| Date | Event |
|---|
| 1843, Aug. 1 | Born, Springfield, Ill. |
| 1853 | Attended Illinois State University, Springfield, Ill. |
| 1859 | Attended Philips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H. |
| 1864 | Graduated, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. |
| 1865 | Captain, staff of General Ulysses S. Grant |
| 1867-1881 | Practiced law, Chicago, Ill. |
| 1868 | Married Mary Eunice Harlan |
| 1881-1885 | Secretary of war |
| 1889-1893 | Minister to Great Britain |
| 1897-1901 | Acting president, Pullman Co. |
| 1901-1911 | President, Pullman Co. |
| 1911 | Moved to Washington, D.C. |
| 1911-1922 | Chairman of the board, Pullman Co. |
| 1926, July 25 | Died, Manchester, Vt. |
| 1928, Mar. 14 | Reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. |
