Charles Melville Hays (May 16, 1856 – April 15, 1912) was the president of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR). He began his career in the railroad industry as a clerk at 17 and quickly advanced to become the General Manager of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway. By 1889, he had become Vice-President, a role he held until 1896, when he joined GTR as General Manager. Hays briefly left GTR to serve as President of the Southern Pacific Railway but returned after a year. As Vice-President and General Manager of GTR, he is credited with saving the company from bankruptcy. In 1909, Hays became president of GTR, overseeing its subsidiary railroads and steamship companies. Known for his philanthropy, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, third class, by the Emperor of Japan in 1907. Hays played a key role in the formation of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP), a project aimed at creating a second transcontinental railroad in Canada. However, he is also blamed for the financial troubles of both GTR and GTP. Hays tragically died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic before completing his plan. He had eerily predicted "the greatest...of all disasters at sea" shortly before the ship struck an iceberg. His body was recovered and buried in Montreal. He left behind a wife and four daughters.

Charles Melville Hays - Wikipedia