Utica and Waterville Railroad Co. signed by John Butterfield - Stock Certificate

Stock signed by John Butterfield as president. Extremely Rare! Portrait and biography included.

John Butterfield
(1801-1869)
American stagecoach proprietor and expressman, b. near Albany, N.Y. Beginning as a stage driver out of Albany, he rose to ownership of a large network of stage lines. He helped to merge his express company with others to form (1850) the American Express Company. In 1857, when Congress established the overland mail route to Los Angeles, Butterfield was awarded the mail contract. He was given the job to deliver the mail. and was paid $600,000. John carried the mail on the first leg of the first Journey. He went right through Springfield. It was during this time that he said, “Remember Boys, nothing must stop the mail." He organized the service on the 2,800-mi (4,500-km) southern route efficiently and continued it until 1861, when the stages were moved to the central route. His company delivered the mail for 21/2 more years. Then his company joined with the Wells Fargo Company.

Butterfield also promoted the development of telegraph lines and railroads. He was the founder of the Utica and Waterville Rail Road Company.

John moved to Utica, New York. In 1865 he became the mayor of Utica. He died in 1869. He was 59. John Butterfield established the longest mail route in the world at that time. He helped connect people separated by 2000 miles.