President Johnson Adviser Dies in Waukesha

A former railroad executive and adviser to former President Lyndon B. Johnson passed away following a stroke in Waukesha at age 98, according to the New York Times.

Benjamin W. Heineman Sr., an attorney from the Chicago area, retired as Northwest Industries’ chief executive officer in 1985, a railroad business he started in 1968, according to The Washington Post.

He passed away Aug. 5, according to his obituary. The Chicago Tribune has this photo of Heineman and Johnson.

Heineman had this to say about customer service in a 1964 Life magazine article, according to the Boston Globe.

‘‘I don’t think people want glamour — they want trains to work and work on time,” he said. “The same is true in all areas of transportation. If I were in the airplane business, I’d skip the champagne and fancy meals but break my neck to provide planes that arrived and left exactly on time.’’

For those who enjoy the lakefront in Milwaukee, Heineman kept them in mind. He was “partially responsible” for keeping the area dedicated for public use, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Heineman died at according to the Milwaukee newspaper.