John Flint Kidder

John Flint Kidder (1830 - April 10, 1901) was a politician, civil engineer and railroad executive who built and later owned Northern California's Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad (NCNGRR) which, during its operation, never experienced an attempted robbery. Early years Kidder's ancestors came to America before the American Revolution. He was born in New York City, New York in 1830, and moved in 1840 to Syracuse, New York with his parents. Kidder attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1846-47, but did not graduate. Career Kidder began his engineering career in 1849. For several years, until 1860, he was a city engineer in Syracuse.