On June 28, 1861, the Central Pacific Railroad was incorporated by Theodore Judah and four Sacramento businessmen known as “The Associates.” Also known as the “Big Four,” The Associates were Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Collis P. Huntington, and Charles Crocker. Theodore Judah, who previously worked for the Sacramento Valley Railroad and publisher of "A Practical Plan for Building the Pacific Railroad," was the Chief Engineer of the company. Judah was sent to Washington DC to lobby for a trans