William Wallace Atterbury (January 31, 1866 – September 20, 1935)[1][2] was a brigadier general in the United States Army during World War I, who began his career with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1886 and rose through the ranks to become its tenth president (1925–1935).

Under his leadership after the war, the Pennsylvania Railroad undertook a $250 million project to electrify major portions of its main line that ran between New York City and Washington, D.C.

[1][3] He was the seventh son of Catherine Jones (Larned) and John Guest Atterbury, a former lawyer who became a Presbyterian missionary minister.

[2][4] Atterbury, the youngest of twelve children, attended Yale University's Sheffield Scientific School, where he received a Ph.B.

[5] In 1886 Atterbury began work as an apprentice in the Pennsylvania Railroad's shops at Altoona, earning five cents an hour.

[2] Between August 1917 and May 1919, Atterbury supervised construction of harbor facilities and a portion of the railways in France that were assigned to the U.S. Army for maintenance and operation.

[3] During Atterbury's tenure as company president, the Pennsylvania Railroad undertook a $250 million project to electrify a 245-mile (394 km) multi-track main line that ran between New York City and Washington, D.C. Begun in 1928 and completed in 1935, it was the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by an American railroad company up to that time.

[11][12] Atterbury served as a director on numerous boards of banking and trust institutions, railroad companies, and life insurance firms, among other businesses.

After its deactivation as a military base, the facility began operating as a civilian airfield, known as the Columbus Municipal Airport.

The successful operation of this most important service upon which the movements and supply of the combat troops were dependent, was largely due to his energy, foresight, and ability.