Colis P. Huntington

Collis Potter Huntington (1821-1900), was vice-president of the company and also served as the Central Pacific’s lobbyist in Washington. Building the railroad was dependent on federal land grants and loans. To ensure they got both, Huntington donated thousands of dollars to political campaigns, “retained legislators as attorneys, and put lobbyists on the company payroll”−activities that eventually led to accusations of bribery and corruption.