C.C. Webber led the movement for the revival of shipping on the Upper Mississippi River. Webber was the grandson of John Deere, the farm implement manufacturer and started working as an office boy and mail clerk for Deere & Co. Born in Rock Island, Illinois, he attended Rock Island Schools as well as Lake Forest Academy from which he graduated in 1877.
Webber became the founder and builder of the Upper Mississippi Barge Line Company. He was also the founder and Chairman of the Board of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association. Webber lobbied for the completion of the 9-foot channel for the Upper River. He led a group of Upper Midwest business leaders and industrialists to form a river transportation company and river association that led to the completion of the Upper River 9-foot Channel and Commercial Navigation, as we know it today.
Webber was philanthropic in his support of the Sister Kenney Institute and several other charities. He was also an avid collector of Early Western Americana. C.C. Webber was an innovator in his contributions to the origination of the dealer-franchise system used throughout the world today.