John Dennis Ryan1

b. 10 October 1864, d. 11 February 1933
Birth10 Oct 1864 John Dennis Ryan was born on 10 Oct 1864 in Hancock, Houghton County, Michigan.1 
  He was the son of John C. Ryan and Johanna O'Donnell.2 
  John grew up among the famous copper mines of the Lake Superior district of Michigan. As a young man he worked as a traveling salesman, selling lubricating oil. Working from a base in Denver he traveled throughout the western United States. While spending time in Butte, Montana he became friends with Marcus Daly, head of Anaconda Mining. Daly was also the owner of numerous banking interests.3,1,4,5 
Marriage18 Nov 1896 John married Nettie Gardner, daughter of Granville Graham Gardner and Sallie W. Dashiell, on 18 Nov 1896 in Houghton County, Michigan.2 
  Following their marriage John and Nettie lived in Denver for a short time. Their only child was born there in 1898. 
Cens-19005 Jun 1900  However by the summer of 1900 they had settled in Chicago where they lived on 51st Street in the Hyde Park area of the city. The 1900 census noted that John was employed as an oil company manager.6 
  Marcus Daly died in Nov. 1900. John had maintained his friendship with the older man and continued to advise Daly's widow after his death. John went on to acquire a significant interest in the Daly Bank & Trust Co. and eventually became the company's president. Having developed a keen business sense he also went on to head Anaconda Mining.3,1,5 
  The family made their permanent home in Butte, Montana where they lived in an ornate residence at 105 North Excelsior. John's interests soon extended beyond banking and copper mining; in order to provide cheap electrical power for his copper mines, he consolidated several local electrical companies to form Montana Power Co. in 1912. John Ryan came to exert great political power within the state.1 
  During World War I John had set aside his business interests to serve as director of military reflief work for the American Red Cross. He also organized the production of aircraft as Second Asst. Secretary of War.5 
Cens-192028 Jan 1920  In need of a New York base John had purchased #3 East 78th St. in Manhattan in 1913. The beautiful gothic style mansion stood 5 1/2 stores tall and was built in the late 1890s. John paid $400,000 for the home which stood on one of the most prestigious streets in the city. There he and Nettie were enumerated in 1920 with their 21 year old son and 9 servants, including an English butler. Their neighbor at #9 E. 78th was Pierre Cartier, whose occupation was listed simply as "jeweler."7 
  The couple also purchased a country estate named Cassleigh in Roslyn, Long Island. They renamed it Derrymore.5 
  During the late 1920s John and Percy Rockefeller aggressively speculated on Anaconda shares, selling when they went up and buying when they went down. In 1929 the company issued additional stock to purchase shares in speculative companies. The stock market crash of Oct. 1929 and ensuing Great Depression severely damaged the company's worth. John's Anaconda shares, once worth as much as $175 each, fell to $4 at the bottom of the Great Depression.8 
Death11 Feb 1933 John died on 11 Feb 1933 at his home on E. 78th St. In New York at age 68. He had suffered a heart attack the previous day.1 

Related Links and Images:

Several websites include photos of the Ryan homes as well as additional information.

In particular see: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/03/1899-edmund-c-converse-mansion-no-3.html

and: http://www.oldlongisland.com/2012/07/cassleigh.html

Also, the website http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html contains a large collection of searchable images from New York newspapers. They contain many articles about the family.

For additional information on John Ryan and Anaconda Mining see (among many other resources): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaconda_Copper

Family

Nettie Gardner b. Oct 1869, d. 6 Jun 1960
Child
Last Edited7 Aug 2013

Citations

  1. [S3225] John Dennis Ryan, Great Falls Tribune, (Great Falls Montana); digital image, Great Falls Tribune, (http://www.greatfallstribune.com: viewed 2013). The article on John Dennis Ryan was written as part of a series titled "125 Montana Newsmakers". It is not clear when the original article was published. The article includes a photo of Mr. Ryan.
  2. [S3228] "Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925", index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : viewed Aug. 2013), entry for John D. Ryan and Nettie M. Gardner.
  3. [S3229] "John D. Ryan Dies of Heart Attack", The New York Sun (11 Feb. 1933), Fulton County History (www.fultonhistory.com : accessed 7 Aug. 2013).
  4. [S3226] "John D. Ryan", Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/ : viewed Aug. 2013).
  5. [S3227] Tom Miller, "The 1899 Edmund C. Converse Mansion - No. 3 East 78th St.", Daytonian in Manhattan (http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/03/… : viewed Aug. 2013).
  6. [S3177] John D. Ryan household, 1900 U.S. cens., Cook Co., Illinois, pop. sched., Chicago, ED 1032, sheet 5A, dwelling 25, family 46, viewed online at Ancestry.com, May 2013. Large establishment (6 sheets of "boarders"); surnames listed alphabetically to include: John D. Ryan, 35, b. Oct. 1864, marr 4 yrs, b. Michigan, parents b. Ireland, manager of oil co; Nettie, 30, b. Oct. 1869, marr 4 yrs, mother of 1 child, is living, b. MD; John C., 1, b. Sept. 1898 CO; Thompson R., 30, b. May 1870, b. VT, parents b. VT, railroad agent (may not have been part of previous family unit); establishment on 51st Street.
  7. [S3180] John D. Ryan household, 1920 U.S. cens., Manhattan, New York, New York, pop. sched., ED 1087, sheet 20B, dwelling 165, family 334, viewed online at Ancestry.com, May 2013. Household includes: John D. Ryan, owns home, no mortgage, 55, b. New York [sic], parents b. Ireland, occupation: "mining"; Nettie G., wife, 50, b. New York [sic], parents b. NY [sic]; John C., son, 21, b. NY [sic]; resid #3 E 78th St. Household also included 9 servants including an English butler. John and Nettie's neighbor at #9 E. 78th St. was Pierre Cartier, "jeweler".
  8. [S3226] "Anaconda Copper", Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/ : viewed Aug. 2013).