He is known for his legal work on land claims during the early years of California's statehood and his presidency of the Northern Pacific Railway from 1879 to 1881.

He took part in the creation of a prominent law firm that handled land title cases, which were an important issue because California had been under the jurisdiction of several governments.

Billings donated millions of dollars to numerous causes and organizations, including schools, colleges, libraries, and churches.

[3] Originally a Whig and later a Republican,[4] from 1846 to 1848 he served as Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) to Horace Eaton, the governor of Vermont.

[8] A friend Billings made on the trip introduced him to Bennet C. Riley, who served as the last military governor before California achieved statehood in 1850.

[8] Riley was favorably impressed with Billings' abilities, and appointed him San Francisco's commissioner of deeds, chairman of the city's board of inspectors and judges, and territorial attorney general.

[9] By age 30, Billings was a millionaire from his legal fees, increases in real estate values, and profits from his other enterprises, including part ownership of San Francisco's Montgomery Block, the largest office building west of St. Louis at its 1853 opening.

[8] During his years in San Francisco, Billings also developed a reputation for philanthropy, including donations for churches, schools, and parks.

[8] During the late 1850s, as the United States drew closer to conflict over the slavery issue, Billings spoke tirelessly against California secession, successfully opposing a pro-slavery faction led by Democrats including William Gwin.

[10] In October 1863, Billings was the featured speaker at a San Francisco event held to celebrate recent Union military victories.

[11] In November 1863, Billings defended several individuals who attempted to steal a schooner from San Francisco Bay, which was the first step in their plan to seize a steamship and become pro-Confederate privateers.

[7] In late 1865, friends of Billings proposed him as a candidate for the United States Senate from California, but the nomination went to Cornelius Cole, who went on to win the seat.

[7] Billings had read Marsh's pioneering volume on ecology called Man and Nature, and set about to put into practice his theories on conservation.

[22] This eventually led to creation of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, which oversees and interprets what is probably the oldest managed forest in the United States.

[8] His Montana business interests expanded to include banks, mines, ranches, and local railroads that connected to the Northern Pacific.

[8] Billings also played a significant role in promoting the conservation of the area that became Yellowstone National Park, a site which was near the route of the Northern Pacific.

[8] As chairman of the NP's land committee, Billings was credited with overseeing development and execution of plans for using the Northern Pacific to transport white settlers to Minnesota and the Dakota Territory.

[8] When Jay Cooke & Company, which was responsible for the sale of NP stock, failed in the Panic of 1873, Billings worked to rescue the railway and succeeded in saving it after bankruptcy.

[8] Billings left the company's presidency while remaining on the board of directors, and he was present for the ceremony in Montana that commemorated the end of construction in 1883.

In early 1868, a group of his friends in California attempted to mount a campaign to obtain the party's vice presidential nomination for Billings, but this effort proved unsuccessful.

[32] His name was again prominently mentioned in 1870, but Billings deferred to John Wolcott Stewart, who won the nomination and the general election.

[39] Later that year, he took part in the Fifth Avenue Conference, a meeting organized by Carl Schurz for Republicans opposed to the perceived corruption of the Ulysses S. Grant administration and in favor of progressive measures including civil service reform.

[41] In 1880, Billings was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, and made the nominating speech for presidential candidate George F. Edmunds, a U.S.

[3] Among the prominent attendees at his funeral were Torrey E. Wales, George Grenville Benedict, Percival W. Clement, William Wells, and Charles A.

[52] Although he never owned a home in Billings, Montana, a railroad town established in 1882 and named after him, his wife provided the money to build its First Congregational Church.