Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Janney (John) Collection
mssJanney
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: John Janney collection
Creator:
Janney, John, 1877-1967
Identifier/Call Number: mssJanney
Physical Description:
208.02 Linear Feet
(338 boxes, 29 ledgers, and 2 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1896-1992
Date (bulk): 1920-1960
Abstract: The John Janney collection contains
correspondence and business records related to mining in the early 20th century American
West. Included are files related to John Janney's several properties and interests, most of
which were in Lincoln County, Nevada, including the Ely Valley Mines, Mountain View Hotel,
Pioche Mines Company, Pioche Power and Light Company, and Tenabo Mining and Smelting
Company. This collection exists as an extensive and rich documentation of Nevada mining,
especially during the Great Depression and World War II.
Language of Material: The records are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item], John Janney collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Serendipity Books, July 1999.
John Janney was born on August 15, 1877 in Leesburg, Virginia. His great grandfather served
as Attorney General under George Washington and John Adams. He was named after a famous
uncle.
In 1896, John Janney graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and graduated from the
University of Virginia School of Law in 1900. Soon after, Janney headed west to Idaho and
then, Pioche, Nevada where he re-created himself as a businessman. Seemingly, Janney was
motivated by a desire to be a great and respected businessman. He admired John D.
Rockefeller for making a fortune in oil and set out to do the same in mining. However,
Janney proved to be plagued by misfortune and a certain degree of incompetence or
irresponsibility that limited his success. During his 50 years in the mining industry, he
managed to create enemies of the worst kind, those who neither feared nor respected him. He
was sued by other companies and stockholders on numerous occasions, and was forced to devote
much of his energy to a never ending stream of litigation.
Janney failed to follow the advice of Andrew Carnegie, who claimed he made his fortune by
putting all his eggs in one basket, and "watching that basket." From the very beginning of
his career, Janney had investments in several companies, and projects across the United
States. He worked on the development of Milner Dam in south central Idaho and contributed to
the founding of Twin Falls, Idaho. He continued to own property and farmland in Idaho
throughout this life. In the early 1900s, he became the Secretary of the Pioche Mines
Company, and began to make his rise. He spent time in France before the war, and then
returned to Pioche, Nevada. He spent the years up until 1920 acquiring controlling stock in
the Nevada Volcano Mines Company for his personal ownership. In 1920, he bought the land
from the company. Now, he had control of Pioche Mines Company, which had equipment for
mining, but no money to buy land on which to use the equipment. Janney also acquired
controlling stock in The Pioche Record, the Mountain View Hotel, and the Pioche Power and
Light Company. He oversaw the running of these businesses as well as his main interest,
mining.
Janney was a capitalist in every sense and strove to make the Pioche Mines Company
profitable throughout the 1920s. Soon, he became the president of the company and was
determined to make it work. His success was set back on September 14, 1929, when a fire
destroyed the company's mill. Workers expressed support and sympathy for Janney after the
fire, despite the depression into which the world had fallen into, plans were soon underway
to rebuild the mill.
Throughout the 1930s, Janney expressed strong views in regards to his economic theories
and opinions on the silver policy. He wrote numerous letters to President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, and friends tried to arrange a meeting with the President Roosevelt so Janney
could push his plan for economic recovery.
Pioche Mines Company eventually merged with Pioche Mines Consolidated, Inc. Janney
continued as president. Under his direction, the company actively worked to increase
stockholders in the east, especially in Philadelphia. Janney spent much of his time living
in hotels in east coast cities promoting and trying to expand his company. The company was
not free of problems, however. Percy H. Clark, had replaced T. Mitchell Hastings, as
attorney for Philadelphia investors in the company and soon began his push for
reorganization. Clark clashed with Janney and other company heads frequently, which
eventually led to several lawsuits. Eventually, Clark resigned his vice-presidency; he was
unable to see eye to eye on anything with Janney.
Problems abounded with investors and supply companies that Pioche Mines Consolidated, Inc.
was in debt to. Janney seemed to owe money in all directions and to be in no rush to pay up.
As the patience of many wore out, the number of lawsuits rose steadily. The case of
Fidelity-Philadelphia vs. Pioche Mines Consolidated, Inc. and John Janney dragged on for
years and eventually landed in the United States Supreme Court in the early 1960s.
In the late 1930s or early 1940s, Janney became the General Manager of Ely Valley Mines
Company. He oversaw all operations and business in this company, saving records of daily
operations at the mill. In letters to and from his wife, Alice Janney, he expresses intense
desire to see the company become profitable. In response, his wife made several suggestions
on how to accomplish that goal. However, this company was also plagued with lawsuits,
specifically the case of Helen Dolman vs. Ely Valley Mines, which carried on until the early
1960s when it finally reached the United States Court of Appeals. Janney also worked on
developing the Randsburg mining district, located in Kern County, California. His energies
were constantly invested in mines, as shown by the massive number of business
correspondence.
The 1960s lawsuits seemed to wear on him. He spent more time expressing his political
views, and following the events of the Civil Rights Movement. Janney spoke out for
right-wing politics, anti-communism, and constitutional limitations.
Janney passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1967 at the age of 90. At that time, several
court cases were still in progress, and the mining companies were in his control. In his
will, he instructed three old friends to take care of his possessions, being sure his wife
would be provided for until her death. His only other beneficiaries were The Defenders of
the American Constitution and John C. Williams, President of the Texas Voters for Enforcing
the Constitution. Janney's stock was transferred to Arabian Shields Company of Dallas, Texas
and his properties were taken over by this company.
Series I: Ely Valley Mines Company The first series, Ely Valley
Mines Company, primarily contains reports, such as Foreman's Daily Reports, Daily Explosives
Reports, Shift Reports, Truck Operation Reports, Daily Timber Reports, and Daily Drill
Reports. Also, pertaining to Ely Valley Mines Company, are Assay Certificates, Requisition
for Supplies forms, time cards, financial records, production estimates, and other technical
figures. Included are letters to and from supply companies, stockholders, company officers,
and legal firms. Also in this series, are letters to and from John Janney and wife, Alice
Janney in Box 57 (3).
Series II: Mountain View Hotel The Mountain View Hotel series,
mostly consists of invoices, receipts, statements, and tax records from various supply and
utility companies. This series is roughly organized chronologically. The few letters in this
section concern a Redflash boiler leak at the hotel.
Series III: Oriental Refining Company The third series mostly
includes correspondence, memoranda, notes, and statements concerning two lawsuits: Oriental
Refining Company, Plaintiff, vs. American National Bank of Denver, Defendant and Richard K.
Baker, as Trustee, Francis G. Shaw and Richard K. Baker, as Trustees, Wallace M. Scudder,
James B. Thayer, Augustus Hemenway, and Francis G. Shaw, Plaintiffs, vs. Max P. Zall, E. M.
Stringer, H. L. Jewell, and Oriental Refining Company, Defendants.
Series IV: Amalgamated Pioche Mines and Smelting Corporation:The
Amalgamated Pioche Mines and Smelting Corporation series primarily consists of invoices,
receipts, and statements from various supply and utility companies from the late 1930s to
early 1940s.
Series V: Pioche Mines Company and Pioche Mines Consolidated, Inc.
This series is roughly divided into two parts. The first part concerns Pioche Mines
Company from the early 1900s to late 1920s. The second part relates to Pioche Mines
Consolidated, Inc., which incorporated in December 1928. Both sections contain business
correspondence to and from supply companies, stockholders, company officers, and legal
firms. Additional subject matter related to Janney includes Twin Falls, Idaho,
anti-communism, constitutional limitations, and monetizing silver. Box 239 consists of
newspaper clippings related to civil rights and right wing politics. Also, there are
correspondence, countersuits, drafts, memoranda, notes, and statements concerning two major
lawsuits: Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company, Trustee et al., Plaintiffs, vs. Pioche Mines
Consolidated, Inc. Pioche Mines Company, and John Janney, Defendants and Helen Dolman,
Lawrence Rust Lee, E.P.R. Duval, Katherine Hansbrough, and James Keith Marshall, Jr.,
Plaintiffs, vs. Ely Valley Mines, Inc., Pioche Mines Consolidated, Inc., and John
Janney.
Series VI: Pioche Power and Light Company The Pioche Power and
Light Company series primarily consists of correspondence, documents, printed matter, and
reports addressed to and from the Public Services Commission of Nevada. Also, there are tax
related material, financial records, and work orders. Box 222 consists of mostly retained
carbons to customers.
Series VII: Randsburg California Mines In this series, there are
agreements, correspondence, deeds, financial records maps, notes, reports, and test results
related to Randsburg mining district and Goler Canyon Placer. The bulk of the letters are
between John Janney and his agent, Samuel M. Mingus.
Series VIII: Tenabo Mining and Smelting Company There is only one
box in this series. The contents include letters and documents concerning Charles D. Bates,
Complainant vs. Tenabo Mining and Smelting Company, Defendant. There are three ledgers:
Minutes from the "First Meeting of the Incorporators and Stockholders", a blank receipt
book, and a transfer of capital ledger. Box 237 (6) consists of copies of telegrams
regarding the sale of Tenabo property.
Series IX: Miscellaneous This series consists of material related
to all the mines in the previous sections. There are business and personal correspondence,
financial records, ephemera, shorthand notes, and other material related to Janney's life as
a businessman and a devout American capitalist. Boxes 286-290 contain additional material
related to the Helen Dolman, Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company, Pioche Mines Consolidated,
Inc. and Ely Valley Mines Company lawsuits. There are two oversize boxes consisting of
rolled blueprints, drawings, and maps.
Series X: Oversize There are 29 oversize ledgers and two oversize
folders related to Ely Valley Mines Company, Pioche Power and Light Company, and Tenabo
Mining and Smelting Company. One folder consists 26 drawings of the Pioche floatation mill
and the other depicts mining shafts.
For the most part, the original order of the collection has been kept. The best way to
search in this collection is to perform a keyword search for items of interest.
Former call number: mssJanneycollection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Civil rights -- United States
Conservatism
Currency question -- United States
Gold mines and mining -- Nevada
Lead mines and mining -- Nevada
Mines and mineral resources -- Nevada -- Pioche
Mining corporations -- Nevada
Silver mines and mining -- Nevada
Silver question
Lincoln County (Nev.)--History
Pioche (Nev.)--History
Randsburg (Calif.)--History
Twin Falls (Idaho)--History
Account books -- Nevada -- 20th century
Business records -- Nevada -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence)--Nevada -- 20th century
Reports -- Nevada -- 20th century
DuVal, Miles P., Jr. (Miles Percy),
1896-1989
Janney, John, 1877-1967
King, William Henry, 1828-1903
McCarran, Pat, 1876-1954
Post, Langdon W. (Langdon Ward), 1899-
Combined Metals Reduction
Company
Ely Valley Mines
Company
Mountain View Hotel
Oriental Refining
Company
Pioche Mines Company
Pioche Mines
Consolidated
Pioche Power and Light
Company
Tenabo Mining and Smelting
Company
United States. War Production
Board