[1] Samuel Marsh was born in 1786, at Haverhill, Massachusetts, and died in 1872, at the Astor House, New York, at which place he had resided a greater portion of his long and useful life.

After the cessation of hostilities with Great Britain, he travelled long in Europe for the purpose of completing his business education and familiarizing himself with the usages of European trade.

He was one of the twenty gentlemen who met in 1845, at the New York Hotel, on the invitation of Benjamin Loder, and united in a subscription amounting to three millions of dollars, which was intended to complete the construction of the Erie.

[1] From 1846 until 1865, Mr. Marsh was vice-president of the Erie Railroad, his incumbency of that position being occasionally interrupted by his being called upon to assume the duties of president ad interim.

[1] Mr. Marsh engaged with the late Moses Taylor, John I. Blair, and others in construction of railroads in various parts of the country, and until within a few weeks of his death, at the age of eighty-six, he actively superintendent the vast interests under his control.

President Marsh's office was simply an advisory one, and while his ideas, and those of the Board, might have been acted upon, and in many instances were, by the Receiver, the latter was in no way bound to follow any such instruction or advice.

Samuel Marsh having been vice-president of the Company several years, had a knowledge that was of much service to the Receiver, and his application of it aided greatly in hastening the development and success of the plans that were devised for Erie's rehabilitation.

He was directed to pay, in the first place, all arrearages due employees of the road; also for supplies used in operating it; also all other charges incident to its protection and maintenance, and to hold the net earnings subject to the order of the Court.

[8] In the meantime it is expected that the net earnings will discharge the liabilities of the company, the overdue coupons, and supply the means for the completion of the Long Dock, estimated at §500,000.

He was the logical successor to the Presidency, and if he had insisted on being chosen, the honor would undoubtedly have been bestowed upon him for the term ; but there were influences coming to the fore in Erie affairs just then that preferred another head to the company, and Samuel Marsh declined to be a candidate for the office.