Early Years
Peter V. Daniel Jr., as he always identified himself even after the death of his father, was privately educated until age eighteen, when he decided to become a civil engineer. He worked for several years for his kinsman Moncure Robinson during the construction of the Louisa Railroad Company line and the initial surveying and construction of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Company line. Daniel then studied law under his father's direction and qualified to practice on March 10, 1843. While practicing in Richmond he took part in civic affairs. At a conference on education in August 1845 he offered resolutions requesting that the General Assembly establish a statewide system of public schools. In December 1854 he was the founding president of the Richmond Young Men's Christian Association. The following year Daniel wrote a preface to and reprinted A Vindication of Edmund Randolph, which his grandfather had published in 1795 after being dismissed from the president's cabinet. On December 1, 1846, in Philadelphia, Daniel married Mary Robertson. They had one son and one daughter. After his father died in 1860, Daniel became the guardian of his two orphaned half siblings.
Railroad Executive
On May 31, 1853, Daniel was elected president of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Company. He oversaw the refinancing of its debt and replaced old track with new, heavy-duty rails. He rebuilt a spur to Port Walthall, on the James River, which for a time was the terminus of connecting steamboat service that carried passengers to and from Norfolk. The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad leased the twenty-one-mile Clover Hill Railroad that transported coal from the fields of western Chesterfield County to the main line north of Petersburg.
At the RF&P's annual meetings in November 1867 and 1868, Daniel reported that the company's income remained low, an occurrence he attributed to a general business depression. He also successfully fended off what he believed was an attempt by officers of the recently chartered Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad Company to acquire a controlling interest in the RF&P. Early in 1871 Daniel also became president of the Potomac Railroad Company, which constructed a short connecting line between Quantico Creek and the RF&P's northern terminus that enabled passenger trains beginning in May 1872 to run directly from Richmond to Alexandria. The RF&P then discontinued its steamboat service at Aquia Creek.
Later Years
Daniel declined reelection to another term as president of the RF&P in December 1871 but remained president of the Potomac Railroad until 1880. He served as general counsel of the RF&P for several years after he left its presidency and then returned to the private practice of law for about two years before poor health forced him to retire. Daniel died of the effects of paralysis, possibly after suffering a stroke, at his Richmond home on April 2, 1889. He was buried in the city's Hollywood Cemetery.
Time Line
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September 1865 - The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad resumes service between Richmond and Aquia Creek.
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April 17, 1818 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. is born in Henrico County.
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March 10, 1843 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. qualifies to practice law in Virginia.
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August 1845 - At a conference on education, Peter V. Daniel Jr. offers resolutions requesting the General Assembly establish public schools.
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December 1, 1846 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. and Mary Robertson marry in Philadelphia.
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May 31, 1853 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. is elected president of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Company.
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December 1854 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. is the founding president of the Richmond Young Men's Christian Association.
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June 18, 1860 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. becomes president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad Company.
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April 19, 1861 - The federal government ends the Potomac Steamboat Company's service between Aquia Creek and Washington, D.C.
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July 3, 1865 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. receives a presidential pardon for his activities during the Civil War.
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Spring 1866 - The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad joins the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad in a joint venture to build and operate a 1.25-mile connection between the two lines in Richmond.
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November 1866 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. tells stockholders that the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad has lost $700,000.
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Early 1871 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. becomes president of the Potomac Railroad Company.
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December 1871 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. steps down as president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad.
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May 1872 - New construction allows passenger trains to begin running directly from Richmond to Alexandria.
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1880 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. steps down as president of the Potomac Railroad Company.
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April 2, 1889 - Peter V. Daniel Jr. dies at his Richmond home and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery.
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Lane, M. S., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Peter V. Daniel Jr. (1818–1889). (2017, May 16). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Daniel_Peter_V_Jr_1818-1889.
- MLA Citation:
Lane, Martin S. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Peter V. Daniel Jr. (1818–1889)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 16 May. 2017. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: February 14, 2017 | Last modified: May 16, 2017