Clarence W. Spangenberger

Who was Clarence W. Spangenberger?

Clarence W. Spangenberger was the last president of Cornell Steamboat Company, whose more than 60 vessels made it the largest tugboat company in the United States.

Spangenberger was born in Kingston, New York on December 9, 1905. His parents both earned their incomes serving the shipyard workers and boatmen in Rondout, New York, with his mother selling bread and his father working as a barber. Spangenberger graduated from New York University, majoring in business. He first worked as a sales representative for the Standard Oil Company, before being hired in 1933 by the Cornell Steamboat Company, a firm whose history dated back to 1847. He started in the accounts receivable department and later supervised the firm's engineers, firemen and oilers.

Spangenberger pushed the firm's management to convert to oil power instead of steam. With the change, the company's tugboats could push 21 barges that were grouped three across, rather than having all 21 barges towed end-to-end. He was selected by the firm's trustees to become the head of Cornell in December 1954, at a time when trucks and railroads were changing the dynamics of the shipping business. His efforts to revive the company included dismissing hundreds of employees, all of whom he notified in person.