Boyd, Alan Stephenson (1922-2020), was secretary of transportation in the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1967 to 1969. From 1965 to 1967, Boyd served as undersecretary of commerce for transportation. In that position, he helped plan and promote the Department of Transportation. Congress established the department in 1966, and Boyd became its first secretary. Boyd served as president of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad from 1969 to 1976. In 1978, he became president of Amtrak, a position he held until 1982. That year, Boyd became chairman of Airbus Industrie North America, Inc. In 1986, he became the company’s president. Boyd served in that position until 1992.
Boyd was born on July 20, 1922, in Jacksonville, Florida. He enrolled at the University of Florida before dropping out and joining the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II (1939-1945). He received a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1948. During the 1950’s, Boyd served on transportation committees and regulatory agencies in Florida. In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed him to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Boyd served there until he joined the Department of Commerce in 1965. Boyd published a memoir, A Great Honor: My Life Shaping 20th Century Transportation, in 2016. He died on Oct. 18, 2020.
