First US secretary of transportation dies

Alan S. Boyd was in charge of the new department when it was created in 1967
By Adam Hill October 20, 2020 Read time: 1 min
In a lengthy transport career, Boyd also worked at Amtrak (© Scott Jones | Dreamstime.com)

Alan S. Boyd, the first US transportation secretary, has died aged 98.

The US Department of Transportation opened for business in 1967 and Boyd was at its helm with the remit of bringing the road, rail, air and maritime sectors under a single umbrella.

The New York Times suggests it was ‘inevitable’ he would have a transport career: “A great-grandfather invented America’s first horse-drawn streetcar on rails, his father was a highway engineer, and his stepfather was a lawyer for a railroad company”.

Brought into the role by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Boyd left in 1969 following the election of Richard Nixon.

He became president of the Illinois Central Railroad and then had subsequent senior roles with Amtrak and Airbus.

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