DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — James Robert Cade, Harris County, Texas. Now, most men who shaped the railroads of Texas were born right here on this soil. James Robert Cade was not.
He came into the world in England, in 1845, and he crossed an ocean before he ever laid eyes on a Texas horizon. He arrived in the United States in the middle of 1869, and by 1873 he had made his way to Harrisburg, Texas — and he didn't come alone. He brought with him a new bride, Annie Mortimer, also of English descent.
Two people from the old country, setting roots in a place that was still figuring out what it wanted to be after the Civil War. Now, here's where the story starts to hum. Back in England, James Robert had trained as a railroad carpenter and car builder.
That wasn't a common skill, and it wasn't a small one. When he walked into Harrisburg, there happened to be a railroad right there waiting for him — the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway Company. Small railroad, but it had big ambitions and, as it turned out, so did James Robert Cade.
For the next eighteen years, Harrisburg was home. Annie and James Robert raised four sons there while he climbed. And when the Southern Pacific Railway Company came along and acquired the GH&SA and the Texas and New Orleans Railway, Cade climbed right along with it.
By 1885, Southern Pacific designated him Master Car Builder for the SP, Atlantic System. That title meant he was managing two divisions at once — the private car manufacturing division and the rail car repair division. The private cars built during his tenure were noted for the highest quality and craftsmanship, using the latest technology and the finest materials the industry could offer.
But here's what sets James Robert Cade apart from a man who was simply very good at his job. He was an innovator. He pushed the entire national railroad industry toward converting all rail cars from harvested timbers to iron beams.
And in 1892, his iron rigging design was adopted nationally — not locally, not regionally, but across the country — for safer and better transport. You want to talk about leaving a mark, that's leaving a mark. And yet the man didn't stop at the rail yard.
He co-founded St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Houston's fifth ward and stayed very active there. He was elected President of the Mechanics Building and Loan Association.
As a Mason, he received the Order of High Priesthood in 1895. And the honor that may say it all — Cade Rothwell Lodge No. 1151 AF&AM, chartered in 1921, was named in his honor. A man born in England in 1845, who crossed to a new country, who carried a carpenter's knowledge into the heart of Texas, and who left his name on a Masonic lodge, on church pews in the fifth ward, on iron rigging running beneath rail cars from coast to coast.
The marker says he significantly contributed to the economic development of Texas following the Civil War. I'd say that's just about right.
What the marker says
Born in England in 1845, James Robert Cade immigrated to the United States in mid-1869, arriving in Harrisburg, Texas, in 1873 with his new bride, Annie Mortimer, also of English descent. James Robert previously trained in England as a railroad carpenter and car builder, experience that helped him find employment as a rail car builder with a small railroad located in Harrisburg, the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway Company. For the next eighteen years, the couple made their home in Harrisburg, where they raised four sons as James Robert advanced to executive status with Southern Pacific Railway Company, which acquired the GH&SA and the Texas & New Orleans Railway. In 1885, Cade was designated Master Car Builder for SP, Atlantic System, which entailed managing the private car manufacturing division and the rail car repair division. Private cars manufactured during Cade's tenure were of the highest quality and craftsmanship, Using the latest technology and finest materials available to the industry. He was an innovator in the national railroad conversion of all rail cars from harvested timbers to iron beams. His 1892 iron rigging design was adopted nationally for safe and better transport ability. In addition to his distinguished career, he co-founded and was very active at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Houston's fifth ward, was elected President of the Mechanics Building and Loan Association and, as a member of the Masons, received the Order of High Priesthood in 1895. Cade Rothwell Lodge No. 1151 AF&AM, chartered in 1921, was named in his honor. Through his innovation and civic leadership, James Robert Cade significantly contributed to the economic development of Texas following the Civil War.