Life
- Born
- July 20, 1922
- Died
- October 18, 2020
Career
- President — Amtrak
Biography
Alan Stephenson Boyd was a lawyer by trade, and in November 1966, he was the first secretary of the United States Department of Transportation.
Boyd left the Department of Transportation in January 1969 and served as the head of the Illinois Central Railroad. He held the post until 1972.
In 1978, he was named Amtrak’s third president, a position he held until June 20, 1982. During his tenure at Amtrak, he oversaw the restructuring of routes in 1979 and the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project.
Additionally, Boyd is recognized for his efforts in restructuring management to prepare for the challenges of the 1980s and beyond.
“I would like to stress again the need for the creation of a newly-structured relationship with the federal government,” Boyd wrote in his first year with Amtrak. “If there is one single thing we need, it is continuity in funding and stability in routes and services.”