Ridgefield resident and President and CEO of CSX, Hunter Harrison has died at the age of 73. Harrison is the owner of Double H Farm, a sprawling 87-acre horse farm located in Ridgebury.
Although Hunter Harrison was known best as a railroad Tycoon, he was also an avid lover of horses. At the time of his death, he was Chairman of the Board of The National Horse Show Association of America.
Hunter Harrison was recently made the CEO of CSX railroad after a long history of successes in the railroad industry that started in 1963 when the then 19-year-old was squirting oil under train carriages for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.
The nature of his illness has not been made public. On Thursday, it was announced that he was taking a medical leave from his job and subsequently CSX lost $4 billion in market capitalization.
CSX released the following statement: It is with great sadness that we announce that E. Hunter Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSX, died today in Wellington, Fla., due to unexpectedly severe complications from a recent illness. The entire CSX family mourns this loss.
Edward J. Kelly III, Chairman of the CSX Board of Directors, issued the following statement on behalf of the Board of Directors: “With the passing of Hunter Harrison, CSX has suffered a major loss. Notwithstanding that loss, the Board is confident that Jim Foote, as acting Chief Executive Officer, and the rest of the CSX team will capitalize on the changes that Hunter has made. The Board will continue to consider in a deliberative way how best to maximize CSX’s performance over the long term.”
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, CSX is an American holding company focused on real estate and railways in North America, among other industries.
*Image credit: National Horse Show Association of America