railroad executive, b. Homer, N.Y. He moved to Wisconsin in 1846, settling at White-water, where he was a member of the firm of Peck, Keep and Co. (1846-1851). In 1851 he moved to Chicago but although never again a resident of Wisconsin, his railroad activities made him an important figure in the state. In Chicago he operated a dry-goods business (1851-1857), and from 1857 until his death was active in Chicago real estate developments and railroads. Keep was a director of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern R.R. (1865-1883), president of the Chicago and North Western R.R. (1873-1887), and chairman of the board of that railroad (1887-1901). During his term as president of the North Western, Keep, with the aid of general superintendent Marvin Hughitt, was responsible for greatly increasing the mileage of the road and for acquiring many local Wisconsin lines. In 1882 he gained control of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha R.R., thereby breaking the monopoly of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul R.R. on a through route from Chicago to St. Paul. Who's Who in Amer., 4 (1906); R. J. Casey and W.A.S. Douglas, Pioneer Railroad (New York [1948]); F. E. Best, J. Keep . . . and His Descendants (Chicago, 1899); Milwaukee Evening Wis., May 13, 1907.Learn More
Dictionary of Wisconsin History
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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
