Alfred L. Hammell*

Alfred Hammell was born in modest circumstances in El Dorado, California, and had to forgo his formal education before finishing his sophomore year in high school. He spent two years supporting his family by panning for gold on a practically worthless mining claim owned by relatives. He eventually had to give up this venture and took a job as a baggage handler for Wells Fargo in San Francisco.

While working his way up the ladder, Hammell served in posts throughout the western United States. Railway Express succeeded Wells Fargo in 1918, and Hammell stayed on to become general manager in Boston, then vice president in San Francisco and Chicago, followed by executive vice president in New York. In 1949, he was named president and chairman.