Why was Collis P Huntington considered a robber baron?

Answer 1

Collis P. Huntington was a powerful man in his time. However, as we all know powerful men are not always good. Which leads us to why do we consider these great, powerful men to be robber barons? Collis P. Huntington was a power hungry fellow. He became involved with Thomas Scott in wanting to control all the lines in California, not just to the Arizona border. While trying to accomplish this he was involved in a hard-fought contest to influence Congress over rights of way. He was reported to be spending $200,000 to $500,000 each session to influence members of Congress. Huntington ended up winning the contest by getting an order from the federal government in 1877 that allowed the Southern Pacific (the railroad company) to build across Arizona and New Mexico. Huntington acted as the railroads lobbyist. He successfully blocked efforts to secure aid for potential competitors in Washington. In 1885 a feud between Collis Huntington and Leland Stanford. Huntington waited five years for revenge and got it by taking Stanford's job as president of the Southern Pacific. These are just a few of many reasons that Collis P. Huntington was a Robber Baron, but they successfully get the point across.