Frederick H. Billings

Frederick H. Billings
1873 charcoal portrait by William Kurtz
Born	(1823-09-27)September 27, 1823 Royalton, Vermont, US
Died	September 30, 1890(1890-09-30) (aged 67) Woodstock, Vermont, US
Resting place	River Street Cemetery, Woodstock, Vermont
Education	University of Vermont
Occupation(s)	Lawyer Businessman
Known for	President of the Northern Pacific Railway
Spouse	Julia Parmly
Children	7 (including Mary Billings French)
Relatives	Franklin Noble Billings (brother) Franklin S. Billings (nephew) Franklin S. Billings Jr. (grand-nephew) Mary French Rockefeller (grand-daughter)

Frederick H. Billings (September 27, 1823 – September 30, 1890) was an American lawyer, financier, and politician. He is known for his legal work on land claims during the early years of California's statehood and his presidency of the Northern Pacific Railway from 1879 to 1881.

A native of Royalton, Vermont, Billings graduated from the University of Vermont in 1844, became an attorney, and moved to California during the 1848 California Gold Rush. He took part in the creation of a prominent law firm that handled land title cases, which were an important issue because California had been under the jurisdiction of several governments. Billings also took part in several business ventures that proved successful, and became a millionaire by the age of 30. At the start of the American Civil War, he worked diligently to keep California from seceding.

After returning to Vermont in the mid 1860s, Billings continued to practice law and take part in business ventures. He served on the boards of directors of several corporations, and was a major investor in the Northern Pacific Railway. Billings received credit for rescuing the NP after the Panic of 1873, and served as its president from 1879 to 1881. He resigned the presidency after a hostile takeover, but remained on the board of directors and saw construction of the railroad through to completion in 1883.

Billings took part in politics as a Republican. He was a candidate for governor of Vermont in 1872, and nearly won the party's nomination. He was also a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1880 and 1884, where he supported George F. Edmunds for president. Billings donated millions of dollars to numerous causes and organizations, including schools, colleges, libraries, and churches.

After suffering a stroke in 1889, Billings' health deteriorated, and he died at his Woodstock, Vermont home on September 23, 1890. His body was buried at River Street Cemetery in Woodstock.