William Arthur Lathrop (1854-1912) was born in Springville, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, second son of Israel Lathrop. The Lathrop family was a pioneering family in the Susquehanna area of Pennsylvania. After early education in Springville, he entered Lehigh University from which he graduated in 1875 with a degree of Civil Engineer, later taking additional courses and awarded a degree of Engineer of Mines. At the time of his death, he was an honored and efficient trustee of Lehigh University. He was highly esteemed in American coal mining and especially prominent in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. Besides being executive head of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, he was also president of Jed Coal and Coke Company and Lathrop Coal Company of West Virginia. On leaving Lehigh University he took a job as assistant engineer on the Lehigh Valley Railroad and became connected with Major Irving A. Stearns who was engaged in general mining engineering practicing in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In early 1880 he went to Virginia and opened and managed the Pocohontas mine which was the pioneer operation in the great Flat Top field. In 1884 he accepted the position of superintendent of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company’s operation in the Snow Shoe region of Pennsylvania. On death of Frederick Mercur, Lathrop became General Superintendent of all the Lehigh Valley Coal Company’s mines, both anthracite and bituminous with headquarters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and later was made General Manager. In May 1901, he resigned from Lehigh Valley Coal Co. to take presidency of Webster Coal and Coke Company which then merged into Pennsylvania Coal and Coke Company and became its president. In December 1906 he resigned from Pennsylvania Coal and Coke Company to become General Manager of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company and in February 1907 elected president with headquarters in Philadelphia. Besides his connection and interest in mining as a colliery engineer, he was identified with other business interests: the Fourth Street National Bank of Philadelphia, the People’s Bank of Wilkes-Barre - of both he was director. As a collegian he became a member of Psi Chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity; member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers; Pennsylvania Sons of the Revolution; University Club of Philadelphia; Westmoreland Club of Wilkes-Barre; and the Wyoming Valley Historical and Geological Society. Lathrop married in 1881 Harriet E. Williams of New York City and they had a daughter, Helen. He is buried at Forty Fort, Pennsylvania. Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company was a mining and transportation company headquartered in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania where Asa Packer was affiliated. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company established the Lehigh Canal in 1818. became usable by 1820 and expanded to be transformed to a two- way canal between 1827 and 1829. Lehigh Canal became hugely influential in transporting anthracite coal with its primary markets in the Northeastern United States. The old company operated from 1818 until its dissolution in 1964. In the mid 1960s an entirely different company organized and continues to use the name with headquarters in Lansford, Pennsylvania.