Frederick H. Billings

Frederick Billings (September 27, 1823 – September 30, 1890) was an American lawyer and financier. From 1879 to 1881 he was President of the Northern Pacific Railway. He was born in Royalton, Windsor County, Vermont, graduated from the University of Vermont in 1844 and went on to pursue a career in law. In 1848, during the California Gold Rush, he moved to San Francisco, becoming the city's first land claims lawyer. Later he would partner with Henry Halleck, in the law firm of Halleck, Peachy & Billings, which became a leading law firm in San Francisco. While in California, he was a trustee of the College of California (later, the University of California at Berkeley) and suggested that the college be named for George Berkeley. In 1864,...