Vernon K. Stevenson

Vernon K. Stevenson (January 22, 1812 - October 16, 1884) was an American businessman. He served as the president of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railway for 25 years, and as the president of the Southern Pacific Railroad. He was a real estate investor in Manhattan, New York City.

Early life Stevenson was born on January 22, 1812, in Russellville, Kentucky. He had three brothers, Maxwell, Volney Stevenson's mother Eleanor Sharp was the sister of Congressman and Kentucky Attorney General and State Legislator Solomon Porcius Sharp was assassinated in 1835 in what became known as The Kentucky Tragedy.

Career Stevenson began his career as a clerk in a dry goods store in Nashville. To fundraise for its construction, Stevenson sold stocks to investors in Nashville and Charleston, South Carolina. Stevenson built the railroad with iron-rails from London thanks to George Peabody. It was completed in 1854, and Stevenson served as its president.

In 1861, at the outset of the American Civil War of 1861–1865, Stevenson was appointed as the quartermaster for the Confederate States Army by General Albert Sidney Johnston. Shortly after the evacuation of Nashville in February 1862, he moved to Murfreesboro, where he managed a portion of the tracks.

After the war, Stevenson moved to New York City and invested in real estate in uptown Manhattan. His third wife was the daughter of surgeon Paul F. Eve. and he was a member of the Manhattan Club.

Stevenson, Alabama was named in his honor.