (1888) Indianapolis Union Station into relatively hospitable places. Although not a wealthy man, he contributed extensively to local charities, particularly institutions designed to aid little children.
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