Cyrus K. Holliday
Kansas' 5th Adjutant General
May 02, 1864 - March 31, 1865

Mayor of Topeka

Col. Cyrus K. Holliday, one of the founders of Topeka, and father of the Santa Fe Railroad, was born near Carlisle, Pennsylvania on April 3, 1826.

Holliday was educated at Alleghant College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, for the legal profession, which he followed to some extent, although his natural taste seemed to be for large business undertakings. His knowledge of law and his talents as a public speaker gave him a splendid equipment. His first important business venture was as a contractor for the construction of a short line of railroad in his native state, on which he realized a profit of $20,000.

Holliday came to Kansas and settled in Lawrence in 1854. He took an active interest in the free state movement and believed that Kansas would become a free state. He, with some of his friends, determined on the site of Topeka for their new town which they intended to be a permanent capital of the new state. Holliday was the first president of the Topeka Town Company. He continued to direct the affairs of the company until all of the lots were disposed of and when the company went out of business, Holliday was made trustee for the purpose of curing all defects of title. Many of the lots remained in his name up to the time of his death, and for many years he was the largest individual taxpayer in Topeka.

His greatest satidfaction and his most enduring fame resulted from his connection with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, of which he was the inspiration, promoter, builder, first president and director from the date of its organization. He firmly believed in its ultimate sucess, while others ridiculed what they thought a preposterous idea.

Holliday was the first Mayor of Topeka and later was recalled to that position for several terms.