Albert Keep

Who was Albert Keep?

Albert Keep was a 19th-century American railroad official and financier. He was a former president and director of the Chicago and North Western Railway. For eighteen years he was director of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. He was born in Homer, New York, in Cortland County.

Keep moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, in 1846. He became a leading merchant there, working along with his brother, Henry, and Philander Peck. The Keeps and Peck relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1851. They were involved in trade and began to accumulate wealth. The brothers took an interest in promoting the Chicago and North Western Railway and Albert served as its director for fourteen years. As a result of his leadership the railroad became one of the best built, equipped, and managed in the midwest.