He worked in iron and transportation industries and invested in oil and precious metal concerns.

[5] He resigned in 1867 due to poor health and worked as promoter and manager of the Union and Erie Lines.

[5] Houston was in charge of the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad, now SEPTA's Regional Rail Chestnut Hill West Line, which was built in the 1880s to link downtown Philadelphia with the wealthy and growing suburbs to the northwest.

[3][5] Houston was also a benefactor of Washington and Lee University and the Protestant Episcopal Church of St.

[6] Houston's 1895 will was still contested until 1964, by that time the property he left in trust was worth approximately $145 million, leading to a decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

[12] A statue at the Wissahickon Valley Park memorializes Houston's role as real estate developer, railroad magnate, and philanthropist.

The statue, depicting Houston in top hat and tails and his Irish wolfhound, is located at the southeast corner of Lincoln Drive and Harvey Street.

John Massey Rhind, a Scottish-American sculptor, made the work of art for the City of Philadelphia Fairmount Park Commission that was installed in 1900.

[7] Houston's Chestnut Hill mansion, Druim Moir (1886), still exists, having been converted to multiple residential units in 1980.