Asa Whitney (1797–1872) was a highly successful dry-goods merchant and transcontinental railroad promoter.

[2][3] When Whitney returned to the United States in 1844, he realized the benefits from such an undertaking, and spent a great deal of money trying to get the Congress to take up the project.

For years he continued to write revised memorials and take expeditions through what was then known as Indian Territory to support his cause.

[5] In 1852, Whitney married Mrs. Catherine (Moore) Campbell of Wilmington, N.C. She outlived her husband by six years and is buried beside him in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.[6] After his second wife died, his property in New York faced foreclosure and was put up for auction.

After the dispute died down, many other nations began to trade with China, and Whitney became one of a few Americans who helped with the exportation of teas, spices, and other goods.

He bought property in upstate New York and began working on a memorial to Congress about his plan for a railroad.

His plan was mainly focused on trade with China, and connecting the two countries for increased culture, immigration, and commerce.

He spent a great amount of time and money to try to promote his plan, and he explored a lot of the routes that he considered.

[7] Asa Whitney lived long enough to see his dream become a reality; he was alive when the first transcontinental railroad was completed.

[7][8] Although Whitney’s plan fell through, word began spreading of the idea of a transcontinental railroad.

His plan inspired many young, ambitious engineers, one of which being Theodore Judah, a man who helped make the dream of a transcontinental railroad into a reality.