The Oregon and Transcontinental Company was a 19th-century holding company in the United States, organized by Henry Villard in 1881 to control the Northern Pacific Railroad and Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. It was incorporated in Oregon. New Jersey passed legislation in 1889 to facilitate the control of other companies by another corporation with a goal of encouraging trusts to convert into holding companies and relocate to that state.[1] Oregon and Transcontinental in 1890 re-incorporated as a holding company in New Jersey and became the North American Company so that it could take advantage of these expanded corporate powers[1] and invest in a wider range of businesses.[2][3]
References
- Charles M. Yablon. The Historical Race Competition for Corporate Charters and the Rise and Decline of New Jersey: 1880-1910 Iowa Journal of Corporation Law, University of Iowa, 2007, retrieved July 17, 2012^
- Talk of a new company; The report on Oregon and Transcontinental. The present charter declared not adapted to the corporation's successful development The New York Times, November 23, 1889, retrieved 2008-10-24^
- Under a Brand-New Name; But It Is The Oregon And Transcontinental Company. The Very Extensive Powers Given to the North American Company by its New-Jersey Charter.